IWC Portofino Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince Ref. IW4598-06

The IWC Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince IW4598-06 debuted in 2026 as the first Portofino model created as a tribute to The Little Prince, introducing that long-running IWC thematic line into the brand’s dress-watch collection. In this reference, the Portofino’s restrained case and dial architecture are paired with a deep blue sunray dial and a day-and-night display at 6 o’clock that incorporates one of the collection’s defining narrative elements, the figure of the Little Prince standing on the moon. Its stainless steel case measures 34 mm in diameter and 8.9 mm in height, placing it firmly within the more compact end of the Portofino range. The proportions and overall construction follow the collection’s established emphasis on simplicity and dress-oriented wear, with a convex sapphire crystal featuring anti-reflective coating on both sides and water resistance rated to 5 bar. The case back is engraved with the Little Prince, extending the edition-specific treatment beyond the dial side without changing the watch’s essential external restraint. The dial is executed in deep blue with a sunray finish and fitted with gold-plated hands and appliques. This blue treatment is one of the recurring visual signatures of IWC’s Le Petit Prince editions, but here it is adapted to the Portofino’s more pared-back display. The principal point of distinction is the day-and-night indication at 6 o’clock, which completes one full rotation every 24 hours. At noon or midnight, either the sun or the moon appears in the upper part of the aperture to indicate whether the watch is showing daytime or nighttime hours, while the Little Prince is depicted standing on the moon against a starry sky. That display gives the watch a more narrative and decorative lower register without disturbing the overall symmetry of the dial. Inside is calibre 35180, an automatic movement beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offering a power reserve of 50 hours. It features central hacking seconds and drives the day-and-night display in addition to the standard time indication. In keeping with the watch as a whole, the movement is used here not to create a dense complication layout, but to support a relatively simple display with one additional rotating indication integrated into the dial. The watch is paired with a hand-coloured blue alligator leather strap from Santoni and fitted with a butterfly folding clasp. It also incorporates a quick-change system for easier strap changes. In this configuration, the Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince IW4598-06 remains fundamentally a compact dress watch, but one shaped by a specific edition narrative through its dial colour, case back engraving, and day-and-night display.