IWC portofino chronograph 39mm review
I posted this as a special watch I wear on special ocassions such as today, christmas, where I get to spend quality time with my wife and 3 kids, going out and about on A rather expensive and tiring, yet extremely fufilling annual family vacation.
This is my first truly luxuy item I’ve ever bought in my life. was it worth 6 grand, no. But hear me out.
The IWC is a brand I have always admire, for it’s simplicity, heritage and wearability. the finishing is a bonus. There are so many other great brands that delivers more quality movement, better finishing, better technology, better value.
let’s go over the specs:
case Size: 39mm
lug to lug: 20mm
height: 12.9mm
WR: 30m, no screw down
power reserve: 44 hours
Moreover, despite having AR coating on both sides, telling the time on this thing is not really good, even during the day. It is a cream dial with gold hands. You can imagine how hard it gets at night to read the time.
the chrono works as expected, buttons are ok.
finally, the crown is a bit to small or soft for my liking, it is not the most convenient when pulling out for hacking the time.
you may be wondering that I probably have a buyer remorse. But NO!
when I look at this watch, I see beyond the technical downsides. What I continuously feel when i wear this and look at it is a certain level of confidence, pride, and awe. From the IWC- signed buckle, alligator strap, fully polished case and shimmering gold hands and indices. It just screams timelessness. With double AR coating, I can see all the perfect imperfections. And this is what I love about this watch.
It is far from perfect, it is expensive, but to ME, it is very fulfilling to watch. I keep this for special ocassions, and to remind me to keep working hard so I can continue to take my family for a fulfilling quality vacation time, and another reason for me to wear this again.
IWC portofino chronograph 39mm review
Yes
No
- Finishing
- Fit
- Quality leather strap
- Crown is slippery
- Low legibility
I'm looking forward to the refresh of the men's Portofino models that should come in 2023 after IWC re-did the smaller models this year.
I'm not a chronograph guy, but I really like the look of the Portofino line. I hope they drop the date models down to 39. If IWC can do a chronograph in 39, they can surely do the date models in 39.
I've noticed that legibility is often an issue on dress pieces. I think I would go for the silver model with blue indices. It looks sharp and has better legibility than on some other models.
I'm looking forward to the refresh of the men's Portofino models that should come in 2023 after IWC re-did the smaller models this year.
I'm not a chronograph guy, but I really like the look of the Portofino line. I hope they drop the date models down to 39. If IWC can do a chronograph in 39, they can surely do the date models in 39.
I've noticed that legibility is often an issue on dress pieces. I think I would go for the silver model with blue indices. It looks sharp and has better legibility than on some other models.
True, if I could go back, I would get that same one