IWC are so synonymous with pilot’s watches and the sporty Ingenieur that their dress watch collections sometimes fly under the radar. However, there’s no risk of that for their latest addition to the Portofino Automatic Moon Phase series, the Ref. IW459403. It’s the first 40mm gold model to join the range.
Currently the Portofino Automatic Moon Phase is available in two sizes, 37mm or 40mm with four of the five references featuring steel cases. Before today’s launch, the only gold version was at 37mm with a diamond-set bezel. Now though the 40mm gold edition offers the precious metal at the larger size without any diamonds across the bezel or dial, giving it much more luxurious look without leaning into the diamonds more at home on explicitly women’s watches. At 40mm it has a lot of presence but isn’t exactly a giant, ensuring it remains appropriately unisex.
The display is classically dress watch in style too with a combination of Roman numerals and slim baton hour markers alongside a minimalist minute scale. To match the golden case, the hands and markers are all gold plated while the dial itself is silver-plated. The focus of the piece is obviously the moonphase complication at 12 o’clock. It features a blue, night sky background decorated with golden stars and a gold moon. Moonphases are regarded as one of the most elegant decorative complications and this one looks great without rocking the boat.
Powering the IWC Portofino Automatic Moon Phase Ref. IW459403 is the calibre 35800, an automatic movement with a 50-hour power reserve. It’s protected by a solid, gold caseback that’s inscribed with some of the watch’s specs including its 30m water resistance rating, enough to protect it from a bit of light rain.
In terms of price, it’s £16,800, which is a reflection of the ever-rising cost of gold at the moment. This is one of the most archetypical dress watches I’ve seen in a while, ticking every genre box right down to the alligator leather strap.
Price and Specs:
More details at IWC.
