Lot 39

IWC / Intern. Watch Co.

Ur-Portugieser

An iconic, museum-quality vintage wristwatch, from the so-called first "Portugieser" watch generation, sold on June 16th, 1939 to A. H. Zipper company, wholesaler for jewellery and watches in Lemberg, Poland. This watch is the oldest Portugieser known to IWC. It was restored at IWC in Schaffhausen in July 2023 and comes with a detailed restoration documentation and an IWC extract from the archives

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This so-called "Ur-Portugieser (original Portugieser)" was sold to wholesaler A. H. Zipper, in Lviv in Poland on June 16th, 1939, (which was three months before the German invasion of Poland and the beginning of WW II). The company Zipper specialised in gold work and all kind of jewellery as well as the production and retail of timepieces and had become a licensed dealer for IWC after WW I. Zipper ordered this Portugieser in a block of 6/12 watches with order, case and delivery no. "Mod. 228", which was the number Portugieser watches were ordered under at the time. Until 1942/1943 Portugieser watches had no reference numbers and were not even known under the "Portugieser" designation.
This piece was part of the second IWC delivery; the first one went to Odessa, Ukraine in 1939, the whereabouts are unknown.
Only 304 pieces were produced and delivered in years 1939 to 1951 with the legendary watch cal. 74'''H4, making it one of the rarest and most sought-after timepieces from the 20th century.
In July 2023 this museum-like timepiece was restored at IWC in Schaffhausen. During the comprehensive restoration great emphasis was laid on retaining the original condition. The movement was cleaned, and a new tube was created. Balance and Maltese cross were renewed. The dial is original and has changed its colour and surface over the years to an exciting marble-like appearance, which now provides a fascinating contrast to the gold accents of the Arabic numerals and indexes as well as the small silver seconds disc.

In the late 1930s, two Portuguese jewellers enquired with IWC in Schaffhausen about the possibility of building a steel-cased wristwatch that was to be as accurate as a deck watch. Until then this precision had only ever been achieved with pocket watches. IWC dared the impossible and produced such a wristwatch by using the pocket watch calibres 74 and 98 in a hunter-style design; the watch, however, was much too large for the prevailing taste of the public. To suit the bulky pocket watch movement, the IWC designers created a 41.5 mm case with a slim bezel and a fairly large crown, which made it easy to wind the watch. The model came with various dial styles in black or silver-plated with different numerals and hands.