I've added two pocket watches to my collection over the past few weeks. I don't buy many any more, since I try to limit myself to special examples that I don't have, mostly pre-1900. Not many appear, which is great --that saves me money.
The first one is shown here. It's a hunting style watch, with a front cover and winding crown at 3. The front is pretty well worn:
Opening the cover shows a nice, but unsigned dial. Unless there is a specific reason, I generally only buy signed dials. But, as will be seen, there's an exception here:
And then looking at the movement, it's a quite common Calibre 52 (actually a Calibre IWC, due to the low serial number --and not even jeweled to the center):
Turning it over reveals why I bought it. It's a Schützenuhr --a watch awarded as a prize in a shooting competition.
Aside from the beautiful artistic decoration, it also is unusual because it's from a German Schützenfest --it's from Hannover, Germany 1903. All other IWC Schützenuhren I've seen, or that are in my collection, are from Swiss competitions.
You can see my other prize watches at http://iwcpocketwatch.com/prize_watches.html
And in about a week I'll reveal a very lucky find. One collector tells me he's only known 6 of that calibre.
1,881 Discussions and CommentsMember since Oct. 28, 2002
A special addition to the collection Michael. Didn't know that there was a German Schutzenuhr. You made me curious about the other one. Only 6 ? Great find .
5,073 Discussions and CommentsMember since May 29, 2003Sarasota, FL,
United States
It would be cool in this era of super technology to be able to find some kind of newspaper article about the event with the name of the winner. Start brushing up on your German!
560 Discussions and CommentsMember since Sept. 16, 2008Duesseldorf,
Germany
Great find Michael. Congratulations.
Well, I am not an expert in that field, but I was curious, and here is a bit of history which I found (sorry, if for the experts among you it is already common knowledge):
Apparently there were IWC prizes at some of this German shooting competitions. At least I found IWCs of the Bundesschiessen in Frankfurt in 1912 and the one in Munich in 1927.
I did not know what the Bundesschiessen actually was, so I looked it up: In 1861 the Deutsche Schützenbund (DSD) (German shooting association) was founded in Gotha. They decided to have every three years in Summer a German shooting competition (the Deutsches Bundesschiessen). The first one took place under the official title "Schützenfest" from 13. to 21. July 1862 in Frankfurt. It was an important event, which attracted a lot of general and political attention. The imperator, the king, the government and the gentry were donating valuable prices, which the winners took home with pride.
The 3-years rhythm could not be kept because of wars and others, e.g. the 4th one in Hannover was moved to 1872 because of the German-French war, and the 5th one in Mainz was moved to 1894 because of cholera. Until 1934 20 Bundesschiessen events took place. After WWII 3 further took place, the last one in Hannover in 1965.
Your watch is from the 14th Deutsches Bundesschiessen in Hannover, which took place from 5th to 12th July 1903. There were 2700 shooters from 4 nations. This was the second time this event took place in Hannover (first one in 1872).
The first one is shown here. It's a hunting style watch, with a front cover and winding crown at 3. The front is pretty well worn:
Opening the cover shows a nice, but unsigned dial. Unless there is a specific reason, I generally only buy signed dials. But, as will be seen, there's an exception here:
And then looking at the movement, it's a quite common Calibre 52 (actually a Calibre IWC, due to the low serial number --and not even jeweled to the center):
Turning it over reveals why I bought it. It's a Schützenuhr --a watch awarded as a prize in a shooting competition.
Aside from the beautiful artistic decoration, it also is unusual because it's from a German Schützenfest --it's from Hannover, Germany 1903. All other IWC Schützenuhren I've seen, or that are in my collection, are from Swiss competitions.
You can see my other prize watches at http://iwcpocketwatch.com/prize_watches.html
And in about a week I'll reveal a very lucky find. One collector tells me he's only known 6 of that calibre.
Regards, Michael
mfriedberg@iwcforum.com
Last edited: 17 February, 2013 - 23:19
tonny.berteloot@pandora.be
Bill
Best regards
Mark
Last edited: 16 April, 2013 - 00:36
Last edited: 15 June, 2013 - 20:49
Both David Seyffer, museum curator, and I had not heard that IWC's were prizes in shooting competitions in Germany before seeing this watch.
Regards, Michael
mfriedberg@iwcforum.com
Last edited: 15 June, 2013 - 20:49
Well, I am not an expert in that field, but I was curious, and here is a bit of history which I found (sorry, if for the experts among you it is already common knowledge):
Apparently there were IWC prizes at some of this German shooting competitions. At least I found IWCs of the Bundesschiessen in Frankfurt in 1912 and the one in Munich in 1927.
I did not know what the Bundesschiessen actually was, so I looked it up:
In 1861 the Deutsche Schützenbund (DSD) (German shooting association) was founded in Gotha. They decided to have every three years in Summer a German shooting competition (the Deutsches Bundesschiessen). The first one took place under the official title "Schützenfest" from 13. to 21. July 1862 in Frankfurt. It was an important event, which attracted a lot of general and political attention.
The imperator, the king, the government and the gentry were donating valuable prices, which the winners took home with pride.
The 3-years rhythm could not be kept because of wars and others, e.g. the 4th one in Hannover was moved to 1872 because of the German-French war, and the 5th one in Mainz was moved to 1894 because of cholera.
Until 1934 20 Bundesschiessen events took place. After WWII 3 further took place, the last one in Hannover in 1965.
Your watch is from the 14th Deutsches Bundesschiessen in Hannover, which took place from 5th to 12th July 1903. There were 2700 shooters from 4 nations. This was the second time this event took place in Hannover (first one in 1872).
regards,
thang
iwcforummer@outlook.com
Last edited: 21 April, 2013 - 08:55