Reprint. Without a doubt.
I recommend you post at the IWC Vintage Collectors Forum:
https://forum.iwc.com/c/vintage-timepieces/6/
That’s where the brand experts hang out.
My opinion is that there are very few people who could create that level of quality in a redial. What I have seen is that some watchmakers have found techniques for cleaning complicated guilloche dials that can bring them back to almost new condition. Sometimes, the price for the cleaning is that printed portions fade out or dissolve. That may be what happened here, although the style of the printing looks correct to me.
Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
Reprint. Without a doubt.
I disagree. A high percentage of the SCHAFFHAUSEN signatures were slightly angled to the right, but I have seen more than a few examples that weren't. IWC also employed a number of different dial manufacturers over the decades, and there were variances in the quality of the printing.
I also suspect that the dial is not typical, and that the metal surface should not be expected to degrade in the same manner as more common dial variations.
Likely original, in my view.
I recommend you post at the IWC Vintage Collectors Forum:
https://forum.iwc.com/c/vintage-timepieces/6/
That’s where the brand experts hang out.
My opinion is that there are very few people who could create that level of quality in a redial. What I have seen is that some watchmakers have found techniques for cleaning complicated guilloche dials that can bring them back to almost new condition. Sometimes, the price for the cleaning is that printed portions fade out or dissolve. That may be what happened here, although the style of the printing looks correct to me.
Hope this helps,
gatorcpa
cleaning techniques do not affect silver ink composition? I always had the idea that polishing was involved in redials in order to obtain a plate and work it from scratch. this usually takes the texture of the guilloche and many times the second hand concentric threads
