Help to identify a JWC pocket watch

Hello,

My name is Adrien and even if the world of watches is totally new to me, I'm very interested by it.

An interest revealed by a pocket watch I just got from the heritage of a German aunt and I'm trying to identify it to know more about its history.

It's a pocket watch with JWC marked on it and I read on the internet that JWC could be the same brand that IWC so I hope to find here more information about that and also help to identify it in order to do further researches.

Here are some pictures of it :

Thanks in advance for your help!

Adrien

Hello Adrein and welcome to the forum! It certainly appears you have a nice IWC cal 53. The date your IWC app dates your case to about 1899. If you could provide a better photo of the movement or the movement number, we may be able to find out a little more. It looks to be in very nice condition, although if you plan on using it you may want to have the watch cleaned, oiled and regulated.

Hello Ben,

Thanks you very much for your precious help! I watched pictures on the internet of cal.53 and it seems to look in all points as mine.

I didn't know there was an IWC app to help with that, how does it works?

Here are more pictures of the movement :

Sorry for the quality but my camera doesn't arrive to do a descent focus on the movement number. Anyway the number marked on the movement is 183957.

As a precaution I didn't try if it works for now because at first sight the movement looks to be in very nice condition but when I found the watch in a box, the circle metal part around the glass was separated from the rest of the watch and there was no glass... And also the exterior parts are a little embossed on some spot so I thought a fall occurred in the past...

I already went to the nearest watchmaker specialized in old clocks to put a new glass which he did but he seems not to know much about IWC and so I prefer to have more information about my watch before to leave it to a specialist to see if everything is fine and to repair/revise it.

Best regards,

Adrien

There is an app "Date Your IWC" you can download.

Here is the info from it on your PW:

Adrien, a very nice and in fairly good condition IWC pocket watch - and a fairly old one at that. Nice 14K gold case and a clean movement.

You have done the right thing by not running it. Get it serviced first by a competent watchmaker and it will be good to serve as a family heirloom and run for another 117 years with regular service.

As a point of interest, there is a good chance the watch was at some time upgraded to that "24 Hour" dial as I would believe that the original dial had Roman numerals as was common in those days. This does not distract from the beauty of this watch - and many collectors like those 24 hour dials!

@ BILL B. : Thank you for the information about the app. It really gives valuable information to help identifying IWC watches and it's good to know for the next IWC I may get someday...

@8541 : Yes the pictures don't show it clearly but the "24 hour dial" is stuck over the original "12 hour" and there is no doubt it was added to it but due the color of the thin paper of the dial, I guess the add was not recent... I was wondering if I had to let this dial or to remove it so I appreciate the opinion you give me. Thank you!

Also, I saw on the IWC website there are some "official IWC service centers" in Paris, do you recommend this way for a revision or better to try to find a pocket watch specialist?

Hope to live as long the next life of this watch!

Adrien, in my humble opinion it's best to leave the dial as is. It looks pretty good with the patina it has developed and that 24 inner dial adds character - especially since there is no IWC logo on the dial - there is lots of room for the inner 24 hour dial.

Regarding a proper "revision" service, of your timepiece, yes it's possibly to bring your watch to the Paris boutique (or any registered IWC AD) and ask them to send it to Schaffhausen for a service. Provided the cases and movement serial numbers match the archive records, and any parts which may be needed are still available, they will service the watch for you. It's costly (after all - it's a labour intensive task) but you will get back a watch ready for duty for the next 130+ years. If it goes to Schaffhausen for service, you could also then order a Certificate of Authenticity (which will add value to the watch).

Having said that, as far as I can ascertain from the photos - this watch movement is in fairly good condition, and as such any competent watchmaker should be able to give it a lubrication service - but do try to find one who has pocket watch experience. Watchmakers who are unfamiliar with Pocket watches mostly end up ruining the enamel dials when trying to remove them as they do not have the experience and understanding as to how the dials are attached.

I'm totally agree with you about the 24 dial so I will change nothing about it.

For the revision, I will go to Paris in November and so I'll probably take advantage of the opportunity to go to the IWC boutique in Paris to have more information.

In any case, thank you so much for the information and for your precious advice Mark!

Best regards

Adrien