Passions Watch Exchange

About This Watch

Vintage. No box or papers but a Passions box will be given, 

This watch was acquired from an antique shop in Schaffhausen just few hundred metres away from the IWC factory in Switzerland some twenty years ago. The watch has an expertly made custom case in the style of Portugieser out of aluminium to house an antique movement and even offers crown protective shoulders. This watch wears very well and time very accurately.

Unlike most re-cased pocket watches that have their crowns tucked between the lugs at 12 o'clock, resulting in an awkward position to wind and set time, this particular example came from a Savonette hunting case movement with the stem at 3 o'clock so it works exactly like a wristwatch and at 46mm, it is the same size as many modern day IWC portuguese and big-pilot watches. The light weight aluminium case makes it comfortable on the wrist and the porcelain-white dial with blued steel hands are a charm. This watch is a great conversational piece at watch meetings and one that wears like a modern watch. To adjust time, simply pull the small lever out between 4~5 o'clock and adjust the crown and push the lever back to wind the main spring to power movement.

The dial is perfect and hands shine in a beautiful blue sheen. Case shows patina resembling silver with no deep scratches nor dents and movement shines.

The serial numbers traces the production of this movement to 1923, making this watch almost a century old now. The 3/4 quarter plate Cal.53 movement is finished to a frosted gold-gilt and features many luxurious fittings like the chaton jewels, swan-neck regulator and bi-metallic balance. As a result, this watch is only gaining an average 10secs/day now even after almost one century of working tirelessly. A testament of the quality and a modern equivalent will sell for 5 figures today.

Cal.53 traces it's history to 1893 when IWC launched the Cal.52 as a Lépine movement (Crown at 12) followed by this Savonette style for hunting case pocket watches and over it's long 54yr life span, nearly 300,000 were produced in various finishes. The final Cal.52SC produced in 1940 features a center seconds for over-sized wristwatches known today as the Big Pilot for Luftwaffe aviators and deck watches so yes, that famous pilot watch uses the same base movement as what we have here.

*Not water resistant nor shock-proof.