The IWC Portugieser 40 Salmon Dial Review

February 15, 2023

IWC has sort of released a new Portugieser. We say sort of because this new 40mm iteration on the 2020 update to the Portugieser line is currently exclusive to the UAE and won't come to the Americas until April 2023. But now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about the watch itself. This is a riff on the existing 40mm collection but with a new dial color C that's basically the long and the short of it. But the dial is some dial C did we mention it's salmon? C and there's always room in the editorial calendar to cover a salmon dial (especially when it looks this good on paper).? As with the other color variations in the collection, this watch features applied numerals, leaf hands, and a stainless steel case with a signed IWC crown. The salmon dial itself is done with a sunburst effect with a contrasting black small seconds subdial matching the IWC wordmark and railroad minute track.? This 40mm salmon Portugieser 40 Automatic is paired with a black leather strap and will cost $7,450 when it arrives in the US market in a couple of months. What We Think This is one of those dial-swap "new" releases that sort of stopped me in my digital tracks. To me, even without handling it in the metal, it is empirically good-looking. The design elements of the existing model range when adjusted for the salmon aesthetic, just work. The silver tone of the applied numerals contrasts really nicely against the stainless steel case allowing for the dial color to stand out by itself without distraction. If there is such a thing as a conservative salmon dial this is it. Much like we saw with the Mark XX last year, this was sort of just sitting there on the IWC website waiting to be uncovered by snoopy watch writers like myself. There was no fanfare, just the watch. And you know what? That very well may be because this piece is not yet released in the US market yet. But there's still a little bit of mystique around a watch this cool, just hanging out in the vastness of the world wide web. Way back in 2020, I wrote about the Portugieser Automatic 40 and its ties to the 1930s IWC Reference 325 with the small seconds subdial design motif. We were quite excited about that piece back then, and this riff on the design only ups the ante in my mind. The Portugieser 40 straddles the line between dress and casual and the salmon dial adds a playfulness that bolsters the sub $8k value proposition offered here C along with the IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre movement with 60 hours of power reserve. Seeing as I don't currently have plans to travel to the UAE between now and April, I will wait for this one to arrive stateside so I can feast my eyes upon it in real life. I'll report back my observations when I do. The Basics Brand: IWCModel: Portugieser 40 Automatic?Diameter: 40.4 mmThickness: 12.4mmCase Material: Stainless SteelDial Color: SalmonIndexes: Arabic numeralsLume: NoWater Resistance: 30mStrap/Bracelet: Leather strap The Movement Caliber: 82200Functions: Hours, minutes, small secondsPower Reserve: 60 hoursWinding: AutomaticFrequency: 4HzJewels: 31Chronometer Certified: No Pricing & Availability Price: $7,450Availability: April 2023Limited Edition: No Shop this story The Hodinkee Shop has a selection of pre-owned IWC watches. To learn more about this watch visit IWC.