Apples and Oranges; Big Pilot & Port Auto

I finally finished my report. It's a watch comparison of the Big Pilot and the Portuguese Automatic. You can find the report at the link below.

Kind regards,

Clemens

Apples & Oranges

Great report Clemens...

... it's interesting to see these two important watches being reviewed and compared in one report. Thanks for all the effort you put in this work. Great pictures too!

Regards
Norbert

Excellent!

Very nicely done Clemens. What I like most is that your report shows that you truly love both watches.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold Saint Exupéry Chrono

Great review. Thanks. .nt

Very nice review AND pictures. nt

Good review and comparison. nt

Nicely done!

Nice review

Exhaustive review. Well done and thanks, ntg

Quite impressive Clemens

thank you very much for this.

Argiris

Have you noticed any differences in accuracy ...

.. under similar conditions .e.g. Both worn crown down on the wrists until fully wound then sat in the same position for seven days?

Good review and pictorial.

Cheers from the cellar

Great report! Thank you for your contribution (nt)

Didn't check it that extensively

Hi cellar,

I haven't had time to do such extensive accuracy tests but from a general point of view the accuracy seems quite similar.

Something else I noticed though is that the Port Auto seems to wind a bit quicker than the Big Pilot but I haven't done any measurement to confirm that yet.

Kind regards,

Clemens

Differences in accuracy and more...

I have a WG BP 5004 and a SS Port Auto (but with a black dial). The Port Auto is about a year older than the BP and has the 44 jewel movement. I think this has been reduced to 42 jewels (or maybe 40?) for recent incarnations.

As far as accuracy, my Port Auto runs 2 secs a day fast and the BP 1 sec a day slow. This 'inaccuracy' (if you like) was constant to the second for the two samples I took. I'm guessing this is probably just natural variation with the movement adjustment and not a function of the model. I'm very impressed with the consistency and lack of drift.

My BP is also far more efficient at winding - this might be due to the newer movement design, or perhaps the BP with its covered back has a heavier rotor than the skeletal one used by the Port Auto. I don't know, and experts here might have a view.

My BP starts its date change at around 23.45 and is completed entirely by midnight; my Port Auto starts nearer to midnight and finishes at around 0.20.

Another difference I've noticed is in the manual winding - the BP is far easier to wind and has some sort of mechanism to disallow over winding; as you wind the Port Auto until it nears 7 days on the dial, you notice a tightening and more friction and you simply can't wind 'beyond' 7 days - the winder locks. The BP does not. I found this by accident when my Port Auto was completely wound down - not paying attention to the dial - but no damage done!

Finally, both watches are fantastic and complement each other well, and oddly enough given the extra weight and size, I find the BP sits better on my wrist and is more comfortable. And I love the photography.

Lovely read

and sharing your personal thoughts is a real treat.

Excellent photography too.

Andrew

My compliments, and....

....I think an extensive contribution like this, especially for our forum, deserves a Great Post Award.

E-mail me with your postal address and I can send you an IWC cap...your choice of blue Aquatimer, "regular" grey, or brown leather Pilot's.

Regards,
Michael

Great result. Well earned. (nt)

Thanks very much Michael >>

I will send you the details. Thanks again!

Kind regards,

Clemens

Very informative and the photos...

were great. Thanks, Clemens!

Best regards,
Jim

Apples and Oranges; Big Pilot & Port Auto

Nice read! Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

Nice report (nt)

Great report Clemens !

Regards,
[i]Stefan