====== IWC Portofino ======

{{wst>author|[[Foskett, Stephen|Stephen Foskett]] ([[https://grail-watch.com/|Grail Watch]])}}

**Portofino** is a family of [[IWC]] [[dress watch]]es produced since [[1984]].

===== History =====
To differentiate their mechanical offerings from the growing crowd of modernist quartz watches, IWC launched the Portofino line in [[1984]] as a "pocket watch for the wrist." Designed to suggest a "[[marriage]]" watch, the Portofino features a thick, rounded case with a prominent crown, a plain dial with [[Roman numerals]], and slim [[feuille]] hands. Although often compared to dress watches like the [[Patek Philippe Calatrava]], the Portofino's [[Lepine]] "pocket watch" design is quite different.

The first Portofino, [[1984]]'s [[IWC Portofino Hand Wound Moonphase|Ref. 5251]], used a classic hand-wound movement with [[small seconds]] at 9 00 and a [[moon phase indicator]] at 3 00. In [[1988]], IWC introduced the [[IWC Portofino Chronograph Quartz|Ref. 3730 and 3731 Chronograph Quartz]], which used [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]]'s "[[JLC Mechaquartz|Mechaquartz]]" [[IWC 631|Cal. 631]].

IWC released a classically-styled dress watch in the Portofino line in [[1993]], competing at last with the [[Patek Philippe Calatrava|Calatrava]]. This 2-handed [[IWC Portofino Hand Wound|Ref. 2010]] was just 1.85 mm thick, thanks to IWC's [[IWC 849|Cal. H/849]]. It lacked the rounded case and Roman numerals and used stick hands, unusual for the line, but lasted through [[2005]]. Another departure from the traditional case style was the [[1995]] [[IWC Romana Perpetual Calendar|Ref. 3050 Romana Perpetual Calendar]] with its slab-sided case. Also produced through [[2005]], the Romana was one of the thinnest [[perpetual calendar]] watches at that time.

In [[2003]], IWC returned to the rounded case with the larger 38 mm [[IWC Portofino Automatic|Ref. 3533]]. Once again, however, stick hands and plain markers were used, along with central seconds. The classic Portofino dial returned in [[2008]] with the [[IWC Portofino Vintage|"Vintage"]] model, which literally turned the original Portofino on its side, with small seconds at 6 00 and moon phase at 12 00 thanks to the new [[IWC 98800|Cal. 98800]].

As IWC regained in-house movement capabilities, the [[complicated]] Portofino was revisited. In [[2011]], the company brought their new "[[8-day]]" [[IWC 59210|Cal 59210]] to the [[IWC Portofino Hand Wound Eight Days|Ref. 5101]]. This was followed in [[2017]] with another tribute to the original Moon Phase model The [[IWC Portofino Hand Wound Moon Phase|Ref. 5251]] features [[IWC 59800|Cal. 59800]] with 8 days of power reserve and a moon phase indicator at 12 00.


{{tag>IWC}}