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Hands on review of the IWC Portugieser Split-Seconds Chronograph LE Milan Boutique

One of the favorite IWC Portuguese (which shall be called now Portugieser) for the collectors is undoubtedly the split-seconds chronograph which unfortunately is no longer in the collection for many years. From a pure visual standpoint, this watch is distinguished from the automatic chronograph mainly by its pusher at 10 o'clock. But its main attraction was the way the split-seconds complication was developed, one of the most complex to achieve. The movement which powered the Portuguese split-seconds chroograph was caliber 76240 based on the handwind Valjoux 7760  on which was added, bridges side, the split-seconds module developed by Richard Habring when he worked at IWC.



The excellent news is that thanks to the opening of the third IWC boutique in Italy, in Milan, the Portuguese split-seconds chronograph is back in the context of a limited edition of 100 pieces in rose gold. From a mechanical point of view, the movement used is again the caliber 76240 and it is the reason why the watch offers exactly the same features as the previous models: the split-seconds pusher is located at 10 o'clock, the frequency of the movement is 4hz and the power reserve is 48 hours. The movement 7760 has been reworked in order to get the traditional presentation of the Portuguese chronographs dial with the minutes counter in the upper sub-dial and the permanent second hand in the lower subdial. The watch still has no date window what obviously contributes to its aesthetic achievement.



The Portuguese chronograph limited edition Barozzi:



Credits: watchuwant.com

In fact, the specificity of the limited edition is its dial that I find particularly successful. It combines a central tachymeter scale with a peripheral telemetric scale. The presence of these two scales gives to this Portuguese a  very pleasant "vintage chronograph" touch while retaining the style typical to  the collection that can be find again with the leaf hands and the applied Arabic numerals.


This is not the first time we see this type of dial since it has been already been used in another limited edition, already an Italian one, dedicated to the dealer in Brescia, Orologi Barozzi (and at the time available in steel). The Portuguese Barozzi had a color palette finally ... very French: a white dial, blue numerals and hands and red accents on the tachymeter scale. The color palette of the limited edition of the Milan boutique is different. The dial main color is a gorgeous deep blue.   Pink gold numerals and hands match the case with harmony and the different writings remain discrete. The watch is much more refined and elegant than the Portuguese Barozzi which was rather considered as a casual watch. Moreover, given its dominant color, I guess its perceived size is smaller than that in white dial, the diameters of the cases (41mm) remaining identical, whatever is the chronograph version of the Portuguese.




My only regret about the limited edition of Milan is the solid caseback. Certainly it is not unpleasant as it offers an engraving of the Wyvern (biscione) of the Visconti Family. I would however appreciated to be able to observe the Richard Habring split-seconds mechanism and its special brake. I remember that a limited series in the past gave us this opportunity.

This regret does not alter my extremely positive feeling about this watch. Indeed, I consider it as one of the finest IWC watches in recent years. The combination of blue and pink gold is pure feast for the eyes and the lay-out of the dial enhances the beauty of the watch. The Milan boutique could not dream of a more beautiful flag bearer to start its activity.




The limited edition of the Portuguese split-seconds chronograph dedicated to the Milan boutique is sold at a price of 21,500 euros with taxes.

Pros:
+ The come-back of the Portuguese split-seconds chronograph
+ A module developed by a renowned watchmaker
+ The beauty of the dial
+ The harmony between the dial and the rose gold case

Cons:
- I wish I could observe the module through a see-through caseback
- A navy bracelet was perhaps more suitable than a black strap but this can be easily changed