Portofino Hand-Wound Big Date

In Context

At 45 mm it is a large watch — well above this catalogue’s 40 mm median, and enough to dominate a narrow wrist. At 13 mm it is a tall case, and it will catch on a cuff. The case back is open, so the movement is visible without taking the watch apart, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 192 hours of reserve puts it well past a weekend — several days off the wrist and it is still going. At 28,800 vph the seconds hand advances 8 times a second.

IW 516101 is one of 4 executions of the IW base reference. Underneath they are the same watch; what separates this one is a grey dial and a white gold case.

The eight-day 59000 base with a big-date mechanism added, made for the Portofino Hand-Wound Big Date. Two barrels hold enough for about nine days, but a stop releases exactly 192 hours of it so the rate never drifts down with falling torque. The oversized bridges and vertical striping show through the back, and the movement carries IWC's Probus Scafusia mark.

3 other watches in the library run the IWC 59230.

IWC

Portofino Hand-Wound Big Date White Gold / Laureus Charity Night Milano 2016

IW516104 · 45 mm

IWC

Portofino Hand-Wound Big Date Red Gold / Bucherer

IW5161-03 · 45 mm

IWC

Portofino Hand-Wound Big Date Red Gold

IW516101 · 45 mm