We knew we liked this watch when we saw it in photos, but after seeing it in person at last week’s Watches & Wonders 2023 event, we had to get hands-on with the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch properly. It’s the Swiss watch brand’s latest addition to their existing line-up of 40mm dress watches, adding in a new salmon-coloured display beside the elegant stainless steel architecture.
The IWC Portugieser watch has always been a favourite of ours. It perfectly balances the line between a casual, everyday watch and a formal event piece; they’re just easy to throw on for any occasion. They’re also obviously beautiful and benefit from IWC’s in-house movements plus there’s no shortage of IWC Portugieser watches to choose from. You can choose from case sizes measuring anywhere between 40 and 44mm in metals of steel and gold and functions as simple as time-only to more complex chronograph and perpetual calendar. There’s also an abundance of dial colours : silver dials with blue or gold accents, blue dials, green dials, dark grey dials and a new deep red dial launched to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. Out of all of these though, we would choose the new IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch under reference IW358313.
I don’t know what it is about a salmon-coloured dial, but they send many a luxury watch collector crazy. In the case of the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch, the colour of the display is obtained using a rose gold treatment on a sunray-brushed base which shimmers in the light, changing colour lightly from a light rose to a deep salmon colour. In contrast, the dial is joined by rhodium-plated hardware for the reasonably-sized applied Arabic numerals, box-shaped indexes and slim feuille hands. You have the classic hands at the centre of the hours and minutes while the seconds is placed inside its own subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock. The outer seconds ring is printed on the salmon base in black to match the printed railway minutes track.
Other than its dial, you’ll find the remaining specs of the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon IW358313 watch following suit to the rest of the 40mm models in the collection. There’s the same curved stainless steel case with brushed sides and a polished fixed bezel sitting at 40.4mm in diameter and 12.4mm height. It is a dress watch after all so only a 30 metre water resistant rating is warranted helped by the screw down case back and a non-screw locked crown at 3 o’clock. The case back also features an insert of sapphire crystal glass for a view of the in-house movement working inside, the same material used on the front end of the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch. The latter is joined by an anti-reflective coating for effortless legibility of that gorgeous sunray salmon dial.
Inside the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch is one of the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer’s mid-range in-house movements, the Calibre 82200. With a Pellaton automatic winding system, it has a selection of ceramic parts for increased durability and impresses with a weekend-proof power reserve of 60 hours. There’s also 31 jewels and it runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Completing the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon IW358313 watch is a black alligator leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching and a stainless-steel folding buckle.
If you’d like to learn more about the IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 Salmon watch and shop the design for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 40.4mm diameter x 12.4mm height
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Non-screw locked
- Case Back: Screwed with sapphire crystal
- Water Resistance: 30 metres
- Movement: Calibre 82200, in-house, automatic with Pellaton winding system
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
- Jewels: 31
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Sunray-brushed salmon with rhodium hands and numerals
- Strap: Black alligator leather
- Buckle: Folding, stainless steel
- RRP: £6,500
- Limited: No
- Reference: IW358313
