Wow, talk about rejuvenating one of what I felt was IWC’s more boring and dull lines… The Portofino line is refreshed with a brand new 8-day in-house movement, called the 59210. This is a beautifully crafted watch with the type of movement complications that I like the most: Simple, yet creative solutions to horological challenges that a collector and user of watches can benefit on a daily basis. An 8 Day power reserve is always useful, and the Power Reserve indicator also useful. The Date of course is something that I bet I read daily as well. No need for Chronograph or annual calendars here, as the efforts are put into more subtle areas of the watch.

Wow – I love that exhibition back. Quite possibly my favourite display back I’ve seen in a while. Love the large plates.

From IWC:
“Thanks mainly to its technological sophistication, the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days (Ref. 5101) has established itself as the flagship of the Portofino family. Its reputation is founded not so much on outward appearances but internal values: ticking away inside the case is the new IWC-manufactured movement from the 50000-calibre family. With its 37.8-millimetre diameter, the 59210 calibre is the same size as a pocket watch movement, but its design is incomparably more modern. The contemporary movement design, with its large bridges and plates, is highly robust and reliable, and designed to meet all the exacting demands of watch devotees in the 21st century. Despite its undisputed elegance, the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days is a watch designed for everyday use, not least because of its incredible stamina: it will run for precisely 192 hours – that’s 8 days – without any external help. Just how long the watch will continue to run before its owner needs to wind the movement can be read off from the power reserve display on the dial. IWC’s designers have remained true to the classical Portofino style, not only in the circular case with its smooth, flowing strap horns, but also in the design of the dial. The placing of the displays – small seconds at “6 o’clock”, date at “3 o’clock” and power reserve between “8” and “9” – ensures that the dial layout is finely balanced. The red gold Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days comes with a slate-coloured dial, which likewise features indices made of solid red gold. There is also a choice of two models in steel, with either a black or silver-plated dial.”