IWC 648A "Pre-Ingenieur" Jumbo Steel Dress Watch, Cal. 853

FS 
$1275USD
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Hi OF members,

Offering this wonderful, early 1960's, self-winding IWC 684A, released shortly before the Ingenieur line and sharing a similar case and dial design— without the anti-magnetic feature— running the well-regarded, in-house, Cal 853. With a very wearable 36.5mm case and minimalistic design, it makes for a very elegant dress watch that is as robust and reliable as it is understated.

I purchased this watch this summer from another collector, and had it serviced earlier this month by Swiss Precision Watchmaking (Manhattan, NYC), who sourced and replaced the bridge + axle wheel with a genuine OEM part (paperwork below). The movement keeps excellent time and come with a remaining guarantee of nearly 1 year.

The stainless steel case measures 36.5mm excluding the crown and 18 mm between the lugs. It looks unpolished to my eye and is in very pleasant condition, with its original finishing and the thick lugs showing some light surface marks, as seen in the macro photos below. The crown is signed with the famous fish logo and it retains it original crystal, with a lot of thickness remaining and only few light scratches.

The sunburst brushed dial has developed a fantastic champagne patina, with some very light and even bubbling which does not spoil the clean look of the watch in the slightest. The dauphine hands are clean and sharp, with the minute hand showing only some small oxydation stains, which I've tried to capture in the photos.

It comes with the Delugs Caramel Saffiano and Delugs Tan Crazy horse strap featured in the pictures below.

Price: $1375 OBRO, shipped Priority anywhere in the U.S. (rest of the world, upon request)
Location: New York City
Payment: Wire, Wise, Paypal F&F, Zelle or Venmo

References: Many on this forum (both as a buyer and seller), and a lot more as a seller on eBay— available upon request.

Edited:
 
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Bump and price adjusted to $1,500 ORBO.
Let’s find this beauty a new home!
 
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Bump with a short video, showing how nice this piece is!

Edited:
 
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This watch eventually won me over and is getting a lot more wrist time than I expected. Withdrawn for now.
Thanks OF for the space!
 
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Back up for sale and lowered to $1,250 OBRO.

More photos from the seller I bought it from in 2023 can be seen here. Since then, it's been serviced and only worn sparingly.