Jewellery & Watch News
C W Sellors has all the details on the IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 and its new, elegant stainless steel bracelet configuration
The very first Portofino watch by IWC Schaffhausen was launched in 1981, followed by the full collection a year later. It featured a distinctive moon phase sub-dial that set this elegant dress watch apart from other models in the brand’s catalogue. Today, the watch has a distinguishable look that retains all the valuable features that collectors have come to know and love. Now with the 39mm option available on a stainless steel bracelet, the watch can go from a game of golf to a business meeting even more effortlessly than before.
The Portofino’s History
The first IWC Portofino model was the 5251 – an effortlessly elegant timepiece that turned heads with its refined aesthetics and its beautiful simplicity. Looking back at these original models, there are many features that IWC brings through to the contemporary collection, bar attributes like the modern power reserve indicator and newer movements, of course. Those first watches were powered by old pocket watch calibres, which explains why many of the earlier iterations were large in size and very coin-shaped. The moon phase complication took residence at 3 o’clock, adorned in golden and blue decoration, while on the opposite side, the small seconds function provided great balance and symmetry. The bezel surrounding the dials of these original Portofino watches was incredibly slim, donating more space and attention to the vast dial, complete with Breguet-style hands and slim Roman numeral hour markers.
The oversized moonphase back then was a striking feature that many collectors loved for its uniqueness. IWC experts have chosen to keep the feature as the focal point of the design since the company has always prided itself on honouring tradition. The newer models of the line have evolved subtly but tastefully. The movement inside the modern-day iterations has an improved 8-day power reserve, for example, and the dials now feature the brand’s very distinctive feuille-shaped hands. The founder of IWC Schaffhausen was incredibly proud of his pocket watch heritage, so it became paramount to the brand to honour those traditions and the brand’s DNA today.
What IWC has produced, both historically and in terms of the collection today, is a range of modern timepieces that are striking enough to be showstopping, yet discreet enough to be worn underneath the sleeve of an office shirt. Somehow IWC just gets the balance right, which leads us to the newest member of the family – the IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 on a stainless steel bracelet.
The New IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 on Stainless Steel Bracelet
Despite the earlier Portofino watches being associated with some of the most elegant moon phase complications of all time, the brand extended the collection to feature chronographs too. By combining the purity and simplicity of the Portofino with a sporty chronograph complication, IWC hit the sweet spot for those in search of a watch with a little added touch of technical sophistication. The launch of the IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 watch reference IW391503 marks a brand first for IWC. It is the first time the manufacturer has released the Chronograph 39 on a stainless steel bracelet. The five-link stainless steel band promises comfort and durability with its links that boast a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. In executing the links with this mix of polished and satin finishes, the new IWC Chronograph bridges the gap between classic and contemporary. The bracelet also features an integrated quick-change system, enabling you to swap the metal option for a coloured or black leather band should you so wish. Doing so will undoubtedly give the model a more relaxed and casual, but still classic look.
Inside the new IWC Portofino is the Calibre 69355, which performs at an impressive rate of 28, 800 vibrations per hour and delivers a power reserve of 46 hours. The movement is elevated with Cotes de Geneve finishes that you, as the wearer, can admire through an exhibition caseback made from sapphire crystal. The movement powers a set of rhodium-coated hands around the watch’s silver-plated dial, complete with chronograph seconds and 30-minute functions, and a small seconds sub-dial. The movement also comprises a total of 205 hand-assembled components, including 27 jewels to promise a smooth and seamless performance whilst protected inside the model’s 50-meter water-resistant case.
Technical Specifications of the New IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 Watch Reference IW391503
Case: Stainless steel - 39mm – height: 13mm – convex sapphire crystal glass front with anti-glare and scratch-resistant properties – 50-meter water resistance – IWC-engraved crown with grooves for easy grip – see-through sapphire crystal exhibition caseback – piston-style chronograph push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock
Dial: Silver plated – rhodium-coated hands and hour markers - feuille-shaped hands – slim baton indexes – chronograph 30-minute sub-dial at 12 o’clock – small seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock – IWC Schaffhausen lettering at 3 o’clock – “Chronograph” lettering at 9 o’clock – minute and seconds track around the edge of the dial – traditional Roman numeral hour markers overlapped by sub-dials at 12 and 6H.
Movement: Calibre 69355 – automatic – frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour – 205 individual components – 27 jewels – power reserve of 46 hours – beautiful Cotes de Geneve decoration exhibited through sapphire caseback
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet – 5-link design – polished and satin finishes – engraved folding clasp – push button release mechanism – integrated quick change system
Price: £7,000
Reference: IW391503
If you’d like more information on the new IWC Portofino Chronograph 39 watch, call and speak to a member of our C W Sellors sales team on 01335 216004 or email us at sales@cwsellors.com.
