Michael's posting of the Pisa Portuguese prompted a few questions about dials and movements used.
The scans are from the 2000/01 catalogue (image 2), the 1994 catalogue
(image 4) and (images 1 and 3) from a separate catalogue
"The Portuguese wristwatch. A family saga counter to the flow of time."
This publication is undated but appears to be after 1996.
The 1994 catalogue (image 4) says that the watch "is an exact replica
of the original. The only difference being that the historic calibre
9828 movement has been further improved and can now be seen working
relentlessly away through the sapphire glass cover at the
back of the case." It appears if this is an "exact replica" of the
original dial there was considerable dial variation as evidenced from the
attached scan and also from Roland's (Mk11's) post of a different dial
yesterday.
The Pisa posted by Michael seems to be based on image 3 from the 1940's but with a white dial.
There appears to a five phases of Portugieser production with sub-second
hands at 6 o'clock (not counting chronographs). The original
release in 1938, a re-release in the 1940's, an edition for the German
market in the early 1980's (I have no details of this), the
anniversary model in 1993, the Pisa three years ago for the Italian
market.
I've always assumed the early editions contained the calibre 74 pocket
watch movement (see the text next to the early images). The
publication "The Portuguese wristwatch. A family saga counter to the
flow of time", states that "the slimmest and no doubt best pocket
watch movement of the age, the 98-calibre in the hunter version, found
its way into a wristwatch that was to lay the cornerstone for a
family saga that has remained unique in the history of watchmaking:
the saga of the Portuguese wristwatch from IWC." Also the 1993
catalogue states that "IWC selected the 98 calibre movement"
That it used the 98 calibre movement would seem to make sense when we
examine movement production numbers. The last of the
calibre 74 movements were produced in 1931 (600 that year) and IWC
could have had some on hand for production in 1938 and the
re-release in the 1940. There were two production phases for the calibre
98, 600 movements in 1936 and a further 600 in 1946. That is
not to say they all went into the production of the Portugieser, clearly
some, if not the majority would have been used for pocket watches.
The movement numbers were 955,101 - 955,600 for 1936 and 1,127,201
- 1,127,800 for 1946
Can anybody shed some light on the reference to calibre 74?
Cheers from the cellar.
Response from MF - On Cal. 74...
A little more
The Pisa Portugieser
Mk11's Portugieser
Black dial Portugieser by Mk11
Portugieser Evolution
