Dial IWC cal C853

PAPN · Nov 7, 2026

Hello everyone,
After spending some time searching for a luxurious vintage gold watch, I came across an IWC in the "Calatrava" style, equipped with a C853 movement and in quite good condition.
The dial appears to be original, but the hour markers at 10, 11, and 12 seem slightly misaligned with the minute track.
I have compared it against several other dials, but unfortunately, none show such a significant misalignment.
Could you please provide your thoughts or insights on this?
Thank you all.

gatorcpa · Nov 7, 2026

It could be that the dial was cleaned at one time and whoever removed the markers for the cleaning didn’t do a great job of alignment putting them back.

QC in the 1950’s was not was it is today, either.

There are several other reasons I could come up with too.

I think the crown on this watch would have had a fish on it, so that may have been replaced. There is also a dent on the case back.

I would not pay a lot more than melt value for this watch.
gatorcpa

PAPN · Nov 7, 2026

gatorcpa
It could be that the dial was cleaned at one time and whoever removed the markers for the cleaning didn’t do a great job of alignment putting them back.

QC in the 1950’s was not was it is today, either.

There are several other reasons I could come up with too.

I think the crown on this watch would have had a fish on it, so that may have been replaced. There is also a dent on the case back.

I would not pay a lot more than melt value for this watch.
gatorcpa

Thank you, my friend.
I also suspect the hour markers were removed and reinstalled; given the technical standards of the 1960s, it’s unlikely that such a noticeable discrepancy would have passed quality control. The case back is actually intact—what you see is just an effect of the lighting when the photo was taken.

Deafboy · Nov 7, 2026

gatorcpa
It could be that the dial was cleaned at one time and whoever removed the markers for the cleaning didn’t do a great job of alignment putting them back.

Interesting. I haven't worked with IWC dials of this type but other brands I've seen the applied markers were pinned - difficult to misaligned those.

Dial IWC cal C853

PAPN

gatorcpa

PAPN

Deafboy

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