Watch & Learn: Kevin Spacey’s IWC

by Natasha Wolff | April 17, 2015 8:37 am

When we saw actor Kevin Spacey wearing this midnight blue-dialed International Watch Company Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days[1] to pick up his special 2015 Olivier Award in London on April 12th, we were wowed.

What’s the allure? Introduced in 2011, the IWC-manufactured caliber 59210 movement will run precisely and reliably for a full eight days before it automatically stops. This prevents the watch losing accuracy as the mainspring tension diminishes. This mechanism is ideal for folks who don’t want to wind their watch everyday, but can’t commit to having to wear an automatic.

International Watch Company Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days

Aesthetically, the sun-patterned finish, 45mm stainless steel case and black Santoni alligator strap projects a sense of stature and control. It’s no coincidence that Spacey’s House of Cards[2]b character Frank Underwood has also worn this model on screen.

At the same time this timepiece never feels over-the-top. Maybe it’s the elegant case with its rounded lugs that seem to sculpt the watch to the wearer’s wrist. Or perhaps it’s the discreet display—a retrograde power reserve on the dial between 8 and 9, a small seconds dial at and a date display at 3—that makes it feels so clean.

Everything about this timepieces has been carefully considered: the movement has an indexless balance with a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour and a Breguet spring, bent into shape in accordance with ancient watch making traditions. It is also finished with Geneva Stripes. To further streamline the timepiece[3], the sapphire glass on both sides is arched and the case height is only 12mm.

Spacey knows a thing or two about honoring traditions—he is the Artistic Director  of London’s Old Vic Theater. He has also been celebrated for taking complicated roles and distilling these characters to their essence, which is also what makes the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days a classic.

Source URL: https://dujour.com/style/kevin-spacey-iwc-portofino-watch/