INTRODUCING: The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Monopusher

The story in a second:

IWC have just announced details (and more importantly pictures) of their first Watches & Wonders novelty, the Portofino Hand-Wound Monopusher.

The Portofino family is IWC’s dressiest line – an elegant design with a lot of polish, and best suited to simple three handed affairs. Putting the traditionally sporty chronograph complication into this sort of watch is a risky affair. When brands try it if often results in a lack of aesthetic balance. This is because the profusion of subdials and pushers that are essential to the purpose of a chronograph overwhelm the simplicity that a dressy piece demands.

IWC have cleverly circumvented this issue by using a monopusher chronograph in their latest addition to the Portofino family. Sure, the dial still has a bit going on with the small seconds, chronograph subdial and the 8-day (!) power reserve indicator, but rather than ruining the case profile with all those pushers they’ve resolved them down to one that can do it all. The monopusher movement, the calibre 59360, is new for IWC and is the latest version of their versatile hand-wound calibre 59000. Like all of IWC’s movements it’s big and proudly on display through the caseback.

There’s a lot to like about this new, to be frank, epically sized, Portofino. The concern we have is around the width. 45mm is big for this style of watch to begin with, and now we have that sizeable old monopusher – we estimate around 5mm, so sizeable – to add into the breadth equation. While the crown adds wrist presence it may limit who could comfortably wear this piece, and also how comfortable it will be to wear in general. We are reserving full judgement until we meet it in the metal. In only a matter of weeks – so the verdict is imminent!