IWC Ingenieur Automatic Vintage Collection

In March 2008 IWC introduced a collection named the Vintage Collection; a collection comprising models from every IWC family of watches, meaning there was an Aquatimer, a Pilot’s Watch, a Portofino, a Portuguese, a Da Vinci and an Ingenieur. Six legends to celebrate 140 years of IWC and there was also a full set that was referred to as the Jubilee Edition.

This is the IWC Ingenieur Automatic ref. IW3233, which is a homage to the first IWC Ingenieur with automatic movement from 1955, which came with the calibre 80111 that was equipped with IWC’s Pellaton winding system. The movement calibre 80111 has a frequency of 28,800 vph (or 4Hz) and 28 jewels to keep all axis rotating with as minimal friction as possible. The single main spring stores enough energy for 44 hours of autonomous running, without rewinding. However with the Pellaton automatic winding system you will not have to rewind the watch as long as you keep it on the wrist, or don’t take it off for longer than 44 hours.

The stainless steel case measures 42.5 mm in diameter and 14.5 mm in height, and features a sapphire crystal on both sides. The watch is water-resistant to 12 bar, or 120 meters, and that’s more than sufficient for every day wear. Altogether the IWC Ingenieur Automatic ref. IW3233 Vintage Collection is a lovely daily timepiece with an interesting historical background.

Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 5115G

The Patek Philippe Calatrava is probably the most iconic and well-known classic dress watch on the market, and has been so for many decades. The ref. 5115G that we have found for you today, is just one iteration of that classic dress watch, and it is certainly one of the most defining of all Calatrava models. Its hobnail -or as the French say, Clous de Paris- engraved bezel, the white enamel dial with black Roman numerals and the small second sub dial at 6 o’clock, have set the benchmark for many other classic dress watches. This model was discontinued in 2009 and was replaced by ref. 5119 that featured a sleeker case and has no crown guards.

The ref. 5115G (“G” stands for Gris, and refers to ‘or gris’ or white gold) comes in a white gold case measuring 35mm in diameter and 8mm in height. The case has a closed flat white gold case back, and crown guards to protect the crown, and of course the iconic Clous de Paris bezel.

Inside ticks the Patek Philippe calibre 215 PS is a small and thin hand-wound movement, measuring just 21.9 mm x 2.55 mm. The ‘PS’ behind the calibre number stands for Petit Seconde, or small seconds in English. It has been in used by Patek for a long time, and is nicely finished; beveled and polished bridges, Côte de Geneve striping on the bridges’ flat surfaces, pèrlage (circular graining) on the main plate, polished screw slots, and all other Haute Horlogerie finishing one might expect from a top dress watch from Patek. This calibre is still used in the current Calatrava models.

This particular Calatrava ref. 5115G is in NOS (New Old Stock) condition and comes with 12 months warranty. Here you can see (and bid on) this lot.

TAG Heuer Monaco with a brown dial

Today the Monaco is one TAG Heuer’s best selling vintage inspired watches, and it got a fair share of attention when a re-edition was launched in the early 2000’s. Originally it was launched in 1969 as one of the very first automatic chronographs on the market, and it remained in production until 1976. Many will recognize the blue dial Monaco from the early seventies as it was often depicted with Steven McQueen and also nicknamed after this famous actor. The version with blue dial and white sub dials for continuous running seconds and 30-minute counter, is often referred to as the Monaco Steven McQueen – we reviewed the latest version of it here.

This brown dial version is a rare one, as most Monaco models came with a black dial or a blue dial with white subs. The Monaco ref. CW2114 measures approx. 38 x 38mm and inside is an automatic chronograph movement, with a continuous small second at 3 o’clock, a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock and a 12-hour register at 6 o’clock. The movement is an ETA 2892/A2 with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module, and also features a date that is visible through an aperture at 6 o’clock.

This example is in a top condition according to the folks at Catawiki, and is complete with box and papers, and even comes with 1 year warranty and insured shipping. You can see all photos and the details here.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin 41

Our second dress watch of today’s cool finds, is a very nice and relatively large dress watch that comes in a stainless steel case. As the name already says, it’s ultra-thin. This Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin 41 measures 41mm in diameter and is 7.5mm thick, and comes with a see through case-back. The use of stainless steel enables the brand to offer this watch for very competitive price (new it’s just below € 8k euro) and stainless steel is also more scratch resistant than for instance gold. The 41mm diameter is less ‘classic’ for a dress watch, however many people prefer more ‘wrist presence’, even for a dress watch.

As you can see on the dial, it reads “automatique” (automatic in English) and that’s something that will impress those in the know. Jaeger-LeCoultre used calibre 898C that has a full rotor for winding the main spring. This full rotor will add height to the movement, and despite this ‘additional’ thickener, it measures only 3.30mm. Hence the overall thickness of just 7.5mm (7.48mm to be precise) and that really great on the wrist.

Calibre 898C has a power reserve of 42 hours, provided by one main spring, and ticks the hours away with 28,800 vph. The stainless steel case is water resistant to 5ATM (or 50 meters) and comes with a sapphire crystal on both sides. This black dial version is not in the collection anymore, so certainly one that should be of interest to those who are looking for a black dial dress watch of ‘contemporary’ dimensions.

This Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin 41 in stainless steel (with discontinued black dial) is without box and papers, and that means a lower estimate, and no reserve price. Here you can see all photos, the description and bid on this lot.

Glashütte-Original Sixties Chronograph

Next up is another vintage inspired chronograph, although this is not a re-edition like the Monaco, but an original new design. In the 1960’s Glashütte-Original’s precursor, Glashütte Uhren Betrieb or short GUB, made a model that served as inspiration for the Sixties (see here for the original) and recently the brand launched a few colourful iterations. The Sixties Chronograph was added to the collection a few years after the launch of the Sixties that was first introduced in 2007.

The Sixties Chronograph comes in a 42mm stainless steel case, with sapphire crystal on both sides. The shaped sapphire crystal on the front is domed, while the crystal in the case back is boxed and shaped around the movement and thus offering a view on the side of the beautiful in-house movement. This is really nice and will bring a smile on everyone’s face, even for the most saturated collectors among us.

The movement at hand is the automatic winding calibre 39-34. This is the base calibre 39, an in-house developed and manufactured movement, with a chronograph module on top. Altogether the calibre 39-34 has 51 jewels, and features the famous Glashütte three-quarter plate with stripe finish, which is visible through the skeletonized rotor with double-G logo. The bridges come with bevelled edges, polished steel, the balance is regulated with a swan-neck fine adjustment.

 

This one has a black dial and comes on a padded brown Hirsch strap, and is complete with box and papers. Here at the Catawiki website you can see this lot, with additional photos, description and of course this is where you can bid on it.