IWC Cal.89 18ct Pink Gold 1961

IWC

It is 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 ’50s & ’60s watches, will very likely lead one to the same conclusion. In essence, this is because during the 1950s and 1960s, IWC determined they would manufacture some of the very best watches ever made and quite simply, this is what they 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 in particular, the sheer beauty of their watch movements.

Description

The watch here is highly impressive, not only for its wonderfully elegant dial, but also for being oversized at 36mm in diameter and for the 18ct pink gold case. Not to mention, of course, the amazingly good condition of this watch, but this is just what lies on the surface. Underneath we find a truly iconic movement, the Cal.89 which has certainly stood the test of time, remaining in production for both civilian and military use for over 40 years!

The Dial

The style of the dial is typically vintage IWC of this period. Clean, simple, elegant and totally understated. All the things we are accustomed to with IWC.  This is the classic, clean and simple IWC dial which the company became known by, and which has become almost a trademark in itself.

The watch carries a beautifully understated, original, unrestored and untouched ivory-cream dial with pink gold ‘pencil’ hour indices and the original, unrestored pink gold ‘lancette’ hands. The dial is signed with the infinitely more attractive, early ‘International Watch Company Schaffhausen’ signature and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.

This dial is original, unrestored and untouched. It is also in really excellent condition considering the age of the watch, with almost no fading, spotting or crazing and with an even overall patina. Due to its relatively good condition and for reasons of retaining the character and the originality of the watch, we have left it completely alone. If however, you would prefer the dial sympathetically restoring, we will be happy to arrange this for you without any extra charge.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

Many consider the IWC Cal.89 to be one of the great hand-wound movements of the 20th century. This movement was originally developed in 1946 by the genius of watchmaking, Albert Pellaton, who designed this movement to meet the most demanding and highly rigorous specifications of the British Ministry of Defence. Each movement went through a 44-day testing period in five positions and a range of temperatures from -5° to +46° C. It was produced for military use, continuously for over 30 years and became ‘The standard’ for all military-grade timepieces. The movement also became an IWC mainstay for the commercial market, remaining in production until the mid-1990s.

We have already touched on the craftsmanship and sheer beauty of IWC movements. Some examples of the extra care and attention are 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. This is the kind of detail which sets IWC apart.

The movement has been fully overhauled by a Master Watchmaker. This means stripping the watch down to all 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 +6 seconds per day, averaged over 5 positions. Please bear in mind this is outstanding for any watch of this age. We are therefore highly confident in offering a 1-year warranty with this watch movement.

The movement is all signed correctly: ‘International Watch Co’ and ‘Swiss’ with the Calibre number 89 and the movement serial number 1,631,562 which dates this watch correctly to 1961.

*Please note – our 1-year warranty is only included if the list price is paid.

The Case

The very high quality, heavyweight, 18ct pink gold watch case is of a three-piece design and measures an oversized 36mm in diameter, excluding the crown. The press-fit case-back is very strong and fits back with a very solid and reassuring click. Importantly, it is also of full thickness and has never been engraved.

The condition of the watch case is truly immaculate, with no scratches, dings or other damage visible to the naked eye and has therefore simply required a professional clean and gentle hand-polish, to bring back the almost new look of the watch. As can be seen, all the edges are as crisp as the day this watch left the factory, which is totally amazing.

Inside the case-back we find it is correctly signed ‘International Watch Co. Swiss’ with the IWC brand,  the case serial number 1725582 and the case reference number R604. The case also carries Swiss Geneva 18ct hallmarks.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a high quality Hirsch brown lizard strap and a Hirsch pink 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 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 1961.

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 jewellers presentation box shown in the photographs is included in the sale.

In Conclusion

This is a truly first class example of an early 1960s 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. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. 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 check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and unfortunately out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges, however attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those that happen to visit the UK on occasion we are of course more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and your watch directly to you there.

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.

Finally, please enjoy some time viewing our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.