HOW DID YOUR FASCINATION FOR MECHANICAL WATCHES START?

It was more than 13 years ago, back in 1998, when I had started a new job. I was already drawn to good looking wrist watches at that time. My new boss was wearing a great watch with a brushed metal look and a black dial that caught my eyes during all the meetings with him. At a lunch I asked him what he was wearing and he proudly told me that this is an IWC Pilots' chronograph. It was on the steel bracelet. I hadn't known IWC before so I started to gather information about the brand.
After several years of informing and daring I ended up with my first IWC watch: In 2001 on September 27th I bought the Mark XV first on a black buffalo strap. A few weeks later I aquired the metal bracelet. But then I had to tell my wife that I spent so much money for a watch.
She wasn't very happy but she understood me. Maybe it helped that I bought a nice mechanical watch for her as well. ;-)
2 weeks before I bought the Mark XV I joined this forum in its first year and got lots of understanding and fellowship that I enjoy for more than 10 years now.
It still is very tough for me to buy something new from Schaffhausen. That's why I really make up my mind a long time before I go for a new watch. And then normally something else from my small collection has to leave to raise the funds for the new baby.
That's why the Mark XV had to go, together with 2 more watches - to buy my Portugieser Automatic (500107) back in 2006.
My small collection is 2 watches now. The advantage is: I can wear it all together on 2 wrists if I want.
Now that I really want a Portugieser Yacht Club (steel - black dial) and the new Pilots' watches can be spotted on the horizon I'm starting to make up my mind again to "update" my collection. Probably 2012 will be another exciting IWC watch year.
Happy new year to everybody!
Tilo

When I came to find out how many times a year the little wonders beat!

Another factor would be my parents ATMOS clock....I still look at it with fascination. As close to perpetual motion as one can get.

It has started since I was 8 years old. I had an entire collection of electronic watches then.... Now, I cant stop thinking about the mark XV / XVI,too beautiful! probably for next year!

My passion started when I was young but didn't flourish until I made some money and had a chance to own an IWC. It was always my favorite watch company due to its simple, yet elegant design and exclusivity. Although its becoming too popular for my taste, still love the design. :)

My passion started when I was young but didn't flourish until I made some money and had a chance to own an IWC. It was always my favorite watch company due to its simple, yet elegant design and exclusivity. Although its becoming too popular for my taste, still love the design. :)

Sorry for the double post...browswer error...
How do u delete ur post?

My passion didn't really start until mid 2011. At 28 years old I found myself thinking of a fuel/battery free vehicle and ended up realizing that bicycles have been invented for almost 200 years! And that got me thinking about watches... how fascinating, pure mechanics. Being in IT I'm very curious about everything that doesn't require electricity to run. A watch is just the best example of exquisite mechanics.
That and the fact that I would like to get a Spitfire Mark XVI as a wedding gift. I just noticed the new Mark XVII only comes in black, I better hurry!

Mine started a few years back when I was lucky enough to go and look at many amazing watches with my Brother. The first time I put on an IWC, I never felt anything like it. Not only was it difficult to even look away it just rested on my wrist so perfectly.

I know this will be a fascination for years to come.

Thomas

Your Wife is really a Woman worth to marry

what peaked my interest in horolgy was the time of my graduation from the 5th grade.

An event took place where every student had a main focus for a science project and was to display it to teachers and parents etc.

My focus was on clocks. My mother was able to obtain for me a skeleton clock.
It amazed me so much on the mechanical workings I couldn't help myself but to study it only by observation.. I couldn't make out to exactly how the clock worked, but certainly it was of my interests and fascination. My study habits have changed immensely since then. Unfortunately we had to give the clock back to its owner. Ever since, I would be glad to have something of the same project.

I was told never change the time between 10pm and 2am on any watch. its possible the column wheel or date might be active and changing the time in the process might clutter the gears. my best bet is to change the time or date completely opposite of the time. (10 am - 2 pm)

My first mecahanical watch was a Rolex Submariner. I then noticed that everyone around me had one. I began to search for a distinctive watch that wasn't on every wrist. I began reading about other mechanical watches and became fascinated with the history and appearance of IWC watches. So, I bought a portuguese chrono-autaomatic. I never looked back. I know own 4 more IWC watches and recently bought the 2011 ref. IW356501 for my dad. Great company!

When I was a young teen my father had a lovely Longines watch which I aspired to one day own. It was a quartz, and when the time came for me having saved just enough money to buy a similar watch myself - I started researching further into it. I was surprised that similar looking watches which were automatic were more expensive. It was that profound realisation there, discoverin that such fantastic man-made engineering combined with beauitful design could be worn on a wrist (with such accuracy) and WITHOUT BATTERIES? Twenty years later, and with an even finer appreciation of the complications... I still have a child-like excitement thinking about such things, and a continual aspiration to one-day acquire a perpetual calendar IWC.

Even as a child I always loved watches. Being a child of the 70's and a victim of the 80's, I used to wear 2 swatch's on one arm. In fact, I still have all these swatch watches after all these yrs. Still in working order too.

Anyhow, my first "real" watch was when I was Europe for the summer, I bought a Tissot Wood watch, yes, the case is made of wood.

So, for me, it was simply a matter of time before I moved into mechanical watches that I could truly afford, not so easy when in Univ..

Hello,

I've got one of the first IWC watch, whitch is a little bit blasted an it needs repair and renovation. Please help me, wthat should i do??

Dear sirs,

On february the 24th some of my watches were stolen during a burglary. I would like to inform you on type and case number so you can mark them as stolen in your system.

It concerns the following watches:

Men's watch IWC Collectors' Forum Ingenieur,limited edition 36/100, steel case and bracelet, automatic, casenumber 3122621,personal engraving in caseback; Ties Grasdijk, 36/100

Men's watch IWC Ingenieur AMG, titanium case, synthetic strap, automatic, casenumber 3121157

Men's watch IWC Portugieser 8 days, steel case, blue leather strap with folding clasp, automatic, casenumber 3096159

Maybe I can retrieve the watches via this medium.

Thanks in advance!

With kind regards,
Ties Grasdijk

To me the fascination came in three steps.

First one was when I have seen the documentary from the How it's made series about the assembly of the Blancpain watches.

Second step came when I was doing the research before buying my first real watch. In that time I have read interesting articles and have seen some intriguing videos.

The passion then became fully unwound after the step three, which was the purchase of my Portofino from IWC.

My fascination, appreciation and addiction to mechanical watches has a similar origin story to that of IWC. It began with American pocket watches. Whereas, IWC's founder originally came from E.Howard, my indoctrination came in the form of a 12 size, 17 jewel, nickel plate Elgin pocket watch that I received for Christmas of 1994 when I was 12 years old. It was all downhill from there.

Now, I love mechanical watches of all kinds and am building a collection of my own. I still have that original Elgin, but, unfortunately, I need to replace the balance staff. I guess it's all part of the joys of mechanical watches.