653 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 22, 2001
Gentlemen:
I would like to recap the question posted by Marco followed by replies and then the official information I received today from IWC copied at the end.
I was eager to get the definitive word regarding a bracelet shown for a vintage Yacht Club but one which didn't quite look o.k. to me. It is gratifying to find out that the three responses on our forum including mine were all on the same track as confirmed by the IWC company.
Regards to all,
Jack Freedman
IWC Yacht Club.. misterious bracelet..
Posted by 13Giugno on 16.1.2007 at 22:58:25
Hi, I'm a new user of this forum. My name is Marco and I'm from Italy.
Well, this is my just buy IWC Yacht Club, quite new old stock, it was sold march 26th 1968 from Shriro in Tokyo, Japan.
This is my problem:
Is this type of bracelet correct for my Yacht Club? Which reference is this?
I studied carefully the photos you finally managed to post and found what I saw interesting. At first glance the bracelet seems to be the style that came with the Yacht Club model but then looking at the sliding clasp I can only say I don't recall having come across such a type with the old model bracelets in the course of over 25 years of servicing IWC timepieces.
I wonder whether the original simpler clasp broke and someone combined the shown sliding clasp with the IWC buckle cover and/or the rest of the bracelet.
I hope that either our forum moderator or others who have more knowledge than I can enlighten us about this style bracelet and particularly about the mentioned clasp.
Jack Freedman
At least the clasp doesn't look original..
Posted by MF on 17.1.2007 at 14:03:16
It's always difficult to say unequivocially "never" but this clasp was not used by IWC for production of watches in Schaffhausen. All its Yacht Club watches used bracelets produced by Guy Freres. Although I cannot read precisely the stampings on the clasp, they are not consistent to Freres production. Nor is the sliding part.
On the bracelet itself, I can't tell for sure despite the photographs. I suspect that it, too, was not orignal to the watch.
MF (forum moderator)
Two anecdotes don't make a trend, but...
Posted by David Polakoff on 19.1.2007 at 05:48:37
...I've seen one of these before, and it's mine. Same design, and the same markings. It did not come with the purchase of a watch, I picked it up years ago from a watch & stuff vendor at a flea market. It's a neat design, that allows easy adjustment of the bracelet. But I have always doubted that it was an authentic, IWC item.
It's not just that it doesn't appear in the literature from the time. The quality of this item is far below that which was being produced by IWC's vendor - Gay Freres. The links are very light, they feel as though they might be hollow. And the tolerances are loose, and a bit sloppy.
The "assembled later by adding a clasp" theory is certainly possible. As an alternative, I offer the possibility that these were sold in the aftermarket, with, ahem, non-authentic IWC markings.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM IWC FACTORY
After my inquiry from colleagues at the IWC factory I received an official answer copied below:
(my e-mail to IWC)
Dear -----------------
There has been a question posted on the IWC Forum regarding the authenticity of an old style bracelet for the Yacht Club model. I commented that I've never seen this type of sliding clasp for an old vintage watch made by IWC.
Would you kindly confirm for me if the bracelet and clasp was made for IWC?
Best regards, Jack Freedman
>>>>> (reply from IWC)
Dear Jack
According to the link which you have given us, we have checked the pictures from the bracelet and can inform you as follows:
- the clasp-unite (lamella) is not from IWC - the bracelet is not from IWC - the cover plate of the clasp is from IWC but not for this model
We hope to have been of assistance.
IWC Schaffhausen, Branch of Richemont International SA
22 Discussions and CommentsMember since Dec. 3, 2006
OFFICIAL INFO - Yacht Club bracelet
Thanks To All!
Thanks to this wonderfull forum.
Only a question: as you can see from my photos, some weeks ago I ask to IWC the extract of warranty, well, on the extract was not information about the original bracelet. Is possible to know which type of bracelet (ref.10, or ref.13, or leather strap) was mounted on my YC when it was sold?
112 Discussions and CommentsMember since May 2, 2004
I got the same bracelet!
I am surprised as I have the same bracelet with my yacht club. So at lease three of us in the forum ( Giugno, David and myself) have the same one. This must be a popular after-market bracelet. I had thought this is a very early example before #10 and #13. Great finding.
653 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 22, 2001
what I think about your bracelet
If you've seen an old landmark home filled with period style furnishings because the old furniture was sold off you'll understand what may have happened with the bracelets on some timepieces.
It may be possible that the several mentioned bracelets that are not authentic IWC pieces were fitted to the Yacht Club models because the original ones are no longer available. Suppose the original bracelets or folding clasps broke it could be that either the previous owner or a vintage watch dealer fitted a period style bracelet not sold by IWC.
To keep the looks like the original as much as possible, the buckle "cover" with the IWC logo was removed from the old bracelet and attached to the replacement one. These buckle covers connect to the clasp with regular type pushpins. That is what I think happened to a number of these watches having so-called 'marriage' bands (bracelets) which actually resemble fairly close the originals.
I would like to recap the question posted by Marco followed by replies and then the official information I received today from IWC copied at the end.
I was eager to get the definitive word regarding a bracelet shown for a vintage Yacht Club but one which didn't quite look o.k. to me. It is gratifying to find out that the three responses on our forum including mine were all on the same track as confirmed by the IWC company.
Regards to all,
Jack Freedman
IWC Yacht Club.. misterious bracelet..
Posted by 13Giugno on 16.1.2007 at 22:58:25
Hi, I'm a new user of this forum. My name is Marco and I'm from Italy.
Well, this is my just buy IWC Yacht Club, quite new old stock, it was sold march 26th 1968 from Shriro in Tokyo, Japan.
This is my problem:
Is this type of bracelet correct for my Yacht Club? Which reference is this?
Thanks to all.
(For clear photos, click here: https://www.iwc.ch/member/forum/display.asp?id=109348 )
Re: IWC Yacht Club.. misterious bracelet..
Posted by Jack Freedman on 17.1.2007 at 00:34:25
I studied carefully the photos you finally managed to post and found what I saw interesting. At first glance the bracelet seems to be the style that came with the Yacht Club model but then looking at the sliding clasp I can only say I don't recall having come across such a type with the old model bracelets in the course of over 25 years of servicing IWC timepieces.
I wonder whether the original simpler clasp broke and someone combined the shown sliding clasp with the IWC buckle cover and/or the rest of the bracelet.
I hope that either our forum moderator or others who have more knowledge than I can enlighten us about this style bracelet and particularly about the mentioned clasp.
Jack Freedman
At least the clasp doesn't look original..
Posted by MF on 17.1.2007 at 14:03:16
It's always difficult to say unequivocially "never" but this clasp was not used by IWC for production of watches in Schaffhausen. All its Yacht Club watches used bracelets produced by Guy Freres. Although I cannot read precisely the stampings on the clasp, they are not consistent to Freres production. Nor is the sliding part.
On the bracelet itself, I can't tell for sure despite the photographs. I suspect that it, too, was not orignal to the watch.
MF (forum moderator)
Two anecdotes don't make a trend, but...
Posted by David Polakoff on 19.1.2007 at 05:48:37
...I've seen one of these before, and it's mine. Same design, and the same markings. It did not come with the purchase of a watch, I picked it up years ago from a watch & stuff vendor at a flea market. It's a neat design, that allows easy adjustment of the bracelet. But I have always doubted that it was an authentic, IWC item.
It's not just that it doesn't appear in the literature from the time. The quality of this item is far below that which was being produced by IWC's vendor - Gay Freres. The links are very light, they feel as though they might be hollow. And the tolerances are loose, and a bit sloppy.
The "assembled later by adding a clasp" theory is certainly possible. As an alternative, I offer the possibility that these were sold in the aftermarket, with, ahem, non-authentic IWC markings.
OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM IWC FACTORY
After my inquiry from colleagues at the IWC factory I received an official answer copied below:
(my e-mail to IWC)
Dear -----------------
There has been a question posted on the IWC Forum regarding the authenticity of an old style bracelet for the Yacht Club model. I commented that I've never seen this type of sliding clasp for an old vintage watch made by IWC.
Would you kindly confirm for me if the bracelet and clasp was made for IWC?
Best regards,
Jack Freedman
>>>>> (reply from IWC)
Dear Jack
According to the link which you have given us, we have checked the pictures from the bracelet and can inform you as follows:
- the clasp-unite (lamella) is not from IWC
- the bracelet is not from IWC
- the cover plate of the clasp is from IWC but not for this model
We hope to have been of assistance.
IWC Schaffhausen,
Branch of Richemont International SA
Greetings, Martijn
Last edited: 6 July, 2012 - 10:18
Regards,
Stefan
Last edited: 4 March, 2012 - 12:14
Thanks To All!
Thanks to this wonderfull forum.
Only a question:
as you can see from my photos, some weeks ago I ask to IWC the extract of warranty,
well, on the extract was not information about the original bracelet.
Is possible to know which type of bracelet (ref.10, or ref.13, or leather strap) was mounted on my YC when it was sold?
Regards
Marco.
Hi Marco
as you can see from the dealers catalogue of the Yacht Club, the model in gold came with a leather strap.
Of the steel case, the one with the silver soleil dial had leather strap, the blue dial had bracelet ref. 10, the roman numeral dial had ref. 13.
Ciao
Franco
I am surprised as I have the same bracelet with my yacht club.
So at lease three of us in the forum ( Giugno, David and myself) have the same one. This must be a popular after-market bracelet. I had thought this is a very early example before #10 and #13. Great finding.
very strange.. in 3 days I saw 3 bracelet like this.. bamboo, where is your YC from?
My YC was sold on march 26th 1968 in Tokyo and I suspect that ours type of bracelet was used for asian marketplace.
...digging up the real skinny on this bracelet.
This really is what makes collecting so much fun.
Regards,
David
If you've seen an old landmark home filled with period style furnishings because the old furniture was sold off you'll understand what may have happened with the bracelets on some timepieces.
It may be possible that the several mentioned bracelets that are not authentic IWC pieces were fitted to the Yacht Club models because the original ones are no longer available. Suppose the original bracelets or folding clasps broke it could be that either the previous owner or a vintage watch dealer fitted a period style bracelet not sold by IWC.
To keep the looks like the original as much as possible, the buckle "cover" with the IWC logo was removed from the old bracelet and attached to the replacement one. These buckle covers connect to the clasp with regular type pushpins. That is what I think happened to a number of these watches having so-called 'marriage' bands (bracelets) which actually resemble fairly close the originals.
Regards,
Jack Freedman