Neeb
路I recently aquired this late 1960s IWC with the 8541 movement. The inside of the caseback has the reference R802A, which seems to be one of the slightly less common case styles. I posted about it on the IWC forum, but thought I'd ask here too just to get a wider range of opinions.
I found this scan of the 1970 catalogue online, with the watch on the second page on the left having the reference 802 AD: nakahiro.parfait.ne.jp/catarog1970/moji/iwc1970.html
To my eyes, this image doesn't look quite like my watch (although someone on the IWC forum disagreed). The lugs look just a little longer and narrower and I can't see the chamfering (although it's difficult to tell from the poor resolution of the photo in the catalogue especially). I think it looks more like a lot of online pictures of other watches with the same R802A caseback number, such as this one: www.bonhams.com/auctions/20746/lot/146/
However, I have also found several images of watches previously for sale that seem to have exactly the same case design as mine, and they all have the R802A reference too. Interestingly, most are engraved as 25 year service
gifts for employees of the Swiss engineering firm Sulzer Brothers:
www.catawiki.com/en/l/46883813-iwc-r802a-men-1960-1969
www.catawiki.com/en/l/40805409-iwc-no-reserve-price-r802a- men-1970-1979
uhrforum.de/threads/iwc-automatic-ref-802a.307837/
So, if the images in the catalogue show a slightly different case style, does that mean that mine (and all of the engraved ones from Sulzer Bros.) have incorrect casebacks? But that wouldn't explain why the only pictures I can find online of cases that look like mine ALL have the 802 reference..
Is it possible that there were actually two slightly different case styles with the same reference? Or am I misinterpreting the picture in the catalogue and could it actually depict the same case as on my watch? Am I over-thinking it? 馃槈
View attachment 1399890
View attachment 1399891
I found this scan of the 1970 catalogue online, with the watch on the second page on the left having the reference 802 AD: nakahiro.parfait.ne.jp/catarog1970/moji/iwc1970.html
To my eyes, this image doesn't look quite like my watch (although someone on the IWC forum disagreed). The lugs look just a little longer and narrower and I can't see the chamfering (although it's difficult to tell from the poor resolution of the photo in the catalogue especially). I think it looks more like a lot of online pictures of other watches with the same R802A caseback number, such as this one: www.bonhams.com/auctions/20746/lot/146/
However, I have also found several images of watches previously for sale that seem to have exactly the same case design as mine, and they all have the R802A reference too. Interestingly, most are engraved as 25 year service
gifts for employees of the Swiss engineering firm Sulzer Brothers:
www.catawiki.com/en/l/46883813-iwc-r802a-men-1960-1969
www.catawiki.com/en/l/40805409-iwc-no-reserve-price-r802a- men-1970-1979
uhrforum.de/threads/iwc-automatic-ref-802a.307837/
So, if the images in the catalogue show a slightly different case style, does that mean that mine (and all of the engraved ones from Sulzer Bros.) have incorrect casebacks? But that wouldn't explain why the only pictures I can find online of cases that look like mine ALL have the 802 reference..
Is it possible that there were actually two slightly different case styles with the same reference? Or am I misinterpreting the picture in the catalogue and could it actually depict the same case as on my watch? Am I over-thinking it? 馃槈
View attachment 1399890
View attachment 1399891
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