IWC Portuguese Chronograph Calibre 79350 => Specifications? Is it Valjoux or Sellita?

• Disclaimer: This is not an ETA bashing post!! I knew fully well my Portuguese had the 7750 and it was one of the positive reasons why I bought one!! I wanted a work horse reliable but dressy watch!

Hi Everyone! Always used to be a lurker here but yesterday bought my first IWC, the iconic Portuguese Chronograph with the rose gold numerals. I loved it so much that I bought it NEW (from the new boutique inside the Regent Street Store in London) which I do rarely as I usually go gray, 2nd hand or get it from various watch forums. What a beautiful watch, wow. I love it. I have to thank all the posts here on the forum as I spent days, weeks months, just browsing and looking at Portuguese photos and imagining it on my wrist haha

Abit about myself, Im quite active on another forum, TZUK and have been a watch enthusiast for around 5 years now, although I got my first Rolex in 2003, an explorer I that I still wear today also along with others in my sig. I consider myself a "nerd" and an enthusiast and love to read about the industry etc.

Today I had a question which I could not find an answer to from any other forum. And basically its that I understand that until about 2000? IWC used to purchase parts from ETA and then assemble it inhouse for the Portuguese.

However I believe this is no longer the case and ETA provides the finished 7750 to IWC's specification. Now the question is, 1) the 7750 provided for the Portuguese, what grade is it? Or put another way, what modifications have been made (apart from the cosmetic 2 register mod), For example: does it contain upgrades like an Incabloc shock protection, a Glucydur balance wheel with an Anchron alloy hairspring, a Nivaflex NM mainspring, a Nivarox pallet lever and escape wheel, and ruby pallet jewels?

2) Another thing I have read also is that it is actually not ETA but it contains a Sellita 500 movement as the 7750 patent has expired so IWC gets some of it from Sellita?

I just love my watch and my motive for asking this question is just simply I would like to know in detail what drives my watch!! To me it makes no difference whether its ETA or Sellita but I just want to know exactly what is making this beauty tick!!

Thank you!!

Hi and congrats on your new IWC!

To your first question. IWC no longer receives ebauches. The outsourced movements are received fully assembled made to IWC specifications. If you use the search function on this site there are several discussions and links to articles about what IWC has traditionally done to the base ETA movement. I'd provide you with a link but I don't have the pages bookmarked on the device I'm currently on.

To your second question. This is not officially confirmed by IWC but as far as I understand, Sellita movements are only used in the Portfinos currently.

Thomas

Hi Thomas, thank you for your reply. I apologise that my question was so long perhaps you misread it. I fully understand that ETA provides the fully finished movement as opposed to parts pre 2000. Ai also utilized the search function for various forums and found nothing. The article you are referring to regarding the modifications I read it it multiple times haha But im not sure if that article is still valid now that IWC makes no modifications themselves now.

I really don't know if ETA now does all the modifications IWC used to do themselves or if there has been some compromise. I guess to really know if there's any difference vs. older models you'd have to have a conversation with a watchmaker experienced in servicing them. In general, I'd assume it's the same as before if the calibre number is the same.

Thomas

yeah definately. I also sent IWC an email also. I doubt Ill get an answer tbh for the reasons you mentioned but I thought Ill give the forum a try!!

Thank you Thomas!

I guess noone knows or perhaps IWC doesn't want to disclose such details for whatever reason? Anyway if anyone has any clues as to where I may get my answer please let me know!!

Thank you!

No, IWC is not hiding anything from you.

The movement is by ETA to IWC specifications. As reported here, IWC now buys completed movements, although it regulates/fine tunes them. What IWC does with ETA movements has long been documented and discussed here, and you can find more in the archives. The search function is through the magnifying glass, upper left.

On some of your other questions, I'm not sure of where you got the information. For example, virtually all movements use Incabloc (the others use Kif, functionally identical) and virtually all Swiss balances use Glycdur --these are not upgrades, except perhaps from primitive watches selling for a few dollars. And the relocation here of the indicator windows involves more than cosmetics --it also requires 6 more jewels, increasing the jewel count to 25.

I hope this helps.

Hi Michael, thank you for your reply. Ofcourse I am not implying that IWC is deliberately "hiding" anything, I was implying that they are very unclear about this and noone provides me with clear answer im after. Ofcourse all I want is just to know exactly what's in my watch that I love :)

forums.watchuseek.com/f350/sw200s-ingenieur-automatic-modified-any-way-iwc-1057604-2.html#post8094553

It seems I am not the only one that is confused, but we all know that ETA is providing fully completed movements etc etc I know that ofcourse, because I did all my research before posting on this forum.

To be fiar, its probably my wording that is misunderstood, but basically the MODIFICATIONS made to it, I wanted to know do ETA still make the same modifications that IWC used to, but that it is now just made at ETA? Or has the specs changed in any way? Ofcourse I read all the articles, especially the detailed ones that you guys tell me to read, I ofcourse had read the posts, the articles way before I posted. However Christian H. Niemann's article was written in 2007 and i wasnt certain that article still holds true as IWC no longer makes the modifications or even the regulations.

So basically that is what I wanted to know. I just want to clarify your answer in that what you're saying is that essentially its the same movement with the same specs as before, just that it is now assembled at ETA and not IWC, that is the only difference right? All regulation etc also done at ETA.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my post.

The movements are made to the sane specifications as before, except for any modifications/improvements IWC now requests. And IWC itself tests and adjusts the movements, although I suppose ETA also had quality control and adjustments before delivery like any complex manufactured product.

Great thank you Michael!!! Appreciated!!

Are these changes unique to IWC, or, are these changes that ETA has widely accepted across their top grade movements? My understanding is that a few years ago, ETA just decided to adopt the IWC recommended modifications as part of their top grade movements..

Outside of IWC branding on the movement, I would be really curious if anything has been modified or changed that's unique to IWC other than the rotor...

Oh, for what it's worth... I've owned a boatload of 2892-A2 based watches and my IWC versions of these watches have always been out of this world accurate (like +1 a day)..

I don't have all specifications, but I was told by IWC 2 or 3 years ago by someone in Product Management at IWC that ETA complained about some of difficult standards requirements of IWC's specifications. As such, I suspect your understanding, Slashdot, by inference would be incorrect.

Way back when, it was IWC's ideas that caused the 2892 to become the "A2" and the 2892-A2 was adopted by ETA. But in a sense the basic design of most time-only Swiss watch movements is essentially the same, and the "devil is in the details".

To me, this here is what's important. As long as a 30110 (or 79350) performs as it has traditionally, the rest is for pure curiosity (of which I'm plenty guilty myself). I've read a lot about what IWC does or does not do to ETA supplied movements etc. (the vast majority of it pure speculation), but nowhere have I seen any reports of poor or reduced performance.

Thomas

Yes I totally agree. My portuguese, since the day I bought it, is gaining approx 1 second a day which is hugely impressive. Very accurate indeed.

My original motive for the post was 100% pure curiousity as I am totally happy with the watch and even more so regarding the regulation.