IWC is one of the top watch makers in the world and hence vintage IWC watches are always in demand. There are a number of different types of vintage IWC watch including the Aquatimer and Ingenieur so it’s important to know the differences between each model. Automatic watches are more practical than manual winding models although are less accurate than quartz.
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GENUINE IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN PART AUTOMATIC DIAL WITH RINGUS $299.00 |
1960S IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN AUTOMATIC CAL8531 DATEUS $338.00 |
Collectible Genuine VINTAGE IWC WATCH BOX FOR PORTUGIESER AUTOMATICUS $553.70 |
Before you start looking for a vintage IWC automatic watch it helps to know exactly what an automatic movement is. Automatic mechanical movements differ from manual ones in that they have a pendulum called the Rotor. This is attached on the back of the movement and is allowed to swing while the watch is in motion. The pendulum automatically winds the watch whenever there is movement. Typically, an automatic mechanical movement will have a power reserve of 40+ hours.
Vintage IWC Aquatimer Automatic
The Aquatimer collection of watches is part of IWC vintage collection which was created to celebrate the history of the company. Only 500 of these watches have ever been created and hence they are highly sought after by watch collectors and can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction.
The vintage version of the watch usually features a stainless steel case, a matte black dial with luminous hour markers, a date complication and one of IWC’s in house movements. The movement has a vph of 28800 and has 28 jewels contained within it. For horological collectors the vintage IWC Aquatimer automatic is a beautiful and elegant watch.
Vintage IWC Da Vinci Automatic
The IWC Da Vinci is another famous watch manufactured by the company. Although its retail value is less than the vintage Aquatimer it can still command more than a few thousand dollars at auction. The watch comes with an automatic movement, a water resistivity down to 30 meters, a 28 jewel movement and a 44 hour power reserve. Usually, vintage IWC automatic watches will cost slightly more than quartz versions despite that fact that they can be less accurate. This is due to the fact that automatic mechanical movements are more difficult to manufacture and hence require a higher level of skill.
Other examples of vintage IWC automatic watches include the IWC Yacht Club automatic and the vintage IWC Ingenieur automatic. The price of these watches depends on how rare they are and what condition the timepiece is in.