IWC might be best known for its no-nonsense Pilot’s Watches, but this year at Watches & Wonders, they’ve chosen to shine a light on their timeless Portugieser, a clean design defined by its elegant leaf-shaped hands and legible Arabic numerals.
IWC has given this classic collection updates across the board, with subtle design tweaks and bold new colour options. If your idea of a good time with a watch is a tried and true design with a healthy dash of personality, you’re going to like the new IWC Portugieser Chronograph and Portugieser Automatic models.
Three new looks for the IWC Portugieser Chronograph
At the sportier end of the lineup, there are new versions of the Portugieser Chronograph to get excited about.
One of the best ‘gentleman’s chronographs’ out there, this design is instantly recognisable not just for the clear Portugieser style cues but for the distinctive vertical registers at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions, one for elapsed minutes and one for constantly running seconds, all powered by IWC’s own Calibre 69355.
The real news, though, is the three new dial colours: Horizon Blue, Obsidian and Dune. Horizon Blue is a soft, shimmering metallic hue paired with a matching full-grain Santoni strap, and a white gold case is a fresh and subtle tone that we suspect will look different every time you look at it, just like its namesake skyline.
Obsidian is a simpler proposition: inky, glossy black in a 5N gold case on a glossy alligator strap, proving the black and gold truly never get old. Finally, there’s the steel-cased Dune dial. Now, I’m sure the name isn’t affiliated with Denis Villeneuve’s sandy masterpiece, but there’s no denying that this soft, champagne-like golden dial has a certain spice to it.
New case designs and dials for the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 and 42mm models
The bulk of IWC’s new releases for 2024 take the form of the iconic Portugieser Automatic, with six new models in the larger 42mm size and two new 40mm options.
The smaller size gets the stunning Horizon Blue and black Obsidian options, while the big guy gets the Horizon and black, and Dune gets two white versions and a deeper blue. The 42mm gold and obsidian pairing, in particular, is as good-looking a gold watch as you’re ever likely to find. All these dials are treated with 15 layers of lacquer, making those new colours look glorious.
The big story with these new automatic models is the subtle but impactful design upgrades to the case. Case proportions have been reworked to give them a more slender side profile, and the sapphire crystals on the front and back are now in the glassbox style, allowing for even greater visibility, whether you’re checking the time or checking the IWC-made calibres in all their Pellaton automatic winding glory.