I'm very much a vintage fan, but some of their new watches are stunning.

 

It's fairly compelling for sure. I love the solid, heavy feel of this Yacht Club.

 

OK took this just now for comparison. IMO the Yacht Club is a white (or blue or grey) -faced Explorer more than anything else. Flat bezel also gives it the look of a larger watch.

 

Maybe I missed out on one important word then; AGAIN

Not a straight face, I know, but this is an hobby, not a profession

 

Bought these 2 18K lately on fine auctions at ridiculously low prices, so don´t agree that they have seen any price bumps, at least not where I am

 

I think that this isn a semantic problem.

IWC has long had a strong, dedicated collector following, and for very good reasons. Ingenieurs, Aquatimers and Yacht Clubs were sought after models when I first starting collecting around 20 years ago. They have gone up in value, but even in the case of the first two (which have risen more than YCs), prices have not spiked in recent years, while prices for the likes of Omega, Longines, UG, Heuer, etc., have soared.

So, in a sense, both Lou and martux are correct.

As a related aside, a strong argument could be made that when both quality and finishing are taken into account, the cal. 85x autos and cal 88/89 hand-wind movements are the very best, true high-production movements ever made.

 

I have two gripes with the caliber 89: it makes use of wire springs in the click and keyless works, and pins restrict the range of motion of the pallet lever. While Longines’ caliber 12.68Z is not finished to the same degree, its design addresses both of the aforementioned faults. Of course, Longines' movement debuted seventeen years before IWC's, and the two were not necessarily competitors in their day. But it would be a tough call between the pretty 89 and the robust 12.68Z.

 

Agreed.
However i think t would be more fair IMO to compare the 12.68Z with the predecessor of cal 89, the cal 83.
It is one of the nicest movements from that period, both in terms of finishing but also technical execution.
Here is pictures of one of my watches taken during service at @WatchGuyUK .



More photos from WatchGuy here:
https://watchguy.co.uk/cgi-bin/library?action=show_photos&wat_id=1593

 

I concur on all points. The cal. 83 is drop dead gorgeous. IMO, it's one of the prettiest movements ever made. Admittedly, Christian's site has been an invaluable resource for studying the lesser-seen parts of movements. I also have a feeling that your contributions have not been insignificant.

 

I shot this quickly yesterday on my phone. It was an awkward room that created lots of reflections on the crystal, but the dial is very clean.

 

This may be of interest to others, since there is a website that allows you to precisely date your IWC if you have the movement and case numbers. It turns out my Yacht Club shown in the post above is from 1967. http://moeb.on-rev.com/dyIWC/dyIWC.irev

 

I think the blue dial was the most popular version. I wore mine for the first time in ages last week, it ran perfectly and looked fabulous.
Crummy picture I'm afraid.

 

Still looking for the bracelet.

 

Thought I'd resurrect this thread because I like these timekeepers a lot. And I had a new acquisition. Quick and not very competent wrist shot and then one of the vendors shots.





You have to love those Guy Frere bracelets - I am guessing this one has all the links as it swims on my 7.5 inch wrist.

Anyway, I finally got one of these blue sunray dials, albeit a Beyer stock item.

 

Double signed versions are normally never wrong! Congrats!!

 

It was good to find this thread - I'm a bit surprised it's been dormant, given what wonderful watches these are. I couldn't agree more with what has been said already: superb build, with a certain pleasing heft on the wrist; one of the greatest of all blue dials; usually with that powerful "Pellaton" movement. Although it just bespeaks discreet wealth, less common (in all senses) than a DJ, it's thankfully less in demand and hence less expensive.

Serial numbers on mine suggest 1975 manufacture, and I am fortunate to have b & p for it, so I know it was retailed in Zurich in early 1976, which seems corroborative. I wish my photo set-up were better, but anyway here are some shots.

Always a pleasure wearing it - size, weight, proportions. The blue dial returns the light all the way from petrol to navy. And it keeps great time.

This is IWC's Ref.10 bracelet, well engineered and really comfortable.

Movement is Cal 8541B, the final evolution of the original Pellaton, also used in the Ingenieur (but again, for less money). One of the great sights in watches...

...including without the rotor.


I hope we can see more of these on here!

 

Damn. I didn't know that watch existed. It is really cool!

 

Resurrecting this thread again... Just got my YC...



Loving it! As others have said, it wears larger and heavier than you'd expect for 36mm, a level above most 34-35mm watches of the same period in that respect.

The dimensions are almost identical to a vintage Datejust of the same period. I'm curious - if you have both, how do they compare on the wrist?

Someone on the IWC forum just mentioned a recent article on the YC in a German magazine:
https://uhren-muser.de:8080/epaper/chronohype/chrono-4/#0

I've an English-translated PDF if anyone's interested (PM me).

 

These are great watches. I love the extra shock protection between the inner case and the outer case for an active lifestyle.

The blue dial versions are fantastic, but many are damaged around the indices. Its nice to see such intact examples. I bought mine about five years ago in preference to a Datejust - just a little different. I wear it all the time,