Introducing The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Day & Date (Live Pictures From Watches & Wonders 2015)

Following the launch of the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days at SIHH 2015, and the more modest Portofino Hand-Wound Pure Classic, IWC completes the collection by introducing the Portofino Hand-Wound Day & Date.

Released on the first day of Watches & Wonders, the new timepiece welcomes the introduction of the newly developed IWC-manufactured 59220 caliber, which powers the latest and most practical Portofino of the year.

Combining technical expertise and timeless appeal, the Day & Date features a sophisticated new dial with a large date display just underneath 12 o’clock, as well as a day sub-dial at 3 o’clock. Perhaps the most practical of functions, the date can also be the most cumbersome. So often, it creates an unbalance in the dial, which however small, can become incredibly irritating.

It can also add clutter to the dial, and make it difficult for the user to read his watch with just a glimpse. However, there is none of that in the Portofino Hand-Wound Day & Date. The date is given plenty of space to breathe in the top half of the dial, just beneath the Portofino’s iconic XII-hour marker.

Measuring 45 mm on the wrist, the Portofino Hand-Wound Day & Date is a classic dress watch very much tailored to the taste of the modern man. It wears exactly the same as the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days with the added benefit of the day display at 3 o’clock. Directly connected to the date advance mechanism, they combine to create an easy-to-read indicator dial, completed by a small seconds hand featuring at “6 o’clock.”

Powering the watch is the new caliber 59220, a hand-wound movement made in-house which can run a full 192 hours with no need for any intervention. A power reserve at 9 o’clock serves as a gentle reminder.

The Portofino Hand-Wound Day & Date is available in stainless steel (Ref. IW516201) with a silver-plated dial, or in red gold (IW516203). Both come with a leather strap from Santoni, an Italian high-end shoe manufacturer with whom IWC has an exclusive relationship for its leather straps.

Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more information, please visit the official IWC website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.