Walking down the red carpet at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards, celebrating his nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ for his role in Netflix’s Dead to Me, James Marsden was spotted proudly sporting his solid gold IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch. It’s rose gold case paired beautifully with the gold buttons on his jacket while the crisp silver dial provided an abundance of calendar functionality.
If you’re a 90’s child like me, James Marsden will be a figure strongly associated with your childhood. Whether it was his first ever role in leading man status in “Second Noah” in 1996 or his later breakthrough performance as the mutant superhero Cyclops in the film adaptation of the Marvel comic, “X-Men” (2000), we guarantee Marsden will have dominated your screen at some point during this era. More than just a handsome action hero, the American actor is also widely known for his musical and comedic abilities as proven in films like “Hairspray” (2007) and “Enchanted” (2007). More recently, he’s been the lead in sci-fi TV series “Westworld” (HBO 2016- ) and a supporting actor in Netflix’s “Dead to Me”, the latter recently awarding him a nomination for a Critics’ Choice Award.
Outside of his life on camera, James Marsden is an avid luxury watch connoisseur and ever since 2015, he has been a proud brand ambassador for Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. Over the last almost-decade of this partnership, Marsden has been spotted wearing several designs from IWC including an IWC Portofino, an IWC Portugieser, an IWC Pilot’s Watch and an IWC Ingenieur. The IWC Ingenieur was created by Marsden from scratch; he elected a sporty black chronograph dial with a bold red chronograph seconds hand, contrasting silvered counters, a highly polished steel case and a brown calfskin leather strap. More recently, he has been spotted wearing an IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar at Critics’ Choice Awards 2023.
The exact IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch worn by James Marsden at this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards is reference IW503302. It’s one of many examples of IWC’s artistry with solid gold with the 44.2mm case entirely crafted from 18 carat rose gold. The case maintains much of the same slender shape and almost non-existent bezel of the original Portugieser watch launched twenty years ago, allowing the 14.9mm height to effortlessly slip under the cuff of a shirt. The integrated lugs and screwed case back absorb some of this thickness, the latter set with sapphire crystal glass for a view of the movement within. There’s also sapphire crystal glass on the front with anti-reflective coating and a water resistant rating of 30 metres.
As I’m sure James Marsden would agree, the most noticeable feature of the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar IW503302 watch is the dial. Despite being packed full of incredible functionality, the silver dial remains clearly organised, set with simple gold Arabic numerals, matching gold feuille hands and a railway track-styled chapter ring which replicates those seen on 1930’s pocket watches. The railway chapter ring is divided into one minute sections so tracking every passing minute is effortless. The dial also delivers four large counters around its circumference for a different calendar complication; at 3 o’clock sits a date ring paired with a power reserve indicator, 6 o’clock presents the month with the year in its own aperture on the right hand side, at 9 o’clock is the day and small seconds and lastly at 12 o’clock is the colourful moon phase complication.
As you can tell from looking at the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar IW503302 watch, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer is no stranger to the perpetual calendar complication. The legendary complication was first developed by IWC’s former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus during the 1980’s and has since appeared in number of popular IWC models. Its sole focus is on the maximum precision of the perpetual calendar function which requires adjustment only once every 577.5 years. Like so many of IWC’s in-house manufacture calibres, the 52610 Calibre which powers the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch, uses a Pellaton automatic winding system which builds up a power reserve of 7 days in two barrels. It is also constructed using a total of 374 components including 54 jewels. There’s a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a stunning Côtes de Genève decorated rose gold rotor which can be viewed through the sapphire crystal glass case back.
If you’d like to learn more about the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar watch owned by James Marsden and order one for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
