IWC Schaffhausen is launching a new range of three Portofino midsize watches that capture the timeless elegance of the Italian Riviera. The new automatic IWC Portofino watches combine the classic 30-year-old round case design with useful functions like a second time zone and a Moon phase display in addition to a new date screen model.
However, the most recent members of the Portofino household transcend the only practical feature of time telling and are introduced with lavish trimmings. Available with diamond-set bezels and indices, gold instances, mother-of-pearl dials plus a vast selection of cushioned leather straps by Italian shoemaker Santoni, IWC Portofino watches have never looked better.
To celebrate the launch, the group in IWC commissioned the famed photographer Peter Lindbergh to take a series of photographs in and around the picture-perfect Italian seaside town of Portofino, entitled »Timeless Portofino ». Amongst the sidewalk cafés, quays and gently disappeared, sun-dappled palazzos, a bunch of friends is recorded in black and white, enjoying the summer sunshine. Waiting for them in the port, Ewan McGregor and Chrisoph Waltz pass the time in relaxed conversation, their IWC watches peeping out from under their sleeves.
Adding a further dose of Dolce Vita glamour, supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Adriana Lima deliver their sinuous curves and pouts into the tiny Mediterranean town. To obtain an notion of the mood Linbergh has recreated with this stellar cast, consider lace headscarves, an open-top 1960s Mercedes 290 SL and graciously arched eyebrows supporting oversized sunglasses.
I am naturally drawn to the glamorous IWC Portofino Midsize Automatic Moon Phase watch, place with 174 diamonds shining from the glistening black lacquer dial, bezel and lugs. An aperture on the dial in midnight shows a starry night sky where the phases of the Moon have been displayed. Another edition of this Moon Phase has a shimmering, dark mother-of-pearl dial which, combined with diamonds against a reddish gold instance, is mysterious and alluring.
« The usage of diamonds and mother of pearl represents something of a renaissance in the background of our Portofino household, » explains Christian Knoop, creative director at IWC Schaffhausen. « But our take on luxury is a modern one. For us, it is discreet and unpretentious. The Portofino out of IWC has retained the lines for which it has become so well-known and so common. »
The IWC Portofino Midsize Automatic Day & Night packs a nifty role into an elegant dial which prepares the most well-travelled 21st century voyager a mechanical watch is a trusty and distinguished companion. Teamed with a Milanese metallic mesh bracelet, it is also sensible for warmer climates. The golden Milanese bracelet is particularly luxurious with its gentle sheen and extremely tactile and elastic mesh.
The option of a Santoni alligator strap permits you to personalise your Portofino with a range of colors, each loaded with all the patina of polished polishing from the Italian shoemaker Santoni.
When the Portofino watch was first launched in 1984, its slogan was »The Portofino series by IWC. The daily pleasure of sporting just a little gold. » I believe now we can say that IWC’s Portofino watches, like the finest things in existence, remain mostly unchanged but that tiny bit better.
