IWC - Game Changers New York Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: IWC
    Year: 1943
    Movement No: 1’040’850
    Case No: 1’087’128; repeated on the inner caseback
    Model Name: Mark IX
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 83, 16 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Leather
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel
    Dimensions: 38mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, and movement signed.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Aviator’s watches, because of their particular métier, have always been technologically impressive with a unique design language and fascinating complications in order to solve the issues of aerial navigation. Longines, Breitling, and other noted manufactures have all taken on the aviator’s watch with different outcomes and which hold their own special place in watchmaking and aviation history. The “Mark” series from IWC can contend with any of the aforementioned references. Not officially named the Mark IX by IWC, this moniker instead came along later when the British MOD named its successor the Mark X. The Mark IX, therefore, is the predecessor of one of the most famed and important line of military watches used in the twentieth century.

    Designed as a commercial watch, the Mark IX nevertheless intentionally sports unmistakable aviation design cues, with a large steel case, anti- magnetic function, black dial, luminous and oversized Arabic numerals, legible spade-style hands, and an inner rotating bezel with a coin-edge to allow for better grip. In an ad from the late 1930s, IWC referred to this watch as the “Spezialuhr für Fliege” a Pilot’s Watch which indicated that the watch could withstand tough conditions, having been tested from minus 40°C to
    plus 40°C. The present Mark IX was sold on September 20th, 1943 to Slovakian wholesaler Kuchàr & Wittman in Bratislava, a retailer known for being one of the primary destinations of the oversized reference 325 in the 1940s.

    In crisp, original condition, with a uniformly aged dial, this legendary pilot’s watch rarely appears in public and should be considered a seminal reference in any military watch collection.

  • Artist Biography

    IWC

    Swiss • 1868

    With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world's leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining high precision with masculine design. Vintage wristwatches such as the oversized Portugieser, Aquatimer, Ingenieur and the B-UHR pilots watch are especially desirable for collectors.

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Δ34

A very rare and oversized stainless steel aviator’s wristwatch with rotating bezel and subsidiary seconds

1943
38mm Diameter
Case, dial, and movement signed.

Estimate
$10,000 - 20,000 
CHF9,900-19,800
€9,000-18,100
HK$78,300-157,000

Sold for $25,000

Contact Specialist
Paul Boutros
Head of Watches, Americas & International Strategy Advisor
Senior Vice President
+1 212 940 1293
pboutros@phillips.com

Game Changers

New York Auction 10 December 2019