2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
.Among collectors the IWC ref. 5251 refers to the term "pocketwristwatch". Designed as a pocket watch, this magnificent timepiece did not make it to the top some 30 years ago. Over a beer, Kurt Klaus and the talented IWC designer Hanno Burtcher decided to re-launch it as a (big) wrist watch by just adding lugs and a leather strap. The rest is known. Ref.5251 became one of the icon watches highly sought after by collectors until this very day. However, almost a century earlier, the first "pocketwrist watch was launched by IWC....
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
...This was the cal 64 pocketwatch, designed for ladies of fashion around 1900. Such watch was put on a chain and the proud lady was wearing it as necklace. Of course a 5 cm men's watch weighing more than 100 grams could not become the elegant timepiece ladies were looking for. So, IWC produced cal. 64, a smaller version of cal. 52/53. How small such watch really is is shown in the image. It measures only 12,5 ligne or about 2,7 cm in diameter. A normal cal.52 men's pocket watch serves as a comparison....
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
...Many of these watches are still in remarkable good condition, other than many of the time pieces built for men. Undoubtly this has to do with the fact that a ladies watch was more considered as a jewel than as a daily watch, prone to tear and wear. Between 1893 and 1919, 41440 cal. 64 were built. Some of these as a hunter (savonette) ladies watch, some of them as the very first IWC wristwatch.....
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
So, the first IWC wristwatch ever was a converted pocket watch and as such it may be called a "pocketwristwatch". Nothing had to be changed in the movement. Only the case had to be adapted by souldering 2 lugs on it, so that a leather strap could be mounted. The pusher mechanism to set the watch as well as the winding crown remained untouched and in place.....
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
....Here the cal. 64 Savonette in 18 kt gold, produced in 1898 is put on its men's cal. 53 equivalent, once again to show how tiny this watch is. Besides the monogram, 4 semi-precious stones have been set in the cover hunter lid..
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
...Finally, one may note the peculiar way of setting the 4 semi-precious stones each of them in a small rectangular piece of gold. These 4 pieces of gold, containing the stones were than unified into the covering hunter case lid. From the outside one cannot see any sign of this, but from the inside the method of construction can be recognised..... Kind regards, Adrian, (alwaysiwc).
2,149 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 23, 2001
Dear Ralph, It is a lucky coincidence that you show as your logo the moonphase pocket watch version of the famous pocketwristwatch I referred to in this post.I guess your question refers to the very first cal. 64 wristwatches. I do not have such watch but I do have the cal 64 Ladies PW as shown in this thread. The movementnr. is 170.776 and the casenr. is 184.448. According to the ledger the movement dates to 1898. Grüsse nach der Schweiz, Adrian, (alwaysiwc).
1,096 Discussions and CommentsMember since March 28, 2001
alwaysiwc Wrote:Dear Ralph, It is a lucky coincidence that you show as your logo the moonphase pocket watch version of the famous pocketwristwatch I referred to in this post.I guess your question refers to the very first cal. 64 wristwatches. I do not have such watch but I do have the cal 64 Ladies PW as shown in this thread. The movementnr. is 170.776 and the casenr. is 184.448. According to the ledger the movement dates to 1898. Grüsse nach der Schweiz, Adrian, (alwaysiwc).
Dear Adrian,
This lady Pocket watch is really a beauty. The placed emeralds are very nice.
It is funny, that the c.64 was used quite a while for wrist watches. (The last serie of c64T was built 1931) To make the handling more convenient, the time setting system was then changed to "Tirette" (Pull out Crown). In the movement list, those movements are marked T.
What is quite funny. allready 1906 one serie of 300 movements were built with the time setting system. Where they used in pocket or really early wrist watches?
So the picture shows a Wrist watch with a c.64T
There is no time in the now it's time for a watch.
However, almost a century earlier, the first "pocketwrist watch was launched by IWC....
...This was the cal 64 pocketwatch, designed for ladies of fashion around 1900.
Such watch was put on a chain and the proud lady was wearing it as necklace. Of course a 5 cm men's watch weighing more than 100 grams could not become the elegant timepiece ladies were looking for. So, IWC produced cal. 64, a smaller version of cal. 52/53. How small such watch really is is shown in the image. It measures only 12,5 ligne or about 2,7 cm in diameter. A normal cal.52 men's pocket watch serves as a comparison....
We think around 1910-1914 this small movement, maily he hunter version c.64 was then also used in wirst watches.
We tried here to find the "earlist" genuine build by IWC.
I only have Movement#=591'2xx from 1913 but there are earliers, show us please...
There is no time in the now it's time for a watch.
So, the first IWC wristwatch ever was a converted pocket watch and as such it may be called a "pocketwristwatch". Nothing had to be changed in the movement. Only the case had to be adapted by souldering 2 lugs on it, so that a leather strap could be mounted. The pusher mechanism to set the watch as well as the winding crown remained untouched and in place.....
....Here the cal. 64 Savonette in 18 kt gold, produced in 1898 is put on its men's cal. 53 equivalent, once again to show how tiny this watch is. Besides the monogram, 4 semi-precious stones have been set in the cover hunter lid..
...Finally, one may note the peculiar way of setting the 4 semi-precious stones each of them in a small rectangular piece of gold. These 4 pieces of gold, containing the stones were than unified into the covering hunter case lid. From the outside one cannot see any sign of this, but from the inside the method of construction can be recognised.....
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).
It is a lucky coincidence that you show as your logo the moonphase pocket watch version of the famous pocketwristwatch I referred to in this post.I guess your question refers to the very first cal. 64 wristwatches. I do not have such watch but I do have the cal 64 Ladies PW as shown in this thread. The movementnr. is 170.776 and the casenr. is 184.448. According to the ledger the movement dates to 1898.
Grüsse nach der Schweiz,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).
Kind regards,
Clemens
Dear Adrian,
This lady Pocket watch is really a beauty. The placed emeralds are very nice.
It is funny, that the c.64 was used quite a while for wrist watches.
(The last serie of c64T was built 1931)
To make the handling more convenient, the time setting system was then changed to "Tirette" (Pull out Crown). In the movement list, those movements are marked T.
What is quite funny. allready 1906 one serie of 300 movements were built with the time setting system. Where they used in pocket or really early wrist watches?
So the picture shows a Wrist watch with a c.64T
There is no time in the now it's time for a watch.