The Portofino Automatic Edition “1881 Heritage Boutique” Story
The Portofino Automatic Edition “1881 Heritage Boutique” has a case made of 18-carat 5N gold, a silver-plated dial, and gold-plated hands. This casual yet elegant three-hand watch is fitted with a brown alligator leather strap and sold exclusively at IWC’s boutique in the 1881 Heritage building in Hong Kong. This iconic Victorian building, which is also engraved on the case back, served as the headquarters of the Marine Police for many years. This area has a connection with timekeeping going back long before today; from 1885 to 1907, a ball mounted in the Time Ball Tower was dropped every day at 1 p.m. sharp, allowing the ships in the harbour to recalibrate their chronometers with an accuracy to a tenth of a second.