325
- Production
- 1939–1981
- Model
- Portugieser (Original 1939)
- Case material
- Stainless Steel / Gold
- Case size
- 41.5mm
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- Cal. 74 / 98
- Dial colours
- Black
Two Portuguese merchants came to Schaffhausen in 1939 wanting a wristwatch as accurate as a marine chronometer. No wristwatch movement of the period could do it, so IWC did the only thing that would work: it put a pocket watch movement, the Calibre 74 and later the 98, into a wristwatch case. That produced a watch 41.5mm across at a time when wristwatches were typically 34mm, which is why the Portugieser reads as modern eighty years later. It was a commercial failure for decades.
Key dates.
- Commissioned by two Portuguese importers seeking marine-chronometer accuracy on the wrist
- Reference 325 stayed in the catalogue for more than forty years and total production is estimated at fewer than 700 pieces — an average of well under twenty a year.
- The movement is a pocket watch calibre. Its size, not a design decision about the case, is why the watch is as large as it is.
Before you ask.
When was the IWC Schaffhausen 325 produced?
The 325 was produced from 1939 to 1981.
What movement does the IWC Schaffhausen 325 use?
The IWC Schaffhausen 325 runs the Cal. 74 / 98, a manual movement.
How do I check a IWC Schaffhausen 325 with Watch Safe?
Look up the watch's serial number in the Watch Safe registry to see whether a record exists or a theft flag is attached. A registry search identifies records for a specific serial; it does not authenticate the watch. Authentication is performed in person by an independent expert authenticator, and Watch Safe records and publishes the result.
Checking a specific IWC Schaffhausen? Look up its serial number in the registry.