Back From The Spa With Some Internal Upgrades

I just recently got this beauty back from a complete service and am absolutely thrilled:

While I was admiring the detailed polishing/finishing work that had been done I noticed that the movement had also been upgraded with the newer ceramic Pellaton clicks and steel pawl wheel:

I love that IWC is committed to constantly upgrading and making improvements.

It looks fantastic, enjoy this beauty. I understand why IWC replaces parts that wear out by new ones. But I wonder whether the ceramic parts make this a new movement with a different reference number, as originally different materials were used. I guess the old spare parts were not available anymore. It makes me think of an old dial with tritium lume that is replaced by one with superluminova. But I wouldn't mind, the whole looks great.

Kind regards,
Paul

Looks great Ben. Beautiful watch. I think its good that the parts have been replaced. Parts wear out. I guess its no different to an old Porsche having parts replaced as they wear out. It's a need on mechanical things.

Beautiful watch first of all....

Does anyone know how the new ceramic parts affect the shock resistance? Obviously ceramic is more resistant to wear; but I have concerns that the movement would be much more delicate and at risk for damage by adding ceramic parts.

D

Thats great news to hear that IWC not only replaces parts, but replaces them with state of the art parts (in this case ceramic).

Cheers Chris

I am not sure if I would want this. If I ever send my 5022 to IWC, I will ask them to provide me details before they do such a replacement that has an influence on the authenticity - it looks similar to the fish crown story that was created by Mr. Kern.

Replacing the headlights of a 1970ies Porsche with Xenon lights might also look like a good idea, for the light is better for sure, but the car is not original anymore.

I don't think you can compare this to changing headlights. That would be like changing the hands. But other parts wear out and must be replaced, there is no choice.

I suspect that all new IWC watches sporting these new "improvements" will be commonplace. Such watches can still be regarded as original. So those models post replacement parts,are still the essentially the same watch.The parts that are replaced,are genuine IWC replacement parts,so essentially,the authenticity of the watch remains intact.Also,steel parts leave a lot more debris than ceramic parts. I don't see these ongoing improvements as a major issue.
Kenneth.

As far as watch mechanics are concerned, I am but a troglodyte: I wouldn't recognize a pawl wheel even if it hit me in the face. Having said that, if it really is an improvement, IWC must be applauded for going the extra mile instead of just leaving the watch as it is or (if a replacement was necessary) exchanging the parts with something they know is inferior. Omega, for example, went even further with the first iteration of their co-axial movement: the a and b versions had some teething problems and by the time they reached version d, they dropped the new movement in every watch sent in for service.

On a more general note, I believe that keeping a watch in its "original" condition when that is detrimental to its functionality (see: crumbling radium paint) is for museum curators or died-in-the-wool collectors. Meh, I'm a humble watch enthusiast and I want full functionality even from an older watch.

Consider this: you bought a decrepit 15th century chateau in the Loire valley as your vacation home. Using the "all original watch" analogy, you should leave the roof leaking, not replace the missing doors or window panes and hop over missing steps in the stairway. Some of you may also own vintage cars - do you leave them to rust, or go out of your way to make them look and work as originally intended?

• I rest my case.