Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spotted wearing an IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar at the premiere of Netflix’s “Red Notice”
Zach BlassWhen a film has three huge Hollywood names on its marquee, you know a lot of eyeballs will be tuning in. Reportedly Netflix’s highest budget film to date, the $200m USD production Red Notice stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot and is jam-packed with action sequences to provide viewers with some streaming-based seratonin. Critic reviews of the film are not particularly favorable at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, but as expected the audience score currently sits at 93%. Let’s face it, when The Rock is part of an action film, nobody is expecting it to take home the best picture prize at the Oscars. It is comfort food for the eyes, a Sunday afternoon watch to mentally unwind before a busy week. Fortunately, with red carpets and premieres back in (near) full-force, watchspotting at these events is back. And The Rock was snapped last week wearing an IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar at the film’s world premiere.
As I said before when Adrien Brody wore an IWC Portugieser to the Tribeca Film Festival, this collection has the desired ability to be dressed up and dressed down – a gentlemen’s watch with chronometric roots. Its introduction in 1939 catered to the demand for a marine-deck chronometer experience translated to the wrist – an oversized watch for the time that offered greater legibility while maintaining a smart aesthetic. That sensibility remain today, it’s large enough to be welcomed by consumers who prefer modern diameters on the wrist, but also has the versatility to be worn in a variety of scenarios.
Of course, when you’re the size of The Rock, the watch size conundrum is a horse of a different colour. Considering his big and muscular stature, he has far more wrist real-estate than the average man – leading a 44mm watch on him to wear like a 38mm would on my own wrist. This puts The Rock in a unique position to turn many larger references into dressier pieces with ease. Looking at the photographs, his IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar ref. IW503502 is worn a bit loose for my taste. You can see the watch drooping or resting towards the outer side of his wrist, leading me to wish that he opted for a tighter fit one or two loopholes taken in. But as we all know to well, often celebrities styled with a watch will wear the timepiece loose in an attempt to increase the visibility of it during the inevitable photo-op that occurs at events such as these.
Enough about the man. For those who are not familiar with the watch, the the IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar ref. IW503502 is a 30 metre water-resistant, stainless-steel timepiece with a polished case 44mm in diameter and 14.9mm thick. Its stunning sunburst blue dial is an extremely versatile tone, catering to both casual and formal wardrobes in a variety of colour schemes. Replacing the 11’ to 1’ applied hour arabics, the annual calendar apertures assume the real estate at the top of the dial with black on white discs peering through three dedicated apertures.
Their clean and together positioning upholds the legibility pillar of IWC and Portugieser designs, maintaining a balanced dial while delivering complication. Inside, visible beneath an exhibition caseback, is the IWC manufactured caliber 52850 that boasts 168 hours, or seven days, of power reserve – indicated by the power reserve indicator at 3’ on the dial. The caliber is decorated well, with circular Côtes de Genève applied to the bridges and perlage on the mainplate. For those capable of wearing a larger timepiece, and for those who respect well-engineered timepieces that walk a line between sporty and dressy, you may want to check out the IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar ref. IW503502 in the metal.
IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar ref. IW503502 pricing and availability:
The IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar ref. IW503502 is available for purchase via IWC boutiques, the IWC e-commerce platform, and authorised dealers. Price: $20,900 USD