Two handwound Portugiesers

Hello all,

Last week I had the pleasure to handle three handwound steel Portugiesers: the pure classic, the 5454 (white dial and subdial) and the new 5102. Funny to see that they are so different, when you see them next to eachother. Obviously, the pure classic seems very small, has no subseconds but is the evidence of the "less is more" principle. Almost the same dial but with subseconds is the 5454 which seems huge, especially next tot the pure classic. The 5102 fits in between those two, literally because it is smaller than the 5454...but only 1 mm in case diameter. Nevertheless, the 5102 "feels" much smaller than the 5454 probably because the dial is larger, about 2mm, than the 5102. Of the two the 5454 is closest to the Portuguese styling: large dial with almost no rim: the 5102 really has a much different case too. And that would make choosing between those three difficult. That is to say, it would be choosing between the pure classic and one of the other two I guess. But choosing between the 5454 and the new 5102 would be rather difficult. But most strinking again was the recognition that all these pieces, as well as regarding the recent discussions about the new AT line, really have to be appreciated in "the real" in order to get a good impression. In the meantime, I really would not know which to choose........none maybe, and buy all ;-) !

Hey Mark,

I also live in Rotterdam and would be happy to meet up at our local AD one day and help you choose. Or, as you say, encourage the easier option, which is to not choose and just buy all of them! ;-)

Cheers!

Waimar

The handwound Portuguese watches are all quite beautiful, but of these three the Pure Classic is the least attractive to me. It is a bit small, and has no IWC movement: no big deal as the Piaget movement is quite good of course. But in a way it looks a bit empty and austere to me, when looking for a two hand watch I would look around a bit more.

Both the 5454 and the 5102 are great watches. I myself have two 5445's, one steel, one rose gold, almost identical to the 5454 except for the dial: they are part of the Vintage Collection series of 2008. The dimensions, 44x10 mm are perfect, the watches are light and wear like a dream.

The new 5102 to me is a marvel on shape: I never thought that the Portuguese Handwound dial could be made beautiful by adding a date, but IWC did it. This small asymmetry adds to the interest of the watch. Those looking for a slightly smaller watch find it here. The power reserve indicator at the back is a great find, and the movement, until now only used in the Portofino 8 Days Handwound is quite sophisticated. Right now, the 5102 would be the watch in this type of watches to go after. In a way I have the feeling that the 5102 might replace the bulkier 5001 in a not too far future, following the trend of slightly more slender watches.

Kind regards,
Paul

I guess it also very much depends on the size of your wrist... And the rest of your collection.
I don't have a big wrist at all but really enjoy my 5445... It's big on the wrist but that makes it all the more classic... After all the real Portuguese is a pocket watch in a wristwatch case.

I am a huge fan of the Portuguesers, and I agree that the two hand wounds are extraordinarily good looking watches. Picking one over the other is hard, when taking into account the dial only. Where I give the 5454 the edge is with the movement, it being a descendant of the caliber 98 used in many of the namesake originals. However, I don't think anyone would go wrong with either watch.

Good point... afterall a 325 cal98 is a dream for many of us!