IWC Schaffhausen Portofino 37 mm Black Platinum

Case, dial & bracelet

Case dimensions

37 mm

Case thickness

8.8 mm

Case material

Platinum 950

Bezel

Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute

Crystal

Box sapphire with AR coating

Dial

Black lacquer

Hands

Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill

Indexes

Applied Roman numerals

Bracelet / strap

Alligator leather with folding clasp

Clasp / buckle

Titanium deployant clasp

Water resistance

30 m

Movement

Movement / calibre

Calibre 85C — In-house automatic, chronometer certified

Movement type

Manual-winding

Frequency

21,600 vph (3 Hz)

Power reserve

72 hours

Number of jewels

27 jewels

Complications

Time and date

Functions

Hours, minutes, small seconds

Watchmaker

Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.

Production & market

Production period

1974 – 1989

Limited-edition quantity

Not applicable

Current market information

Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.

Designer

Jörg Hysek

Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.

Historical significance

IWC Schaffhausen Portofino 37 mm Black Platinum sits within IWC Schaffhausen's Portofino line, introduced in 1974. It carries the house codes established since 1868 — platinum 950 case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.

Interesting facts

• The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
• Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
• The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.