HANDS-ON: The new IWC Portofino collection delivers classical sophistication in spades
Fergus NashIWC usually brings to mind the stern, sporty range of military-inspired pilot’s watches, and occasionally the suave dressiness of one of their Portugeisers. Often under-appreciated is the Portofino collection — a group of watches which pay homage to one of the most classic eras in watchmaking history. With elegance and detail-oriented excellence in spades, the new additions to the IWC Portofino catalogue include a robustly principled perpetual calendar flanked by a handful of smaller 37mm watches.
The case
By the 1980s, the Quartz Crisis had well and truly decimated the Swiss watch industry, and many of the surviving brands had turned to the success of the luxury steel sports watch as the main avenue for mechanical expertise. However, there were still some people who craved to have the classicism of an antique pocket watch with the reliability and quality of a modern watch, and thus the IWC Portofino collection was born. With nearly 40 years of development, the new Portofino cases have been slightly emboldened, but still represent the original idea behind their design. The bezel is very rounded with a bubble-like profile, and the straight lugs jut out vertically as if they have been attached to a pocket watch.
The IWC Portofino Perpetual Calendar in its 18k red-gold case is the flagship of these releases and comes in at 40mm wide and 12.7mm thick, although it’s still easily wearable by those with small wrists thanks to a 45mm lug-to-lug length. The IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 is a little slimmer at 11.3mm thick, but the other three Portofino Automatic models come in at 9.4mm due to their time and date only displays. The 37mm diameter is a great gender neutral size to suit the classical looks of the watch, and the lug-to-lug length of 43mm doesn’t look too diminutive thanks to the straightness of those lugs. Two of these models come with their stainless-steel bezels set with diamonds.
The dial
Though the IWC Portofino range began as a love letter to pocket watches, the range has expanded to include some more modern-looking touches as well. The Portofino Perpetual Calendar is as classic as they come, with a silver-plated dial and subdials for the day, date, and month laid out neatly with no cropping of indices. The leap year indicator can be seen tucked at the bottom of the day dial, and there’s a beautifullyexecuted moon phase display at the top of the months dial.
The IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase 37 takes on a completely different look, despite also having a silver-plated dial. The dial has been divided into sectors, with the outer ring displaying diamond hour markers with gold batons and a Roman numeral at 6, while the titular Moon Phase has been moved into a ring of its own surrounding the IWC Schaffhausen logo.
The final three references of the IWC Portofino Automatic 37 are the most similar, all sharing a blazing sunburst dial finish with two in silver and one in a deep navy blue. The most basic of these pairs its silver dial with gold-plated hands and indices, just as the moon phase versions do, and the other two match their white diamond-set bezels with rhodium-plated hands for a cooler-toned feel.
The movement
Starting again with the IWC Portofino Perpetual Calendar, the calibre 82650 is one of IWC’s most impressive movements. Originating from Kurt Klaus’ incredibly efficient design from the 1980s, this watch at 40mm is IWC’s smallest perpetual calendar which doesn’t won’t to be adjusted (in theory) until the year 2100. Visible from the wide sapphire display caseback, the 82650’s lavish finishing is evident. It has a 28,800vph beat rate, and a generous 60 hour power reserve, although you’ll definitely want to put it on a winder if you want to make sure it lasts until 2100.
The 37mm models use movements from their in-house 32000 family, complete with silicon escape wheels and pallet levers. It winds bi-directionally to top up the 72-hour power reserve, and also beats at 28,800vph. The 32800 features the time and moon phase, while the 32111 is a simpler time and date movement.
The IWC Portofino collection pricing and availability:
The new IWC Portofino watches are available now from IWC boutiques and dealers. Price: A$9,200 (IW458601) / A$13,800 (IW459601) / A$17,000 (IW658602, IW658601) / A$48,100 (IW344602)