2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
Today is cold with rain, snow, sleet, and every form of precipitation imaginable falling from the sky. I decided to reflect on my watch buying habits, and that of course caused me to focus on my favorite brand, IWC. I was amazed when I counted up at least 40 different pieces I have owned during my 8 years of “collecting” (or shall I say obsessing?), with some models residing in my house multiple different times. I thought you might enjoy seeing just how bad the Uhren Virus can become.
It all started so innocently. At one time I traveled internationally on business quite a bit. I remember walking up and down Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich with my nose pressed against the windows, looking at the lovely watches and wondering why they cost so much more than the modest quartz watch on my wrist.
In Summer of 2000, I resigned my position as President of a manufacturing company and started my own business. I decided that if my paychecks were to become more uncertain, that might be my last chance to ever buy a “good” watch. I spent time at a local jeweler with a huge selection, and somehow chose a Baume & Mercier two tone Riviera. It was still quartz, but I didn’t know any better.
Oh how proud I was of my new “good” watch! The fact that today I would view it as overpriced, ugly, and not worth my time was not known to me back then. I proudly wore my prize until disaster struck. I found a major, well known watch site, and began to learn about mechanical watches.
It didn’t take long before I became completely infatuated with the Mark XV that seemed to be everywhere on the site. It struck a chord deep inside me. There was no turning back. But it was sooo expensive!
What’s this? A sales board? You can buy pre-owned watches a lot cheaper than brand new? This looks like something I ought to find out about! I read all I could find, and learned the “approved” techniques of buying a pre-owned watch from someone you never met in a place you’ve never been. Uh oh! This changes things!
It wasn’t long before I was putting a Cashiers Check in an envelope. I almost trembled with fear as I sealed the envelope. I was sending more than $1000 to someone I didn’t know for a watch I hadn’t seen and could only hope I’d receive? How crazy was that?
A short time later my Mark XV arrived. My sweat from worry turned to sweat of anticipation as I practically bit the top off the package. Inside was….. not a rock, not a box filled with empty paper…. But a pristine Mark XV with boxes and papers, just like the seller promised. At a price well below the cost of new! How cool was that!
3253-12 Mark XV (Photo by Antonio de la O)
I didn’t have a digital camera in those days, so I borrowed this photo from someone else’s recent sales post. My Mark XV had the original style bracelet, with the very thin “grains of rice” shaped links. Perfect! The understated IWC style pushed all my buttons. The watch felt so solid….. so handsome…… so just right! And so the virus began.
That original Baume & Mercier sat in the drawer unloved and disrespected despite its “like new” shine. It was subsequently sold back to the original dealer. Let’s see…. I paid $2000 plus tax, sold it months later for $900. Lesson 1 – try not to buy high and sell low. If there’s any justice, it’s that as of a year ago, the watch was still sitting in the dealer’s pre-owned case awaiting a new owner. But back to the Uhren Virus now burning within.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 2 of 8)
Watch collecting was something I could get into! My wife and I collect antiques. We love to prowl shops and shows, always anticipating the terrific find that lurked on the next table or in the next booth. Now I could do that with watches, and with the internet and its public sales boards, never even leave my desk! In short `order` I was reading all I could find about this company called IWC, and gazing lovingly at all the pictures people posted.
By now it was 2001, and Dave Gruber was posting photos of his outrageously beautiful GST. The fever raged. I had to have one! And so it came to be.
3707 GST (Photo by Barn)
More! I wanted more of these things called IWC! In came a UTC and a Cal 89, the former having the distinction of being the first IWC I photographed with my own digital camera. Camera? Oh yes, the disease was growing inside me!
3251 UTC
And then it happened! I saw pictures of the 3531 Small Portuguese. Life would never be the same! But I simply didn’t have enough cash to buy such a beauty. What to do, what to do? Wait a minute! I knew that engineering degree would be good for something. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If I can buy on a sales board, why not sell?
Out went the Mark XV. Hello Small Portugueser!
3531 Small Portugueser SS
Aaaah! This was soooo sweeeeet! And so a love affair with the Portuguese that continues to this day was born. By late Summer of 2001 my business was doing well. I was able to buy a replacement Mark XV, this time on the newer style bracelet, as well as a second piece of Portuguese, the 3714. By now I had mastered the “wrist shot”, although dealing with reflections was obviously a skill yet to be developed.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 3 of 8)
Life seemed good. Watches (many other brands in addition to the IWC’s) were coming and going. Whatever this sickness was, it sure felt good. Until that September, when things didn’t seem so good any more, and one event managed to get all of us to take our eyes off our watches for a while.
. The US encountered a recession and my business suffered along with it. I wasn’t booking much work at the time, and that led to some long days and short cash flows. Well, they were short coming in, but unfortunately not as short going out. The watch boards and discussion forums proved a great way to spend some idle hours. In fact, they were a savior of sorts. When I got really down and had run out of ideas to generate more work, I sought refuge in the on-line friendships I had developed. My friends and their watches were always there for me!
During those “dark days” I managed to sell a couple of pieces to fund others and was able to continue to enjoy the hobby in a cash neutral way. Several IWC’s made their way in and later out of my hands.
White Mark XV (on right)
3741 MecaQuartz Chrono (Photo by Ed Loebl)
3707 GST Black Dial SS
3707 GST Titanium
By October of 2002 my business was showing signs of picking up, though the recession was causing watches to be sold that might not have otherwise been offered on the sales boards. Ray Purkis had been driving everyone into a lather by frequently posting pictures of his RG 3531, and when one appeared for sale I knew what I had to do. I had become fairly comfortable buying and selling watches that were in the range of $2000 or maybe even $3000, but this was new territory for me Fortunately, the owner loved the idea of a two for one trade, and Rosie was mine.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 4 of 8)
A few more GST’s and Mark XV’s of both colors made their way in and out, but my real attention remained riveted on Small Rosie. I tried a growing variety of other IWC’s as well, mostly through trades or selling one to fund the next.
Cal 88
3706 Flieger Chrono
3714-04 Black Dial
2004 dawned with improved business conditions, and bookings for my company looked pretty strong. I then landed the single biggest job my little company ever had (or has had since) and I was feeling flush. So flush that, when it appeared for sale, I actually dared to consider buying what had long been my holy grail. But how could I? Sure, I had grown extremely comfortable buying and selling $2000 +/- watches. And yes, I had reached upwards once for the RG 3531, but that was a trade. And, well, yes, I had spent significantly more on a very special watch one time but that was after I had sold a few. And I did buy that Lange 1, but that was a “once in a lifetime” type purchase. But here was my grail watch with “for sale” written all over it.
It wasn’t as hard a decision as I wish it were. With cash flow strong, I gritted my teeth and typed those little words: “I’ll take it”. I varied between ecstasy and total disbelief in my foolishness as I waited for the package to arrive. And suddenly, there she was, fresh from service in Schaffhausen and looking as new as could be.
5441 Jubilee Portuguese
Funny thing. By this time I had owned some 20 IWC’s plus dozens of other brand watches, yet with one inexpensive exception, the Jubilee is the only watch still with me from that long ago. Well, maybe that’s not so funny. If you had one, would you sell it? And to this day, it is the one and only watch I own that I have never ever considered selling.
The rest of the year passed quickly as I was busy marveling at the Jubilee and working. Jubilee and work. Jubilee and work. Isn’t love grand? I did manage yet another Portuguese, but by then the Jubilee had made 35mm watches seem a bit small, so it didn’t stay very long.
3531 Small Portuguese
When our friendly Moderator was kind enough to invite me to drop by his office to see his new 5001, I jumped at the chance. Oh my, this was nice. If there was a Portugueser I didn’t like, I hadn’t (and still haven’t) seen it, and 5001 was no exception. Yoo hoo! Mr. AD! Sign me up! And so it came to pass.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 5 of 8)
The pre-announcement of the new IWC Jones hit me like a lightning bolt, sending chills up and down my spine. This pushed every button I had, and some I didn’t know I had. The classic Portuguese heritage, a new manual movement based on an historic pocket watch, enamel look dial (like the vintage American pocket watches that by now numbered 20 or so in my collection), wonderful color combinations, and superb legibility literally shouted my name. Within minutes I was on the phone to my AD asking for a RG and a SS. I loved the pictures of Platinum, but the price was simply out of reach.
My AD had not even heard of these watches yet, but checked and accepted my `order` for two, which their buyer would commit to when he attended the upcoming SIHH. The wait seemed like forever! I was thrilled to be invited to the Jones Release in Boston that Fall, but that made the waiting even more torturous. Unfortunately for me, North America was at the end of the distribution cycle on this particular model. When pieces started showing up in the US, I thought I was going to wet my pants. Then finally the call came. Along with the news of the watches’ arrival was the fact that IWC had gone to significant trouble to provide matching case numbers. Very nice touch from a great company!
The Jones Boys 5442 01 and 03
At that point I thought I was done for a while. Little did I know what would happen next!
A good friend had been jealous of my Jubilee Portuguese and had been searching for one for some time. He finally found a collector who was willing to sell his. The problem was, the collector was pretty much unknown to most of the watch community and watch boards we frequented. Lots of photos were supplied and they looked great, but….. We’ve all heard the adage “Buy the Seller” and alarm bells were ringing. My friend was in Philadelphia and the owner of the Jubilee was in New York, so they decided to meet half way in between so the watch could be inspected in person.
While they were finalizing the arrangements for their meeting, the owner casually mentioned to my friend that he also had a 5251 Portofino Moonphase he wanted to sell. Would my friend be interested, or did he know anyone who might be? My friend couldn’t swing both at the same time, so he was kind enough to let me know of his finds.
I swallowed really hard. No papers and an IWC box which was a replacement and not exactly the correct one. Close, but not exact. There was said to be a service receipt from Schaffhausen and I figured IWC wouldn’t touch a watch that wasn’t real. Besides, a 5251 would be hard to fake well enough to fool experienced collectors, right? It was decided that the owner would bring the 5251 with him, and if it passed inspection I would contact the owner to buy it.
There in the parking lot of a New Jersey railroad station, my friend bought his Jubilee and inspected the 5251. All looked good. I hesitated and dawdled a long, long time. Should I? Could I? Could I not? The owner finally became a touch tired of my stalling, and decision time was at hand. I decided to buy the 5251, though I declined his offer of the matching pocket watch! Man, there are some decisions you just wish you could make over again, aren’t there?
The 5251 arrived and was wonderful. The Archives Extract I `order`ed came, and I was in heaven with not one but two grails, the Jubilee and the Portofino. I am quite clear headed when I say that it will be my twin sons who ultimately decide the disposition of this pair!
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 6 of 8)
It was almost impossible for me to imagine what I could do to top the pair of grails. I thought I was done. But IWC wasn’t done with me quite yet.
Ingenieur is one of those watches I just didn’t “get”. The pictures left me cold, and I had no desire for one. Until one day a light bulb clicked on. You know what came next.
3227-01 Ingenieur
Such a massive chunk! Somewhere I got the idea to try the soft strap from the titanium model on my SS piece. Actually, I found that it made the rather top heavy watch sit on my wrist much better, and was far more comfortable. The bracelet never came out of the box while I owned the watch.
Blue has long been my favorite color dial, and IWC’s Laureus blue is just superb. I hadn’t owned a 3714 in quite a while. Portuguese? In blue? They must have been thinking of me!
3714-32 Laureus Portuguese
St. Exupery was quite a different eye catcher when it was released. I loved it. Until I didn’t. Then I did again. But I somehow didn’t wear it much. But then I wanted it again. Yup – I’ve owned that one three different times, as I seem to repeatedly love the watch then not wear the watch. Sigh. What a disease!
3717-09 St. Exupery
Maybe the problem was that St. Exupery was fairly redundant to what I consider to be the best daily wear watch around. Yes, this one is still with me, too. I don’t see it going anywhere.
3717-04 Flieger Chrono
While stocking up on pilots, how could I not add a ceramic version? The creative date window appealed to me, and I loved the way I could sail right through airport security without removing my watch.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 7 of 8)
If blue is my favorite dial, it’s not hard to understand why the first Cousteau release appealed to me. I bought it, but I personally found the rubber strap to be hot and uncomfortable, so I sold it.
3548-06 Aquatimer Cousteau
Then I saw a picture of one that someone had put on a bracelet. That’s it! But by then the Cousteau’s were very hard to find and generally selling substantially above List Price. Some of you may remember that several years ago, MF, Rob Segal, David Ter Molen, and I arranged an IWC Collectors’ Meeting in Chicago. I happened to sit down to lunch next to the gent who was at the time the Regional Sales Rep for IWC. During our chat he mentioned that one of his dealers had in stock what was thought to be the last Cousteau available in the US. Thank goodness for cell phones! I bought it between the main course and dessert! I quickly bought a bracelet from a local AD and I was again in my blue heaven!
Unfortunately, I bought the next Cousteau from pictures, but it left me cold. Wrong color blue! The wood back was certainly cool, but that didn’t make up for a face I just didn’t love.
3782 Chrono Cousteau Diver
Now, if you want blue, to me there isn’t much better than the Laureus color. The pilot joined the Portuguese chrono in my watch box.
2,244 Discussions and CommentsMember since Aug. 2, 2001
IWC, look what you’ve done to me! (Part 8 of 8)
The next IWC to strike directly at my central nervous system was the Kurt Klaus Perpetual. While non-round watches turn some people off, I like tonneau and related shapes and I found the DaVinci case to be quite bold and masculine. The RG was drop dead gorgeous, but I felt a better fit in my collection would be the WG ardoise dial. An AD promised me he could get me one, even though they were to be sold through Boutiques “and a few select dealers”. During one of my regular checks with him, I saw the SS chrono and decided to pick that up to wear until the Perpetual arrived. I’m still waiting for the WG Perpetual, which I long ago realized I’m not going to see, at least not from that dealer.
3764-03 DaVinci Chronograph
It seems almost impossible to me that I managed to go through 2008 with only one IWC addition. If you’ve read this far, you may have noticed that I am one of few people in the world who doesn’t seem to be in love with the Big Pilot. I’ve never owned one, and don’t plan to. The decision for me during 2008 was between the VC Portofino and Portuguese. I made the choice that was certainly right for me, and this one has gotten more wrist time than any other “dressy” IWC in my stable.
5445-01 Vintage Collection Portuguese
Well, that’s my story. My passion for IWC is as great as ever, but as I close in on retirement my checkbook squeals a bit more loudly than it used to. But it IS a new year, and SIHH releases are out there. What comes next? At this point, I’m not sure. I’d love to try ardoise, whether a 5001 or possibly a WG Kurt Klaus Perpetual if I could find one. Whatever it is, you’ll see pictures of it here first!
Today is cold with rain, snow, sleet, and every form of precipitation imaginable falling from the sky. I decided to reflect on my watch buying habits, and that of course caused me to focus on my favorite brand, IWC. I was amazed when I counted up at least 40 different pieces I have owned during my 8 years of “collecting” (or shall I say obsessing?), with some models residing in my house multiple different times. I thought you might enjoy seeing just how bad the Uhren Virus can become.
It all started so innocently. At one time I traveled internationally on business quite a bit. I remember walking up and down Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich with my nose pressed against the windows, looking at the lovely watches and wondering why they cost so much more than the modest quartz watch on my wrist.
In Summer of 2000, I resigned my position as President of a manufacturing company and started my own business. I decided that if my paychecks were to become more uncertain, that might be my last chance to ever buy a “good” watch. I spent time at a local jeweler with a huge selection, and somehow chose a Baume & Mercier two tone Riviera. It was still quartz, but I didn’t know any better.
Oh how proud I was of my new “good” watch! The fact that today I would view it as overpriced, ugly, and not worth my time was not known to me back then. I proudly wore my prize until disaster struck. I found a major, well known watch site, and began to learn about mechanical watches.
It didn’t take long before I became completely infatuated with the Mark XV that seemed to be everywhere on the site. It struck a chord deep inside me. There was no turning back. But it was sooo expensive!
What’s this? A sales board? You can buy pre-owned watches a lot cheaper than brand new? This looks like something I ought to find out about! I read all I could find, and learned the “approved” techniques of buying a pre-owned watch from someone you never met in a place you’ve never been. Uh oh! This changes things!
It wasn’t long before I was putting a Cashiers Check in an envelope. I almost trembled with fear as I sealed the envelope. I was sending more than $1000 to someone I didn’t know for a watch I hadn’t seen and could only hope I’d receive? How crazy was that?
A short time later my Mark XV arrived. My sweat from worry turned to sweat of anticipation as I practically bit the top off the package. Inside was….. not a rock, not a box filled with empty paper…. But a pristine Mark XV with boxes and papers, just like the seller promised. At a price well below the cost of new! How cool was that!
3253-12 Mark XV (Photo by Antonio de la O)
I didn’t have a digital camera in those days, so I borrowed this photo from someone else’s recent sales post. My Mark XV had the original style bracelet, with the very thin “grains of rice” shaped links. Perfect! The understated IWC style pushed all my buttons. The watch felt so solid….. so handsome…… so just right! And so the virus began.
That original Baume & Mercier sat in the drawer unloved and disrespected despite its “like new” shine. It was subsequently sold back to the original dealer. Let’s see…. I paid $2000 plus tax, sold it months later for $900. Lesson 1 – try not to buy high and sell low. If there’s any justice, it’s that as of a year ago, the watch was still sitting in the dealer’s pre-owned case awaiting a new owner. But back to the Uhren Virus now burning within.
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
Watch collecting was something I could get into! My wife and I collect antiques. We love to prowl shops and shows, always anticipating the terrific find that lurked on the next table or in the next booth. Now I could do that with watches, and with the internet and its public sales boards, never even leave my desk! In short `order` I was reading all I could find about this company called IWC, and gazing lovingly at all the pictures people posted.
By now it was 2001, and Dave Gruber was posting photos of his outrageously beautiful GST. The fever raged. I had to have one! And so it came to be.
3707 GST (Photo by Barn)
More! I wanted more of these things called IWC! In came a UTC and a Cal 89, the former having the distinction of being the first IWC I photographed with my own digital camera. Camera? Oh yes, the disease was growing inside me!
3251 UTC
And then it happened! I saw pictures of the 3531 Small Portuguese. Life would never be the same! But I simply didn’t have enough cash to buy such a beauty. What to do, what to do? Wait a minute! I knew that engineering degree would be good for something. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If I can buy on a sales board, why not sell?
Out went the Mark XV. Hello Small Portugueser!
3531 Small Portugueser SS
Aaaah! This was soooo sweeeeet! And so a love affair with the Portuguese that continues to this day was born. By late Summer of 2001 my business was doing well. I was able to buy a replacement Mark XV, this time on the newer style bracelet, as well as a second piece of Portuguese, the 3714. By now I had mastered the “wrist shot”, although dealing with reflections was obviously a skill yet to be developed.
3714-01 Portuguese Chrono
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
Life seemed good. Watches (many other brands in addition to the IWC’s) were coming and going. Whatever this sickness was, it sure felt good. Until that September, when things didn’t seem so good any more, and one event managed to get all of us to take our eyes off our watches for a while.
. The US encountered a recession and my business suffered along with it. I wasn’t booking much work at the time, and that led to some long days and short cash flows. Well, they were short coming in, but unfortunately not as short going out. The watch boards and discussion forums proved a great way to spend some idle hours. In fact, they were a savior of sorts. When I got really down and had run out of ideas to generate more work, I sought refuge in the on-line friendships I had developed. My friends and their watches were always there for me!
During those “dark days” I managed to sell a couple of pieces to fund others and was able to continue to enjoy the hobby in a cash neutral way. Several IWC’s made their way in and later out of my hands.
White Mark XV (on right)
3741 MecaQuartz Chrono (Photo by Ed Loebl)
3707 GST Black Dial SS
3707 GST Titanium
By October of 2002 my business was showing signs of picking up, though the recession was causing watches to be sold that might not have otherwise been offered on the sales boards. Ray Purkis had been driving everyone into a lather by frequently posting pictures of his RG 3531, and when one appeared for sale I knew what I had to do. I had become fairly comfortable buying and selling watches that were in the range of $2000 or maybe even $3000, but this was new territory for me Fortunately, the owner loved the idea of a two for one trade, and Rosie was mine.
3531 RG Small Portuguese
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
A few more GST’s and Mark XV’s of both colors made their way in and out, but my real attention remained riveted on Small Rosie. I tried a growing variety of other IWC’s as well, mostly through trades or selling one to fund the next.
Cal 88
3706 Flieger Chrono
3714-04 Black Dial
2004 dawned with improved business conditions, and bookings for my company looked pretty strong. I then landed the single biggest job my little company ever had (or has had since) and I was feeling flush. So flush that, when it appeared for sale, I actually dared to consider buying what had long been my holy grail. But how could I? Sure, I had grown extremely comfortable buying and selling $2000 +/- watches. And yes, I had reached upwards once for the RG 3531, but that was a trade. And, well, yes, I had spent significantly more on a very special watch one time but that was after I had sold a few. And I did buy that Lange 1, but that was a “once in a lifetime” type purchase. But here was my grail watch with “for sale” written all over it.
It wasn’t as hard a decision as I wish it were. With cash flow strong, I gritted my teeth and typed those little words: “I’ll take it”. I varied between ecstasy and total disbelief in my foolishness as I waited for the package to arrive. And suddenly, there she was, fresh from service in Schaffhausen and looking as new as could be.
5441 Jubilee Portuguese
Funny thing. By this time I had owned some 20 IWC’s plus dozens of other brand watches, yet with one inexpensive exception, the Jubilee is the only watch still with me from that long ago. Well, maybe that’s not so funny. If you had one, would you sell it? And to this day, it is the one and only watch I own that I have never ever considered selling.
The rest of the year passed quickly as I was busy marveling at the Jubilee and working. Jubilee and work. Jubilee and work. Isn’t love grand? I did manage yet another Portuguese, but by then the Jubilee had made 35mm watches seem a bit small, so it didn’t stay very long.
3531 Small Portuguese
When our friendly Moderator was kind enough to invite me to drop by his office to see his new 5001, I jumped at the chance. Oh my, this was nice. If there was a Portugueser I didn’t like, I hadn’t (and still haven’t) seen it, and 5001 was no exception. Yoo hoo! Mr. AD! Sign me up! And so it came to pass.
5001-07 7 Day Portuguese
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
The pre-announcement of the new IWC Jones hit me like a lightning bolt, sending chills up and down my spine. This pushed every button I had, and some I didn’t know I had. The classic Portuguese heritage, a new manual movement based on an historic pocket watch, enamel look dial (like the vintage American pocket watches that by now numbered 20 or so in my collection), wonderful color combinations, and superb legibility literally shouted my name. Within minutes I was on the phone to my AD asking for a RG and a SS. I loved the pictures of Platinum, but the price was simply out of reach.
My AD had not even heard of these watches yet, but checked and accepted my `order` for two, which their buyer would commit to when he attended the upcoming SIHH. The wait seemed like forever! I was thrilled to be invited to the Jones Release in Boston that Fall, but that made the waiting even more torturous. Unfortunately for me, North America was at the end of the distribution cycle on this particular model. When pieces started showing up in the US, I thought I was going to wet my pants. Then finally the call came. Along with the news of the watches’ arrival was the fact that IWC had gone to significant trouble to provide matching case numbers. Very nice touch from a great company!
The Jones Boys 5442 01 and 03
At that point I thought I was done for a while. Little did I know what would happen next!
A good friend had been jealous of my Jubilee Portuguese and had been searching for one for some time. He finally found a collector who was willing to sell his. The problem was, the collector was pretty much unknown to most of the watch community and watch boards we frequented. Lots of photos were supplied and they looked great, but….. We’ve all heard the adage “Buy the Seller” and alarm bells were ringing. My friend was in Philadelphia and the owner of the Jubilee was in New York, so they decided to meet half way in between so the watch could be inspected in person.
While they were finalizing the arrangements for their meeting, the owner casually mentioned to my friend that he also had a 5251 Portofino Moonphase he wanted to sell. Would my friend be interested, or did he know anyone who might be? My friend couldn’t swing both at the same time, so he was kind enough to let me know of his finds.
I swallowed really hard. No papers and an IWC box which was a replacement and not exactly the correct one. Close, but not exact. There was said to be a service receipt from Schaffhausen and I figured IWC wouldn’t touch a watch that wasn’t real. Besides, a 5251 would be hard to fake well enough to fool experienced collectors, right? It was decided that the owner would bring the 5251 with him, and if it passed inspection I would contact the owner to buy it.
There in the parking lot of a New Jersey railroad station, my friend bought his Jubilee and inspected the 5251. All looked good. I hesitated and dawdled a long, long time. Should I? Could I? Could I not? The owner finally became a touch tired of my stalling, and decision time was at hand. I decided to buy the 5251, though I declined his offer of the matching pocket watch! Man, there are some decisions you just wish you could make over again, aren’t there?
The 5251 arrived and was wonderful. The Archives Extract I `order`ed came, and I was in heaven with not one but two grails, the Jubilee and the Portofino. I am quite clear headed when I say that it will be my twin sons who ultimately decide the disposition of this pair!
5251 Portofino Moonphase
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
It was almost impossible for me to imagine what I could do to top the pair of grails. I thought I was done. But IWC wasn’t done with me quite yet.
Ingenieur is one of those watches I just didn’t “get”. The pictures left me cold, and I had no desire for one. Until one day a light bulb clicked on. You know what came next.
3227-01 Ingenieur
Such a massive chunk! Somewhere I got the idea to try the soft strap from the titanium model on my SS piece. Actually, I found that it made the rather top heavy watch sit on my wrist much better, and was far more comfortable. The bracelet never came out of the box while I owned the watch.
Blue has long been my favorite color dial, and IWC’s Laureus blue is just superb. I hadn’t owned a 3714 in quite a while. Portuguese? In blue? They must have been thinking of me!
3714-32 Laureus Portuguese
St. Exupery was quite a different eye catcher when it was released. I loved it. Until I didn’t. Then I did again. But I somehow didn’t wear it much. But then I wanted it again. Yup – I’ve owned that one three different times, as I seem to repeatedly love the watch then not wear the watch. Sigh. What a disease!
3717-09 St. Exupery
Maybe the problem was that St. Exupery was fairly redundant to what I consider to be the best daily wear watch around. Yes, this one is still with me, too. I don’t see it going anywhere.
3717-04 Flieger Chrono
While stocking up on pilots, how could I not add a ceramic version? The creative date window appealed to me, and I loved the way I could sail right through airport security without removing my watch.
3786 Ceramic DoppelChrono
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
Greetings, Martijn
Last edited: 6 July, 2012 - 10:18
If blue is my favorite dial, it’s not hard to understand why the first Cousteau release appealed to me. I bought it, but I personally found the rubber strap to be hot and uncomfortable, so I sold it.
3548-06 Aquatimer Cousteau
Then I saw a picture of one that someone had put on a bracelet. That’s it! But by then the Cousteau’s were very hard to find and generally selling substantially above List Price. Some of you may remember that several years ago, MF, Rob Segal, David Ter Molen, and I arranged an IWC Collectors’ Meeting in Chicago. I happened to sit down to lunch next to the gent who was at the time the Regional Sales Rep for IWC. During our chat he mentioned that one of his dealers had in stock what was thought to be the last Cousteau available in the US. Thank goodness for cell phones! I bought it between the main course and dessert! I quickly bought a bracelet from a local AD and I was again in my blue heaven!
Unfortunately, I bought the next Cousteau from pictures, but it left me cold. Wrong color blue! The wood back was certainly cool, but that didn’t make up for a face I just didn’t love.
3782 Chrono Cousteau Diver
Now, if you want blue, to me there isn’t much better than the Laureus color. The pilot joined the Portuguese chrono in my watch box.
3717-12 Laureus Pilot
But that left me a bit overloaded with pilots!
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
The next IWC to strike directly at my central nervous system was the Kurt Klaus Perpetual. While non-round watches turn some people off, I like tonneau and related shapes and I found the DaVinci case to be quite bold and masculine. The RG was drop dead gorgeous, but I felt a better fit in my collection would be the WG ardoise dial. An AD promised me he could get me one, even though they were to be sold through Boutiques “and a few select dealers”. During one of my regular checks with him, I saw the SS chrono and decided to pick that up to wear until the Perpetual arrived. I’m still waiting for the WG Perpetual, which I long ago realized I’m not going to see, at least not from that dealer.
3764-03 DaVinci Chronograph
It seems almost impossible to me that I managed to go through 2008 with only one IWC addition. If you’ve read this far, you may have noticed that I am one of few people in the world who doesn’t seem to be in love with the Big Pilot. I’ve never owned one, and don’t plan to. The decision for me during 2008 was between the VC Portofino and Portuguese. I made the choice that was certainly right for me, and this one has gotten more wrist time than any other “dressy” IWC in my stable.
5445-01 Vintage Collection Portuguese
Well, that’s my story. My passion for IWC is as great as ever, but as I close in on retirement my checkbook squeals a bit more loudly than it used to. But it IS a new year, and SIHH releases are out there. What comes next? At this point, I’m not sure. I’d love to try ardoise, whether a 5001 or possibly a WG Kurt Klaus Perpetual if I could find one. Whatever it is, you’ll see pictures of it here first!
You know who, wearing you know what
I hope you enjoyed reading my story!
Dick L.
whichwatch at roadrunner dot com
thanks for sharing it!
Last edited: 2 March, 2011 - 18:26