The Portuguese 7 Days Power Reserve collection has been slightly refreshed for the new season. Crafted from high-grade stainless steel, the elegant and simple chronograph sports the same timeless classic exterior, but the dial has finally received a new silver finish that was previously available only with a lot more expensive version in rose gold (ref. IW500101).
The refreshed timekeeper is still offered in a stainless steel body that measures just over 42 millimeters in diameter and is exactly 14 millimeters high.
Although considered “mid-sized” by today’s standards, the case is not particularly compact, so, if you happen to possess a skinny wrist, then you should probably first try it on at your local official dealer’s shop. And you shouldn’t order one online just because you loved the design at first sight (and the chronograph indeed deserves to be fallen in love with.)
Part of the blame here goes to the self-winding IWC caliber 51011. Based on the well-known cal. 50000 that was first introduced almost ten years ago when the Swiss brand first started to gradually phase out ETA and Valjoux-based mechanisms from its higher-end product line, the movement is good for as long as 7 days of the guaranteed power supply but is equipped with a single mainspring barrel that houses a very, very long spring.
It was for a reason, that the cal. 50000 was called a “Big Movement.”
Built in-house at IWC’s facilities in Schaffhausen, the movement is equipped with a skeletonized oscillating weight with a gold medallion and is nicely decorated with circular graining and circular Geneva stripes. Like other members of the family, the cal. 51011 features the brand’s famous Pellaton pawl-winding system that was first introduced back in the 1950s and used in their legendary Caliber 8541. Yes, unlike dozens of wannabes and also-rans, IWC does have a legacy of its own.
Of course, the yellow gold hands, hour indexes, and Arabic numerals may look somewhat strange with this polished stainless steel body, but, first, I know several people who like this kind of color combination and, second, the gold alloy looks a lot more contrast over the silver dial of the piece: something that watches with more traditional rhodium-plated elements often lack.
Also, IWC has partly compensated for the (subjective) awkwardness of the dial with a more interesting price.
It has been reported that IWC recommends selling the stainless steel Portuguese IW500114 at a price of €9350, while the rose gold Portuguese IW500101 is sold at around €13,000. While the version in steel that we have briefly reviewed here looks a bit overpriced even despite the in-house movement employed here, the version in gold offers great value for money.
See also: TAG Heuer Silverstone Chronograph: revisited
Photo: IWC
IWC Portuguese 7-Days IW500114 specification
Price range: €9350
Movement: Automatic, IWC caliber 51011, 21,600 vph, 42 jewels + 2 beryllium bronze bearings, Swiss Made
Complications: Date, small seconds, power reserve indicator
Power reserve: 7 Days / 168 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 42.3 mm
Case height: 14.0 mm
Dial: Silver
Numerals: Arabic, applied, yellow gold
Hands: Yellow gold
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Black leather
Crystal: Sapphire, AR-coated
Back: Sapphire