The ballots are in and Justin Trudeau has won re-election in Canada (Oct. 2019). Being a bit of a legacy candidate, his place as Prime Minister mirrors his father Pierre’s own career as PM back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Trudeau can soon boast his own decade-breaking career come 2020—having been first elected back in 2015 (10s, 20s, and perhaps more to come). Now, before stumbling over Canadian politics (to any extent) our main focus today is going to be on Monsieur Trudeau’s world-leader-worthy wristwatch. Where Trudeau won recent re-election by a slim margin, he sports a similarly slim timepiece. Staying fashionable among other modern politicians, he wears a Swiss built watch. However, instead of popping on a Rolex like most, he takes to the more pared-down flair of an IWC Portugieser Regulateur watch.
Regulator Wristwatch
IWC is a long-running watch brand (founded in 1868) but doesn’t always get worn by world leaders. Rolex typically stands out with its “presidential” Day/Date style, while IWC tends to be seen as more of a sportier “every man” watch. Perhaps this is why Trudeau is sticking with this style. It’s easier to appeal to everyday folks when you’re not wearing actual gold all over your wrist. That being said, IWC watches are still pretty luxurious timepieces—worthy of any top dog.
Trudeau has been pictured at rallies and with world leaders alike in his preferred watch. At a glance, it seems like a pretty basic wrist accessory. Upon closer inspection, though, his minimalistic leather and stainless piece really shines in its regulator design (thus “Regulateur”). Instead of rocking the 1-12 Arabic numerals and traditional hour-and-minute hands, it actually tells the time with three separate dials and hands. At twelve-o-clock there’s a 12hour subdial that just reads the hour; Below this, at the six-o-clock position is a subdial for the seconds; The greater dial of the watch—which encompasses the other two dials—is marked for minutes. It’s a style that’s borrowed from the world of clocks that allows the seconds to remain accurate when setting the hours and minutes. Since Trudeau is someone who ought to be on time, this aspect of his piece is appropriate to punctuality. And if he gets bored at any point during his tenure, Trudeau can look at the pocket-watch-esque movement via a caseback crystal to pass the time. In fact, if he were to watch it wind all the way down, it would take a whole 46 hours (fully wound).
Everyman Style, Luxury Design
Trudeau’s model LW544401 IWC Portugieser watch may come across as a basic daily wear style, but its price tag is still up in the thousands of dollars. This aspect of his timepiece is not necessarily excessive or unruly, however. IWC has over 150 years of engineering built into their pieces. Each watch contains fine mechanical movements that continue to meet and exceed global timing standards. IWC watches are endorsed by politicians, celebrities, and everyday folks alike due to their durable, traditional designs and their high-quality precision engineering. If you’re thinking about sporting one of these Regulateurs, it will likely set you back around $5K (with the “platinum” versions costing over $20K). Some IWC watches will set you back far less but their Portugieser series is one of their long-running styles that gets plenty of attention. Speaking on attention: Surely any wristwatch that Justin Trudeau wears will be under a magnifying glass as he navigates Canadian policy on behalf of Canada’s people. Far from any controversy, his IWC shows an understanding of how luxury can come across in far less excessive ways. Hats off to the continued PM of Canada on this one.
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