Politician Giuseppe Conte spotted wearing a IWC

When a sitting prime minister addresses an entire nation in a moment of crisis, every detail is scrutinised — including what sits on his wrist. During his evening address to the Italian public, Giuseppe Conte wore a stainless steel IWC Portofino Automatic reference IW356517, a choice that, intentionally or not, communicated quiet restraint over ostentation.

The IWC Portofino Automatic IW356517 is a 40mm stainless steel dress watch powered by IWC's Calibre 35111, a self-winding movement with a 42-hour power reserve, running at 28,800 vph. The silver-toned argenté dial is kept deliberately spare: applied golden baton indices, golden Dauphine hands, and a date aperture at three o'clock. A sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides protects the dial, and the case is water-resistant to 30 metres. The alligator leather strap with a pin buckle completes a silhouette that is unmistakably formal without crossing into complication.

The Portofino line itself dates to 1984, conceived as IWC's answer to the ultra-thin, round dress watches that dominated Swiss haute horlogerie of the era. Where the brand's Pilot and Aquatimer lines court functionality, the Portofino has always been IWC's exercise in restraint — a watch that earns its place on a suited wrist through proportion and legibility rather than complication. The IW356517 represents the accessible core of that philosophy.

Conte's choice is consistent with the image he has cultivated: a lawyer-turned-politician who favours understated elegance. The Portofino's Italian-named, Swiss-made identity carries a certain symbolic weight when worn by an Italian head of government on national television. It is the kind of detail political analysts overlook and watch collectors do not.

On the market, the IWC Portofino Automatic IW356517 sits at a retail price of approximately $5,300 USD — competitive for a Swiss manufacture dress watch with an in-house movement. On the grey market, pieces trade close to or slightly below retail, reflecting solid but not speculative demand. It is a collector's entry point into IWC's dress catalogue: no waiting list, no speculation, simply a well-executed watch that lets the wearer speak louder than the dial.