APS Factory IWC Portugieser Chronograph Open Caseback Review – 69355 Integrated Movement Craftsmansh

Hello everyone, I’m Biao Cheng Pin Jian. Today I’d like to talk with you about the new transparent caseback IWC Portugieser Chronograph released by APS Factory. This is the new open-caseback version. The older version had a solid caseback, and the best solid-caseback version back then was from ZF Factory. Let’s focus on the new version, because the exterior hasn’t changed much – the main difference is solid vs. transparent caseback. Also, the new transparent version now offers an additional steel bracelet option.

Back in the day, I always told fellow collectors to choose the solid caseback version and avoid the transparent one. That was because the 69355 integrated movement hadn’t been developed yet. Now, APS has finally made it. So if you still prefer the solid caseback, you can go for that. But if you’re interested in the open-caseback version, APS is worth checking out. Let’s take a look at the overall design and craftsmanship.

This watch features the very classic white dial with blue hands. The sapphire crystal has an anti‑reflective blue‑coated treatment. Both the hour markers and the hands are made using a flame‑blued (heat‑blued) process. When viewed from different angles, the hands appear dark gray, dark blue, or nearly black. When viewed head‑on, they show a navy blue / ocean blue color. If you ever see hands that look slightly purple, those are plastic hands. This watch uses genuine heat‑blued steel hands.

At 12 o’clock, you have the chronograph minute counter. At 6 o’clock, there’s a running small seconds hand. Traditionally, the seconds hand is at 6 o’clock. The longest and thinnest hand is the chronograph seconds hand – it does not move unless you activate the chronograph. To use the chronograph, press the top pusher; the chronograph seconds hand will start moving. After one full rotation, the minute counter at 12 o’clock will advance one step. All functions work as intended.

Overall, this color combination is truly beautiful – I really like the markers and the blue hands. The chronograph subdial has a recessed, three‑dimensional look. The subdial features fine concentric circular纹理 (texture), and the same goes for the minute counter at 12 o’clock. Another point: thickness. The genuine watch has a thickness of 13.1mm. Thanks to the integrated 69355 movement, APS has achieved a thickness of 13.2mm, so the dimensions and thickness are virtually identical to the genuine.

The clasp is a double‑sided push‑button deployant clasp. The embossed IWC logo has good three‑dimensional depth. When you open the double‑sided button clasp, there is some protective film and adhesive paper, so it might feel a bit stiff. Looking at the inner engravings – the clasp uses a four‑bar linkage system. Four bars mean a much lower failure rate. With two bars or one bar, it can easily get stuck. This four‑bar design is exactly the same as the genuine.

Now let’s talk about the movement – this is very important. If a watch uses the Dandong 7750 movement, the balance wheel is located at 11 o’clock. APS’s fully integrated 69355 movement has the balance wheel exactly where the genuine has it – at 7 o’clock. The balance wheel is here, at the 7 o’clock position. The entire movement architecture, in my opinion, is quite good. The column wheel system is exactly the same as the genuine. This 69355 integrated movement is significantly more stable than the Dandong 7750. Back when everyone was playing with the ZF solid‑caseback Portugieser, I always told people not to use the chronograph function too often. Relatively speaking, this 69355 integrated movement is more reliable than the Dandong 7750, with a lower failure rate. That’s the main point.

All other versions use a Dandong 7750 with a decorative plate (modifier bridge). Those cannot achieve the 13.2mm thickness either. With a Dandong 7750, the thickness would be around 14‑15mm, much thicker, because they need to add a decorative plate. In contrast, this APS movement is fully visible, and the overall finishing is decent. The engravings are clear and sharp.

In summary, now that APS has fitted the 69355 integrated movement, the overall movement architecture, finishing, and thickness are all consistent with the genuine. So if you are considering an open‑caseback Portugieser Chronograph, the APS version is worth looking into. However, its market price is significantly higher than the solid‑caseback version. This is because an integrated multi‑function movement is always more expensive than a generic movement.