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Portofino Automatic "150 Years" edition

J

jamingui

Known Member
24/8/16
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Repwatcher01 said:
Any of you experts have any thoughts on the new MKF Portofino "150 Years" rep?

https://www.intime03.co/iwc/5347-po...-dial-on-black-leather-strap-miyota-9015.html

It looks spot on to my novice eyes, & thickness is the same as gen. I really like the blue hands against the white dial, very close to pulling the trigger unless I'm overlooking some massive imperfection?
Click to expand...

Movement is the biggest "imperfection", the previous generation of Portofinos used to have the Asian 2892 movement, which is a clone of the movement of the Gen. Now the latest Portofinos have the Miyota, which means loud rotor, very low power reserve and the date changes gradually as from 22:00 instead quick change around 12.

Otherwise dial and case looks very good.

If there are more fans of Portofinos like me, we should tell Angus from Puretime, to tell the MK factory we would like to have the Portofinos back with the A2892. I am refraining buying these new releases just because the movement. Although perhaps I am the only one caring about the movement... :(
 
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F

ffuhcu

Active Member
14/7/16
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jamingui said:
If there are more fans of Portofinos like me, we should tell Angus from Puretime, to tell the MK factory we would like to have the Portofinos back with the A2892. I am refraining buying these new releases just because the movement. Although perhaps I am the only one caring about the movement... :(
Click to expand...

I also really like the Portofino and figured I'd pick one up at some point, like you seeing the change from A2892 to Miyota was a disappointment, it seems to be a popular movement for makers across the board.
 
Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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Yeah, I'd rather have the A2892, but at the end of the day the movement is on the inside behind a closed case, and either way it's not the real thing, so I'm not sure I care about the difference? As far as dependability, the Miyota is as good as any, and the rotor can be silenced with a drop of 9010. Although I would rather have it silent right out of the box.

What I'm more concerned about here is the lacquered dial. I'm concerned that what's triple lacquered on the gen might be just printed on the rep. And a flat unimpressive dial would be a dead giveaway. It's hard to tell from the pictures, or even the video on trustytime. But I suppose that's the chance I take on a brand new rep that isn't reviewed yet, right?
 
E

erekose

Renowned Member
Supporter
13/2/12
914
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Tokyo
Looks great and will probably get one. Happy about the 9015 as well; I'll take a gen Japanese movement over a Chinese clone any day.
As for noise...my gen JLC makes more noise than my 9015s.
 
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Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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I wonder has MKF done another rep with a lacquered dial before? If so, and that dial was legit I'd feel more confident pulling the trigger here. Anybody know?
 
Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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Well, I went in to the IWC boutique hoping to check it out in person, but even they don't have one. lol On the bright side, I'm pretty sure that means you will never run into anyone who has seen the gen in real life. That said, on closer inspection I've noticed the font on schaffhausen is wrong, and also the hour markers are squared on the ends where the gen is rounded.

I'm torn. I want it, but now that I've found the errors I feel like that's all I'm ever going to see.

Edit: the version pictured on trustytime is wrong as described above. The pictures on intime & puretime are spot on with the gen. I guess it will come down to careful qc. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger. Stay tuned....
 
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Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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Got my qc pics from intime, everything looks good. Still can't quite tell whether the dial really has that high quality lacquered look or just looks like printed plastic, but there's really no way to be sure until I see it irl. Stay tuned...
 
Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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olah.inc said:
what a beautiful watch, wanna post some pics?
Click to expand...

I will when I get it. The qc pics aren't much to look at, but I should have it in my hands in about 2 weeks. Pics & details to come. :)

Fwiw, I can already tell from the qc pic that the rep strap is garbage, but I guess that is to be expected. If I like it as much as I hope to when I get it in my hands I'm going to get a gen Santoni strap for it.
 
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Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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Yes, I got the watch last week and it's a winner. The dial looks luxuriously lacquered and the case is as spot-on as their other portofino NWBIGs. The only "tell" is the engraving on the rear which is alternately brushed/polished on the rep while actually engraved relief on the gen. On the arm, though, I'd give it a solid NWBIG vote. I'll try to share some more pics in the next few days when time permits.
​​​​​​
kHMV3.jpg
 
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Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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Ok, as promised here are some more pics and my thoughts.

First, true to the gen, the lacquered numerals & hour markers are ever so slightly raised and rounded as though layered lacquer on the enamel base. Also, the hands are beautifully blued and shiny - no cheap blue plastic or paint here.

sMLeo.jpg


I have it on a gen Santoni strap, but here it is alongside the rep strap. Truth be told, the rep strap isn't all that terrible, but it looks flat and doesn't really suit the sleek formality of this watch. Also, the rep strap is stamped "Santoni" on the rear, which is a big tell since 1) Santoni straps are always orange on the reverse, and 2) the gen comes on a IWC branded strap, not a Santoni. (I went with the gen Santoni anyway because I love the antiquing effect and quality of the strap)

sMXBL.jpg


sM4NK.jpg

sMrye.jpg


And finally, the back of the case. This is where we find the one "tell". The first pic is gen, the second is the rep. Notice how the "150" is raised on the gen and flush on the rep. Not something anyone is ever going to actually notice (or even know), but worth noting as it is different than the gen.

GEN:
se6DQ.jpg


REP:
seKNf.jpg


Nonetheless, on the wrist, as far as I can tell, this watch is totally NWBIG. The miyota isn't even noticeably noisy. I would also suggest that there is no universe in which the gen, which contains a sellita movement, is worth $4700. It's a beautiful watch, but you're paying thousands of extra dollars just for the "IWC" logo. I say go with the miyota version.
 
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Repwatcher01

Repwatcher01

Getting To Know The Place
25/8/18
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cometome said:
great review. sold me on the 150 instead of the regular white portofino.
Click to expand...

It's a good choice. I think the 150 limited edition rep is every bit as NWBIG as the regular version, but I personally find the regular version too monochromatic. The crisp black on white of the limited is as sharp as a tuxedo, and the blued hands add a great pop of color that is still very typical of high end watches.
 
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A

antiom85

Getting To Know The Place
15/6/16
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Does anyone have more pics about this ? I'd like to see how the dial looks with sun
 
K

Kp1821

Do not accept unsolicited offers
15/3/19
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Seen the gen in blue today and i was really impressed by the dial. Was wondering if anyone has any more feedback or photos of either the white or blue version. Many thanks
 
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