Understated elegance is piercing statement to make in a modern world brimming with unsavory provocations. That is precisely why this watch has won over my heart. You see, it doesn't want anyone else's attention but my own, and I love that about it.
The IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic is a pedigreed timepiece born from royal bloodlines. The Portofino collection, known for its classic spirit inspired by the Italian Riviera, was introduced in 1984. Its firstborn was the IWC "Giant Portofino" released in a limited production run of 350. With a 46 mm wide, thin gold case; a Kurt Klaus-invented manual wind in-house pocket watch movement; a moonphase and a small seconds complication, this flagship model is one few people know about, yet it sets the tone for the entire collection. It's an amazing piece and you might be able to get one on the gray market for $20,000.
I have only been collecting watches for a few years and am quite disciplined about my spending. I always wondered what my first real high-end purchase would be. Would I one day lose all of my marbles and splurge on a dream watch that costs tens of thousands of dollars, or would I slowly work my way up to a Rolex? I certainly didn't expect to receive the Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic as a gift from my wife. She tends to be even thriftier than me. I unwrapped it and started wearing it only a few months ago and I would be remiss in not sharing my first impressions beyond simple surprise and delight.
At first, the Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic (Reference IW356517) makes a dress-watch statement. It's within the dressiest of all of IWC's collections. But, its wear-ability isn't limited although I have only mostly worn it to black-tie occasions. My first impression was that it's a dress watch and therefore would be worn on occasion since I, like most people today, dress casually on most days. With this particular model, and there are several variant Portofino models from which to choose, I could have been just thrown off by the black alligator strap, which gives it a note of formality against a white dial on a polished case. Yet, my first clue that it wasn't only a dress watch was its 40 mm case size and the red, minute 60-second marker at 12 o-clock.
I intend to wear it when I want, especially when I'm at the symphony or out to dinner with my wife. Yes, it's on the dressy side, but I wouldn't categorize it strictly as a dress watch only for suits and black-tie affairs. It's a love affair, after all. It's a wear it and enjoy it timepiece and, besides, looking and feeling your best is life well lived.
Not all beauty is for everyone's eyes and I am
inspired to believe through my own Portofino experience, that pure
beauty is very rare and not always for the masses to see. To an untrained eye, the overall package looks a little plain, or, perhaps, lacks the showiness our modern brains are trained to seek. Its inconspicuousness is genuine refinement, and that's the point. It whispers: "when you look at me I'll remind you that right now you're looking and feeling your best. And no one needs to know but you and me." She does so magnificently, quietly against a backdrop of a crisp white enamel holding court for rose-gold-foiled hands and batoned markers with Roman numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock.
My next impression was actually a number of impressions coming at me at once. The round, polished stainless steel case; curved, hard-edge lugs; a perfectly proportioned crown, and suddenly I was beginning to see what I'm supposed to see! I look closer, then stand back and look from afar. That's what I do at a museum. After a moment, I settled back in my chair and held it a little farther away and proclaimed: "It's absolutely beautiful. Thank you."
I want to wear it and I want to look at it. And because I admit I am in love with this watch, it wouldn't be very intimate of me to start talking entirely about features and specifications, so I'll save those for you to discern at the foot of this article. I will say, however, that few watches are ever as perfect as one you might purchase yourself. And, to be fair, a watch review has to be objective even if my feelings are purely subjective on this matter.
At slightly more than $5,000, the Shaffhausen Portofino Automatic is a bit pricey considering that its movement isn't an in-house IWC movement. The IWC Calibre 35111 movement in this watch is built to IWC specifications but is based on the Sellita SW300-1, which is used by a multitude of reputable watch companies. Those watches, based on a quick research dive, are less than half the price of this. Certainly no one should base the qualitative value of a timepiece on movement alone.
It has a solid caseback and a rather uninteresting one, too. I doubt it is hiding the IWC Calibre 35111/Sellita SW300-1 movement from view. By comparison, the IWC Portugieser Automatic, which is priced more than $12,000, presents its in-house IWC movement through an exhibition window. I know very well that just because in-house movements are vertically made, they're are not always more superior or distinguishable in performance to third-party movements. A lot of people don't care. I do and don't because I have yet to own a watch with an in-house Swiss movement and when I do I'll demand a window. I own a Seiko Presage with an exhibition case and rarely look through it. Go figure.
When I started to understand the Portofino more astutely I realized that calling it a dress watch was actually quite myopic. Sure, it can play that role well, but this is a lifestyle watch in truth and is meant to be worn and enjoyed on your best day, or as the Italians say in Portofino, living La Dolce Vita. The only drawback or shortcoming that might surface in a conversation about the Shaffhausen Portofino Automatic is overthinking this genuinely lovely watch. And this leads me to an illuminating point: every detail and the sum of its whole is just gorgeous and luxury with a fine touch. So it's not really that expensive. It looks the part of an IWC and plays the role it was designed to play in abundance.
Conclusion
I wouldn't buy this watch for myself. For me, the downsides I cited above are just a bit too much to justify the expense. But, it is a beautiful gift watch for the right special someone when you want to send a
refined message of love and devotion. It shouldn't matter that this particular watch isn't entirely IWC in-house made. The sum of its parts does.
Specifications
Reference - IW356517
Price - $5,050 USD
Make - Swiss
Case Diameter - 40 mm
Case Height - 9.2 mm
Movement - IWC Calibre 35111/Sellita SW300-1
Case Composition - Stainless steel
Water Resistance - 3.0 bar
Crystal - Sapphire glass, convex, anti-reflective coating on both sides
