When I first set eyes on the classic lines of the IWC 3714, I knew at that very moment it was the grail piece for me. The size of the timepiece strikes the balance of being ‘just right’. The seemingly endless dial emphasises it’s elegance, and the chrono function prevents it becoming just another classy IWC, it has instead become THE classy IWC. I am now a very happy owner of the stainless cased black dial version; let’s crack on with the review.
History
The Portuguese was originally the product of a request from two businessmen for a small wristwatch(33mm), which was at the time, against the fashion of pocket watches. The watch never gained massive desire from the larger market, and therefore it never became a full production model. Instead, it became a watch made in small numbers for the small demand.
Then in 1993, as a celebration of IWC’s 125 year history, the Portuguese was re-released as the Jubilee. Since then, the 3714 and the newer 5001 with the astonishing 7-day in house movement has been released. Below is a picture showing the difference. The 3714 measures in at 40.1mm whilst the 5001 has been enlarged to 42.3mm.
The 3714 – Background Information
The Portuguese Chrono currently comes in 7 different variants. The ardoise dial is perhaps the most striking, which is only available in white gold;
The 3714-38 which is the topic of this review was released in 2006. At this time all of the range was updated which included slight dial changes, a crown change and double AR.
There are also panda dial variants available on the second hand market, an example of which can be found HERE
IWC also released a limited run of 2000 Portuguese Chronos under the name of the Portuguese Laureus. This was a watch devoted to the ‘Laureus Sport Foundation for Good’ which supports 39 worldwide projects with the goal of improving the life of children in need. See the replica HERE
Vital Stats
Case Diameter – 40.9mm
Case Height – 12.3mm
Weight – Gold – 111g, SS – 80g
Water Resistance – 3 bar
Power Reserve – 44 Hours (self winding – cal. 79350, 31 jewels)
Crystal - Convex AR coated Sapphire (2006 onwards)
The 3714 – Accuracy to the Genuine
Front
The main downfall with the 3714-38 variant is the lack of AR coating. The genuine which was released in 2006 comes with double AR which really makes a difference to the look of the dial. The white dial versions were originally released without AR, so these are accurate to the genuine with or without AR.
The IWC logo lettering is ever so slightly thinner on the replica.
The numbers (1-12) are slightly thicker and a slightly different shape to the genuine article. The pre 2006 models used embossed numbers, whereas now they are applied to the dial. The picture below is not entirely representative of the genuine, as the numbrs look too thin!
With the genuine 3714-38 (and white dials sold after 2006), the numbers are slightly curved, the 4 being the most noticeable (highlighted in yellow). The number six is very slightly ‘flatter’ on the genuine. (highlighted in yellow).
The replica 3714-38 replica uses the older styled numbers which is incorrect for this particular model. These curved numbers were introduced when the Laureus was released, and therefore this black dialled version should use the newer curved numbers.
EDIT - note the crown hasn't been pushed in after setting the time, the crown is not too big/wide (as it looks in the pics)!
Back
The genuine comes with a brushed case back, whereas the replica comes in a polished finish. The polished finish is very hard to capture in the picture. Our fellow IWC owner and member here; Avitt brushed his caseback using a medium grit 3M sanding sponge. Further advice he gave to me was to carefully mask off the area before doing so….thank you for the tips Avitt!
Other
The crown the replica comes with can be found on the genuine white dial models before 2006. I believe that the crown was updated when the black dial variant was released in 2006. The new crown comes with the Motto “Probus Scafusia†which was introduced as the sign of IWC’s quality by Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk in 1903. The fish symbol signals that the watch is water resistant.
The chrono pushers also look to be a hair too long on the replica, but I am talking margins that could only be confirmed accurately by use of a loupe or a mouse with a tape measure.
The Movement
Ok, here is the part you have been waiting for, drum roll please!
The genuine uses a modified Swiss 7750 movement, with 31 jewels. The movement utilises a seconds at 6 layout, whilst having a chronograph counter that measures seconds (big hand) and minutes (top sub dial).
The replica uses a modified 7750 also, but with a different system of transferring the power to the 6 position. See below for a section dedicated to technical information.
The picture below shows IWC’s use of a pearl pattern on the movement, whereas the replica doesn’t. I’m not a movement expert so I will let the pictures do the talking here. It’s key to remember that this is a closed case back model, so any inaccuracies are not prevalent in everyday wear. (picture borrowed from Francsico)
As we all know and love, the infamous seconds at six 7750 made the rep 3714 like an Alfa Romeo. Your heart wanted to buy into such a fabulous piece of craftsmanship, but deep down you just knew there would problems at some/all stages of use. For Ziggy’s comments on the movement click HERE (review released before graphite treatment became a method of curing the seconds at 6)
Freddy and Francisco have reported good results after applying graphite powder to the plate on which the troublesome gears rotate, please click
HERE andHERE
If you can befriend someone who works in the Formula 1 industry, maybe you could also try this DLC Coating
I sourced my new Portuguese from a reliable source, and after a break down by Francisco it was held to still use the old movement. He currently has a Daytona on order, and is trying to source another Portuguese to confirm these findings. Either there is a new movement that wasn’t fitted to this latest Portuguese, or there is no new movement at all (would the dealers lie to us!?!
). We are refraining from concluding that the new movement doesn’t exist because this watch didn’t come from Joshua, however, the black dial wasn’t released before, so the case and dial is from the new batch of Portuguese watches, so it would make sense that a new movement should have been in there. This is speculation on my part, and we will hopefully uncover the truth when Francisco receives his Daytona (very shortly).On that note, I offer a big thank you to Francisco for his services in this area; he is a true credit to the community!
Conclusion of flaws
Conclusion of flaws on front
Black dial – number shape and thickness, no AR
White dial – none pre - 2006, same as above for post 2006
Both – IWC logo slightly too thin
Conclusion of flaws on rear
Case back should be brushed steel
Conclusion of other flaws
Black dial – wrong crown
White dial – pre-2006; no flaws, post 2006; wrong crown
Movement finishing (closed caseback – doesn’t matter too much)
Final Thoughts
The genuine
I began the post with outlining how this piece is my grail. It’s hard to describe emotions for a material object, but this is certainly the closest I think it could get to becoming attached to a watch.. As I have said, the styling and the presence of the watch sums everything up that I believe a watch should be. There is not one thing I would change about it. Having owned the replica, I have not been deterred from my quest to buy the genuine. In fact I am going to be selling this to put away funds for the real thing. Some say ‘never meet your heroes’, but in this case I have truly found a watch that I will treat myself to in the very near future. Don’t get me started on what colour though
The Replica
I am not going to discuss accuracy, or conclude such comments here. Instead, I turn to how the replica has made me feel in comparison to the genuine…..the thing that I place on this imaginary throne.
When I first made the order, I woke up the next day thinking ‘b16a2, you shouldn’t buy the replica, it might not live up to your expectations and it will put you off of the genuine’
However, when it arrived all of that changed. At this point I would like to thank Watchmark for the excellent service. Communication was great throughout and he was continually helpful in answering my questions – always within time periods that were astounding!!! I have since bought a few more watches from him, and the service is impeccable, if you want a watch, use Watchmark!
Once unwrapped, I sent it for the graphite treatment and the movement tear down. I thank Francisco for offering me this service, he is a class act.
Now that it’s on my wrist, I can say that it has the presence of a genuine, although I don’t have that connection with it like I would with the genuine. Perhaps this is partly because I didn’t spend the full price on it, but I feel it is mainly because the heart of it isn’t real, the heart of the watch isn’t the real movement that comes in the 3714. For a fraction of the price of the real deal though, all I can say in summary is – if you like the 3714, buy this replica, you will not be disappointed!
Closing Pictures
These two shots are for Elisix who wanted to see how it compared with the Breitling Skyland. It wears much smaller, especially noticeable is the difference in the thickness!
