Actor Nikolaj Coster-waldau spotted wearing a IWC

At the Emmy Awards, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau found himself in front of an IMDb camera, Emmy trophy in hand, and a quietly exceptional watch on his wrist. On close inspection, the timepiece is an IWC Portofino Automatic 40 in 18k Everose gold — a reference that punches well above its profile in collector circles, and precisely the kind of choice that distinguishes a man with genuine taste from one chasing spectacle.

The Portofino Automatic 40 — reference IW356504 — measures 40mm across in an 18k Everose gold case just 9.9mm thin, making it one of the slimmest dress watches in IWC's current catalogue. The silver opaline dial is clean and deliberate: rose-gold applied hour markers, Roman numerals at 12 and 6, a minute track with Arabic five-minute gradations on the outer chapter ring, and no date complication to disturb the symmetry. The warm cognac alligator leather strap with a rose-gold pin buckle ties the look together with organic continuity. Powering the watch is IWC's in-house Calibre 35111 — a reliable, COSC-adjacent automatic movement offering 42 hours of power reserve.

The Portofino line traces its conceptual roots to the early 1980s, inspired by the glamour of the Italian Riviera fishing village of the same name. IWC relaunched the collection in earnest during the 2000s, repositioning it as the maison's dedicated dress watch family alongside the more technical Pilot's and Aquatimer lines. The rose gold Automatic 40 occupies the sweet spot of that lineup — precious metal gravitas without the complications that would push it into haute horlogerie territory.

For collectors, the IW356504 is a serious but accessible entry into precious-metal dress watches. It avoids the overwrought design language that plagues some competitors at this price point, and its 40mm diameter sits comfortably on contemporary wrists without abandoning the proportional elegance the Portofino demands. Secondary market demand is steady rather than speculative, which suits the watch's character perfectly.

Coster-Waldau's choice here is telling. An actor who spent nearly a decade playing one of television's most morally complex characters, he wore this watch to one of his career's defining nights — and chose understatement over ostentation. The IWC Portofino in Everose gold is exactly that: the right watch, worn exactly right.