In less than a minute, Gisele Bündchen effortlessly persuaded me to consider purchasing a 41 mm timepiece.
Upon connecting via Zoom on Wednesday, the new IWC adorning the wrist of the Brazilian supermodel immediately caught my attention. Standing tall at 5′ 11″, Bündchen, known for pioneering the bold “horse walk” on the runway, has been credited with shifting the fashion paradigm away from the waif-like heroine chic of the 1990s embodied by Kate Moss. That she confidently wears a large-format watch at 43 years old is in perfect harmony with her influential legacy, and the substantial IWC chronographs she flaunts around Watches & Wonders this year undeniably complement her style.
“This is the Portugieser Dune,” she exclaimed enthusiastically. “It’s so chic.” Though the sizable steel timepiece hardly necessitates a closeup, Bündchen, displaying her wrist to the camera, expressed her admiration for the watch. It’s one of the three new Portugieser chronographs unveiled by the Swiss watchmaker at Watches & Wonders this week. The trio features new dial colors—Horizon Blue, Obsidian, and Dune—that evoke the moods of day and night. Bündchen shared that the Horizon Blue shade perfectly complemented her white suit yesterday, while the sandy Dune hue beautifully matched her more subdued attire today. I couldn’t help but agree, mentally adding the $8,400 chronograph to my wishlist.
Bündchen was particularly captivated by the moon phase complication adorning the new Portugieser Eternal Calendar and Perpetual Calendar models. Intriguingly, Bündchen, known for her spiritual inclinations and reported affinity for communing with nature, including birds, squirrels, and butterflies, adheres to a unique practice of only cutting her hair during specific lunar phases. She intends to utilize the moon phase feature on her watch to coordinate her haircuts. “I don’t need to search the internet for that information; it’s right on my watch,” she explained.
Discussing IWC’s latest colorways, Bündchen emphasized the importance of matching the watch to one’s attire. “It all depends on what you’re wearing,” she remarked. “I would definitely opt for something more classic, like the golden Dune, and the blue one for sure because you need to have something a little different.”
As an IWC ambassador and the brand’s first Environmental and Community Project Advisor, Bündchen is tasked with extolling the virtues of IWC’s novelties and encouraging us all to explore the collection. Setting aside paid endorsements, she highlighted the extensive research and development invested in IWC’s new color variations. The brand’s meticulous attention to design detail, considering factors like longevity and timelessness, underscores its commitment to horological excellence.
For Bündchen, her initial attraction to the brand stemmed from its aesthetics, admitting that she initially did not grasp the intricacies of watchmaking. She fondly recalled purchasing an IWC for her father about 20 years ago, long before she became the face of the Portofino line. Her affinity for the brand grew over the years, with the white Portofino Chronograph 39 becoming a staple accessory in her collection.
As Bündchen delved deeper into the world of watches, her appreciation expanded beyond aesthetics to encompass the mechanical craftsmanship behind each timepiece. Immersing herself in the realm of haute horology, she spent time at Watches & Wonders and the IWC Manufakturzentrum, gaining insights into the intricate art of watchmaking. “Now that I’ve learned how the watches are really made, I like it [IWC] even more,” she enthused.
Despite her preference for larger watches, Bündchen acknowledged the appeal of smaller dials traditionally associated with women’s timepieces, particularly for certain outfits. However, she emphasized that larger faces make a bolder statement, holding up her chronograph to the camera as she queried, “It kind of feels cooler, right?”
Bündchen firmly advocated for abandoning gendered perceptions of watches, asserting that all timepieces are unisex. “I think all the watches are unisex, to be honest with you,” she declared. “And I think that’s the cool thing. We have so many different options and so many different styles; why should one person not be able to wear it? Because, I mean, who cares? Whatever makes you happy, get it.”
