The Bucherer Blue edition watches are coming in thick and fast; this is our fourth one of the year, and it goes to IWC. The Portugieser Chronograph has remained untouched in its design for nearly 21 years, with metals and colours being the only real change. Most companies would look at it and say that it’s time for an upgrade, but is that necessary here? Even if this weren’t a limited edition watch, you could tell the design is still contemporary even today. There isn’t much fuss, and the dial hasn’t been peppered with decorations like someone’s fired a shotgun at it, it’s clean and straightforward.
Let’s start with the base watch which doesn’t get heavily modified for the Bucherer edition. The stainless steel case measures 40.9mm in diameter and 12.6mm in thickness, and it’s also 30m water-resistant. The caseback has an engraving of the Bucherer logo and the phrase ‘One out of 365’ on it, as the watch is limited.
Inside the watch is where things get a bit sticky. The movement is the IWC calibre 79350, which is a modified and decorated Valjoux 7750. It, therefore, has a 4Hz beat rate, 44 hours of power reserve and 31 jewels. That’s all well and good so far, the 7750 is a good movement, but the cost of the watch in total is €7700, which is steep considering it uses a base movement.
Luckily, the design on the outside of the case is a catchy one. The silver-plated dial contrasts with the blue of the flange ring and markers nicely. As I’ve stated above, the dial is clean, which gives it a timeless and contemporary look. There are only two subdials, one is the running seconds, and one is the 30 minute counter for the chronograph. There’s no hour display here, and there’s no date window either which keeps the dial symmetrical.
The Bucherer Blue treatment extends from the dial to the strap as well, which in this case has been made of a blue textile fabric, not unlike a NATO, it seems but of higher quality. It also comes with a proper stainless steel clasp as well. This is a fun, casual wear watch that could easily be a daily beater, but the price is considerably high.
