The vintage IWC Yacht Club - a true classic from the esteemed Swiss watchmaker IWC (International Watch Company). As an enthusiast of fine timepieces, I'm always eager to discuss the history and appeal of these iconic vintage models.
The IWC Yacht club was introduced at the Basel Fair in 1967. It was IWC's attempt to create an all-weather, dressy-casual watch that could be worn in various environments. Following the success of the IWC Yacht club, IWC also introduced the Polo Club and the Golf club series, which were less successful than the former. Personally, I think the IWC Yacht club has a timeless design plus the watch with heavy steel case is a perfectly proportioned 36mm X 44mm and is relevant even for today's usage. The IWC Yacht Club was first introduced in the late 1960s and quickly gained a reputation as a versatile, sporty-yet-elegant watch that was well-suited for both on-the-water activities and everyday wear. Featuring a robust stainless steel case, a distinctive rotating bezel, and a highly legible dial design, the Yacht Club embodied IWC's commitment to functionality and timeless style.
What really sets the vintage Yacht Club apart is its mechanical movement - often powered by IWC's in-house calibers that were renowned for their precision and reliability. The self-winding movements in these watches not only provided accurate timekeeping but also conveyed a sense of mechanical sophistication that appealed to discerning horology enthusiasts.
Over the years, IWC offered the Yacht Club in a variety of case sizes, dial colors, and bezel styles to cater to different tastes and preferences. The most sought-after vintage models tend to be those from the 1960s and 1970s, when the design was arguably at its peak.
As part of my efforts to form a small collection of the IWC Yacht club series, I have added another. This is another Vintage IWC ref R881AD (1811)Yacht club with nice blue dial plus original Gay Frères metal bracelet. It is interesting to note that Blue dial made during the 1970s tend to flak especially around the dial luminous areas. I have seen these flaking in Rolex blue dial and Iwc blue dial too.
This is my second or third attempt to form an IWC watch collection as several years ago, I have tried to start a collection with the Caliber 8541 on Feb 2020 but failed as I have sold those blue dials IWC away for some reasons. The 8541 comes with several watch cases such as the TV shape, oval shape and C shape etc..
This time round, I have managed to find an IWC Yacht Club in rare Green marble dial and a nice blue dial. I hope to find one more blue marble dial and perhaps a black one too. I think there is one with steel and gold bezel and a full solid gold one too. Lets see how many can I ultinately collect..
Blue dial with blue date disc
Fish logo winding crown
Crew back case
Gay Frères bracelet
When collecting the IWC Yacht Club, one needs to pay attention to the details:
Left looks like the C shape Omega Constellation
There are several variations:
Photo from the internet
18k solid gold case and Back
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14 k gold case with steel back
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