IWC Automatic Cal.852 18ct 1957

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 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 put simply, this is what they did! 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 – equalled occasionally, perhaps, but never beaten. An IWC is often referred to as a ‘watchmaker’s watch’. This is because watchmakers simply love them, both to work on and to own.

Description

The watch we see here is beautifully simple, clean and elegant. This watch is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in tip-top condition. It carries an incredible 18ct yellow gold, 34mm case and the Calibre 852 series movement within is considered to be one of the very best automatic movements of its time.

The Dial

The original, unrestored and untouched ivory cream dial is classic IWC style from this period. Clean, simple, understated and elegant – all the things we are accustomed to with this great brand. In our opinion, the combination of the yellow gilt ‘dauphine’ hands, ‘pencil’ hour indices with double pencil hour indices at 12, and dot minute markers around the dial is hard to beat and the dial contrasts wonderfully with the 18ct yellow gold case.

As mentioned above, this dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and shows some beautiful signs of ageing. This dial carries gentle and even spotting across the dial, this shows the originality and charm to the watch, which is why we have kept it original.

This dial is signed with the infinitely more attractive early International Watch Company Schaffhausen signature and ‘Automatic’ just above 6 with ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom, just below 6.

As the dial is original and unrestored, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original condition.

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 Watch Movement

The watch contains the original Cal.852, 21 jewel automatic movement, this movement was hugely successful for IWC and one of the best automatic movements ever produced.

The movement has been given a full overhaul and service and after calibration and final testing is keeping time to within +10 seconds per day, confirmed by our electronic Timegrapher. This is outstanding for an automatic of this age! We are therefore very happy to offer a 12 months warranty on this watch movement and will be very pleased to assist you with servicing in future. The movement also has a power reserve of 42 hours when fully wound.

The movement is in excellent condition and is signed ‘International Watch Co Swiss’ twice, once on the movement and once on the rotor. The movement is also marked Cal.852 and 21 Jewels with the serial number 1,452,060 which dates this watch to 1957.

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

The Case

The very high quality, heavyweight, 18ct yellow gold watch case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown. The case is of a three-piece design and of very sturdy construction. The press-fit case-back is very strong and fits back with a very solid and reassuring click.

The condition of the watch case is truly incredible, 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.

The inside of this case back is correclty signed with ‘International Watch Co’, ‘Swiss’ along with the case serial number 1450167 and the correct Swiss 18ct hallmarks.

The Strap and Buckle

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

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the movement, case numbers and hallmarks all match, dating the watch to 1957.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. 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 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

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

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. 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 who happen to visit London 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 hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

In Conclusion

This beautiful 1957 vintage IWC is in superb condition, ready for use and completely practical and wearable today. It represents excellent value for money especially in such superb condition and is a highly desirable vintage gold watch from one of horology’s most respected names which will provide an excellent investment as well as something to treasure and enjoy!

A word on 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 highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

If you have any questions, please call us on 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please note, we welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at sensible prices. Please see here.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.