18 Kt Gold IWC Vintage Wrist Watch Caliber Rare 89, Fancy Lugs
About the Item
- Creator:
- Case Material:
- Strap Material:Leather
- Case Shape:Round
- Movement:
- Case Dimensions:Diameter: 1.44 in (36.5 mm)
- Style:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Antwerp, BE
- Reference Number:
IWC
One of Switzerland’s major luxury watch companies was started by an American who saw the potential of bringing Switzerland’s superb watchmaking into the modern age through industrialized manufacturing and high-precision interchangeable parts. The New Hampshire–born watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), who founded International Watch Company — known today as simply IWC — in 1868, was interested in “combining all the excellence of the American system of mechanism with the more skillful hand labor of the Swiss.”
Setting up the company with another American watchmaker, Charles Kidder, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Jones used hydropower from the River Rhine for his plant’s machinery. Rethinking watch design would lead to one of IWC’s early successes: the Pallweber pocket watch. Based on an 1883 patent by Austrian watchmaker Josef Pallweber, the watch employed numbered disks for jumping hour and minute displays, making it a pioneer in digital timekeeping.
After Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took over the watch manufacturer in 1880, four generations of his family led IWC into the 20th century. In 1905, Ernst Jakob Homberger and his brother-in-law Carl Jung — the famed Swiss psychiatrist — acquired IWC. Homberger bought out Jung’s holdings in 1929, and in the 1930s, the company introduced pilot watches, which were particularly robust and aimed solely at the civil aviation industry. These durable wristwatches were designed specifically to remain operational during extreme temperature shifts. (As blue watch dials are particularly hot right now, IWC's blue-dial Big Pilot is having a moment.)
The company still operates alongside the river where it was founded, having gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Vintage IWC watches are prized by collectors — of whom there are many these days — and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time.
IWC’s 2013 Ingenieur watch collection, with its precision based on an inventive constant-force mechanism, looked back to a 1955 Ingenieur model that featured a durable soft-iron inner cage as well as a 1976 update by leading Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta that encased its mechanism in a sleek steel case. IWC has also had a recent push toward sustainability, designing watches that are made to last a lifetime and beyond and earning the highest environmental ranking of any Swiss watch company in a 2018 report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature Switzerland (WWF).
Find vintage IWC wristwatches, Art Deco–style pocket watches and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Antwerp, Belgium
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- 18 Kt Gold IWC Wrist Watch Caliber 89, CalatravaBy IWCLocated in Antwerp, BE18kt Pink Gold IWC Wrist Watch Caliber 89, Calatrava Beautiful collectors watch in mint condition Movement : Mechanical Manual Winding Caliber 89 Ca...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsGold
- IWC Wrist Watch Stainless Steel Caliber 60 RARE, Fancy LugsBy IWCLocated in Antwerp, BEIWC Wrist Watch Stainless Steel Caliber 60 Extremely Rare Caliber, Collectors ! Movement : Mechanical manual winding Case : Stainless Steel Strap ...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsSteel, Stainless Steel
- 18 Kt Gold Iwc Wrist Watch Caliber 83By IWCLocated in Antwerp, BE18 kt Gold Iwc Wrist Watch Caliber 83 Extremely rare IWC in mint condition collectors watch Movement: Mechanical Manual Winding caliber 83 Case: 18k...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsGold
- 18Kt Yellow Gold IWC Wrist Watch, Caliber 89, Diameter 36.5mmBy IWCLocated in Antwerp, BE18Kt Yellow Gold IWC Wrist Watch, Caliber 89, Diameter 36.5mm Calber: 89 Movement: Manual winding Functions: Hours, minutes Case: 18kt Yellow gold ...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsGold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 18 Kt Gold IWC Wrist Watch Caliber 88 Rare Manual Winding CalatravaBy IWCLocated in Antwerp, BE18 Kt Gold IWC Wrist Watch Caliber 88 Rare Manual Winding Calatrava Extremely rare IWC collectors watch in mint condition big size for the 1950 s Mov...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsGold
- 18 Kt Gold IWC Wrist Watch Automatic Caliber 8541 / 810ABy IWCLocated in Antwerp, BE18 Kt Gold IWC Wrist Watch Automatic Caliber 8541 / 810A Extremely Rare Iwc in super condition,collectors watch. Movement : Mechanical with Automatic ...Category
20th Century Swiss Artisan Wrist Watches
MaterialsGold
- Vintage IWC Schaffhausen Yellow Gold Large Mechanical Wrist WatchLocated in Chicago, ILCirca 1950 IWC International Watch Company Wrist Watch, 36 M.M. 3 Piece 18K Yellow Gold Case with Flared lugs. 17 Jewel Nickle Lever mechanical, Manual wind Movement, Original and Mi...Category
Vintage 1950s Swiss Wrist Watches
Materials18k Gold
- IWC Schaffhausen 18k Rose Gold Mechanical Watch Cal 89 w/ Leather BandBy IWCLocated in Sherman Oaks, CAIWC Schaffhausen 18k Rose Gold Mechanical Watch Cal 89 w/ Leather Band Caliber 89 Case #1725596-R604 Date of Manufacture: Early 1960s 18k Rose Gold Case 35 mm...Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Wrist Watches
Materials18k Gold, Rose Gold
- Hamilton 14KT Yellow Gold Calatrava Watch Caliber 770By HamiltonLocated in New York, NYIntroducing the timeless elegance of the Hamilton 1950s 14kt Gold 33mm Round Case with Extended Lugs Watch. This vintage masterpiece exudes sophistication with its classic round case...Category
Vintage 1960s American Retro Wrist Watches
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Longines 18Kt. Yellow Gold Men's Wrist Watch, French Hallmarked 1930'sBy LonginesLocated in Long Beach, CAFACTORY / HOUSE: Longines Watch Company STYLE / REFERENCE: Modified Tonneau Shape CIRCA: 1930's MOVEMENT / CALIBER: 17 Jewels / Caliber 10.85 DIAL / HANDS: Roman Numerals / Blued Ste...Category
Vintage 1930s Swiss Art Deco Wrist Watches
MaterialsYellow Gold
- IWC Tank Watch 18K Yellow GoldBy IWCLocated in New York, NYIntroducing the IWC 1970s Tank Manual Wind Watch, a vintage masterpiece that embodies timeless elegance and sophistication. Encased in a refined 22x30mm 18kt yellow gold rectangle ca...Category
Vintage 1970s Swiss Retro Wrist Watches
MaterialsYellow Gold
- Vintage Bucherer 24mm 18k Gold Women’s Wrist WatchBy BuchererLocated in Miami, FLVintage Bucherer 24mm 18k Gold Women’s Wrist Watch. Stunning vintage watch made in 18k solid gold 25.5mm with crown. The watch is Swiss made and o...Category
Vintage 1980s Wrist Watches
Materials18k Gold, Yellow Gold