IWC Cal.83 Articulated Lugs 18ct 1935

IWC

The International Watch Company, or IWC, was set up in Schaffhausen in the German-speaking region of north-eastern Switzerland, in 1868 by the American engineer and watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841-1916).

The company has had a somewhat turbulent early history, but by the beginnings of the last century it had established a solid reputation for technical excellence, based on its motto “Probus Scafusia,” translated from Latin as “good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen.”

In 1944, Albert Pellaton became technical director at IWC where he remained until 1966. During this time he developed the Pellaton winding for mechanical wristwatches with a modified pawl mechanism for a double-sided winding of automatic movements. He also developed the legendary IWC Calibre 89, a movement which many consider the to be one of the greatest manually wound movements of the 20th century.

It is often said that owning a vintage IWC is something everyone with a serious interest in vintage watches should aspire to. A strong statement perhaps, but a little time spent researching IWC and their 1950s & ’60s watches, will very likely lead one to the same conclusion. In essence, this is because, during the 1950s and ’60s, IWC determined they would manufacture some of the very best watches ever made and quite simply, this is what it achieved. The craftsmanship, technical excellence and sheer beauty of their exquisite movements and cases, manufactured during the ‘golden age’ of watch-making, has never been beaten – perhaps equalled occasionally, but never beaten!

An IWC is often referred to as a ‘watchmaker’s watch’. This is simply because watchmakers love them, both to work on and to own. This is due to the design, technical excellence and particularly the sheer beauty of their watch movements.

Description

Here we have a fine and very rare early example of an IWC gentleman’s wristwatch with a simply stunning 18ct yellow gold case with articulated flying lugs. This effectively increases the overall length of the case to almost 60mm and so significantly increases the presence of the watch on the wrist. These lugs are hinged which helps the lugs to follow the contour of the wrist, like a bracelet.

This watch contains the very high-grade IWC Cal.83 movement. This movement was first released in 1931 and continued until 1947 with almost 70,000 produced during this period. This spectacular movement was the forerunner to the iconic Calibre.89 and the design and craftsmanship are of a similarly high standard, if not better. Indeed, similarities and associations are often made with Patek Philippe’s hand-wound movements of the same period.

The Dial

The superb 1930s ‘art deco’ ivory-cream dial is furnished with yellow gold ‘baton’ hour indices and 3 – 9 – 12 standard Arabic numerals. These are matched with the original, restored, yellow gold ‘Lance’ style hands. The dial has a clean, almost sparse look, typical of a gentleman’s vintage gold IWC dress watch. However, the bold black minute markers around the dial, frame this stunning design beautifully.

The dial is signed with the infinitely more attractive, early, International Watch Company, Schaffhausen signature and carries the traditional subsidiary seconds dial in the lower half of the dial. It is also signed ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom of the dial.

Please note, the dial is a consistent ivory-cream and any darker or shaded areas are due to shadows caused by photography lighting.

This is the original dial which has been restored to the very highest standards by our dial restorers, considered to be the best in the UK.

The Movement

The IWC Calibre 83 movement seen here is as fine as you will see of any Swiss watch manufacturer of the time. The craftsmanship and sheer beauty of IWC movements is extraordinary. Examples of the extra care and attention taken can be seen in the finishing applied to the bridges or plates, characterised by a series of arc-grained bars etched lightly onto bridges or plates, creating a wave-like effect. This is known as a ‘Geneva Wave’ finish. Furthermore, all the edges of the plates are beautifully bevelled which is very difficult and time-consuming to achieve. Lastly, each of the ruby jewels is set in brass ‘chantons’ which are then screwed into the plates, rather than setting the jewel directly into the plates. These are just the kind of details which set IWC movements apart.

Incidentally, the Calibre 83 was used in an extremely rare pilot’s wristwatch produced by IWC between 1936 and 1944, the “Spezialuhr fur Flieger”, today colloquially known as the Mark IX. In upgraded form with shock protection, the calibre 83 was used in the 1940s for watches supplied to the British military under their “Watches, Wristlet, Waterproof” or W.W.W. specification. The 12 Swiss manufacturers who supplied these watches adopted the name Mark X for them, which is how the earlier watch became retrospectively know as the Mark IX, a name never used by IWC.

This movement has been fully overhauled and serviced by a Master Watchmaker. This means dismantling the watch down to each of its component parts, careful inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine IWC parts then careful reassembly and adjustment before final calibration in 5 positions. This watch, therefore, winds, sets and runs accurately and reliably, within +9 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions and also has a 42-hour power reserve when fully wound. Please keep in mind this is outstanding for any watch of this age. We are therefore highly confident in offering 12 months warranty with this watch movement*.

The movement is all correctly signed ‘International Watch Co’ and ‘Swiss’ with both the Calibre number and the serial number 951972 which date this watch to 1935.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Case

The very high quality, IWC Swiss-made, ‘art deco’ style 18ct yellow gold watch case measures 33mm in diameter, excluding the correct IWC crown. This three-piece case is in the typically 1940s style with classic lines, attractive sweeping lugs and a flat, rounded edge case-back. This may at first seem a little on the small side, although this was actually quite large for the period. However, this case is greatly enhanced by the flying articulated lugs which extend the overall length of the case to 59mm. As the lugs are hinged, these nicely follow the contour of the wrist and give the watch a great deal of presence.

This watch has been exceptionally well cared for and the main case body, bezel and case-back are all in beautiful condition with no scratches, dings or other damage visible to the naked eye, therefore after careful inspection, the case has simply required a professional clean and gentle hand-polish, to bring back the almost new look of the watch.

Inside the case-back all the markings are correct and as expected. Here we find the case carries the famous ‘Probus IWC Scafusia’ branding meaning “Good, Solid Craftsmanship from Schaffhausen” which was established in 1903 as the “Official Motto.” In addition, the case-back carries two Swiss 18ct Geneva hallmarks and the case reference number 993944.

The high polished, full thickness case-back has never been inscribed.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a black leather strap and gold plated buckle which we feel suits the watch perfectly. However, if a different colour or different style strap is preferred please let us know and we will do our best to provide your choice, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin and can also obtain most types and colours from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of 18mm straps if you wish here.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct and indicate the date of manufacture to 1935.

Detailed particulars will be included with the receipt, along with our 12 months’ warranty*. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will also be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than totally authentic, or not as described, Vintage Gold Watches of London will offer you a full refund at any time”.

The hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a truly first class example of a 1930s art deco IWC gentleman’s dress watch which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment and heirloom piece. IWC will always command huge respect in the high-end watch market and consequently, prices are always rock solid. We are therefore sure this will make a great acquisition for any collector to wear, or simply to treasure and enjoy!

A word about our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are very successful, charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be very fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would like to pay by UK cheque or by UK bank transfer we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% transaction saving to you. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer, we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges, along with outright purchases of similar watches for us to restore, service and list. We can also offer Watch Service, Watch Repair & Watch Restoration, please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

We await your call.

Finally, please enjoy some time viewing our other fine Vintage Gold Watches!

Thank you.