I am a professor in Singapore and just bought a IWC Portofino watch in April with stainless steel strap. Very soon, the strap is broken by itself. I went to the dealer, and they are charging me 120SGD for replacing the broken part.
I was very upsad, I spend 9000SGD for the watch, and the strap is so fragile and not covered by the warrantee. I am just planning to buy another watch, but now I will definitely not choose IWC. Such a bad experience.
So if you want to buy IWC, be careful.
Sorry you had such a bad experience. We can't evaluate here what happened to the strap, but all leather straps --for all brands-- can have problems with moisture, especially in hot and humid Singapore. My straps seldom last two years, and I rotate among several watches and don't live in a tropical climate.
But, with respect, why throw out the baby with the bath water? A strap isn't 2% of the cost of the watch here.
Stainless steel strap, MF. AKA Bracelet!
Greg --I missed that. It seems like a clasp part, given the cost --and without knowing more that's something the dealer probably should have helped on if there wasn't misuse. I'm sorry to hear of this, but I still believe that no one should throw out the baby with the bath water.
Got this case solved by immediate contact of the local managing director in a very efficient and effective way. The straps will be repaired for free.
Although needs to wait a while to get the straps back, I really appreciate IWC who take care of the customers sincerely.
Please ignore my complaint. :)