The reference 325 was created by IWC in 1939 after two Portuguese watch importers, Mr Rodrigues and Mr Teixeira, asked for a very large wristwatch with a highly accurate movement. The stainless steel case was made by Wyss & Cie of Biel and measured 41.5mm in diameter and 9.5mm thick (Phillips catalogues one at 42mm), with no water resistance. Inside, IWC fitted its calibre 74, a 17-ligne manually wound savonette pocket watch movement with subsidiary seconds and a 54-hour power reserve. At a time when 36mm was considered big, a 42mm wristwatch was enormous, and the 325 later became the origin of one of the brand’s main collections.

The first watches were delivered to Mr Rodrigues, later of Rodrigues & Gonçalves Ltd., in Lisbon in 1942, three years after the order, a delay most likely caused by the war. The calibre 74 was used from 1939 to 1951, and from 1944 the better finished, nickel-plated calibre 98 was also fitted. A final “German Edition” with calibre 982 was made between 1977 and 1981. Dials varied widely, from silver and black versions with printed or applied Arabic or Roman numerals to plain Bauhaus-style layouts and Art Deco sector dials. In total only 690 examples were produced between 1939 and 1981, of which 141 went to Portugal. In 1993, for its 125th anniversary, IWC revived the design as the Jubilee reference 5441, a 42mm watch with calibre 9828 made in 1,750 pieces.

Commercially the 325 was only a modest success, but Monochrome describes it as the groundwork for a collection that now counts dozens of references, and demand for the 1993 Jubilee edition quickly outpaced supply. Phillips notes that oversized vintage Portugieser watches are among the most desirable vintage IWC pieces for collectors; an early 1939 example with a two-tone dial and calibre 74, delivered on 22 February 1939 according to its IWC certificate, sold at Phillips Geneva for CHF 25,200. Sources differ slightly on production counts, quoting 304 or 309 calibre 74 examples. The reference 325 is no longer produced; IWC continues the line with its current Portugieser collection, which includes the Automatic 40 and the Chronograph.