Lot 238

International Watch Co.

Portugieser Répétition Minutes

A rare and large wristwatch with minute repeating mechanism, sold in 1996 - with original box, operating instructions, booklets and guarantee card

Sold

Featuring one of the most sophisticated of watchmaking complications, the Portugieser Minute Repeater continues to fascinate lovers of precision watch mechanics since its launch in 1995.
The minute repeater is operated by an eye-catching repeating slide on the left-hand side of the case and chimes out the time in crystal-clear tones: the hours on the lower-pitched of the two gongs, followed by a double strike on both gongs for the quarters and finally a single strike on the higher-pitched gong for the minutes. Every gong is individually handmade and carefully tuned for pitch and tonal purity. The all-or-nothing piece, as it is known, ensures that the mechanism will never chime out an incomplete – and thus incorrect – series of acoustic tones even if the repeating slide is released too early. This watch is immensely popular among today’s collectors; it uses the traditional full IWC logo of "International Watch Co. Schaffhausen".
Source: IWC Schaffhausen
This timepiece spent the last 25 years untouched in a safe and a layer of gold oxide has formed on the case. This is highly appreciated by collectors, it can, however, easily be removed by polishing the surface.