HOW DID YOUR FASCINATION FOR MECHANICAL WATCHES START?

Inherited a watch from my grandfather. A ref. 1818 (or so I believe) with bracelet in gold, with gold(en) dial. The watch is currently sent to IWC for service.
While waiting for the watch to come back, I could not help myself and got a Portuguese Automatic. Now I am using (too much) of my spare time reading up on watches and movements, utterly fascinated.

Here is my story.

It all started when I was about 17... I spend hours and hours going through topnotch watch brand catalogues and some watch magazines. I was fascinated by these wonders of craftsmanship, design and luxury. I could only dream of these expensive wonders.

I fell in love with the IWC Portuguese Automatic, the Ur Portuguese 325 (or the 5441 alternative) and the RLX Explorer 1 (especially the early 1016)...

In five years in University (studying design engineering) I constantly traded up and flipped my watch (including my first IWC) using the modest funds available to me as a student... this is the list:
it started with a Bell & Ross Vintage 123 Black (Ref V-123-S-BK All Black Dial LB), traded up for a Zenith Elite (Ref 680 White Dial LB), traded up for a Chopard Mille Miglia (Ref 16/8331 Black Dial MB), traded up for a IWC TZC/UTC (Ref IW3251-01 LB) (MY FIRST IWC, STILL LOVE IT), traded up for a Rolex Explorer 1 (Ref 114270 (P Series)), flipped for a Rolex Explorer 1 (Ref 114270 (M Series RRR)) which I still own.

In parallel I had been setting aside money for my cherished Portuguese Automatic and a few years into my first job I purchased this dream watch... A Portuguese Automatic Ref IW3714-45 bought in Malaysia Flagship store on a business trip, which in the meanwhile I flipped for a more exclusive version of the same beauty, the steel '97 Portuguese Rattrapante Ref IW3712-07 (the one with original see-through case back, a limited series of aprox 100pcs made for the Japanese market only).

In the meanwhile I have added (together with 2 more RLX's including one of my birth year) a Vintage Portuguese (Ref IW5445-01), a WWW Mark X (1945 version with KNIL markings (Spa-ed in Schaffhausen)) and this week a Mark XI (1952 RAF version (to be send to Schaffhausen for an extract soon)).

I am beginning to discover the excitement of collecting vintage or at least discontinued rare/limited watches as they take more then just money to obtain them.

I am not sure what future endeavours will bring but I still have plenty dream IWC's in mind (like a 325 (Cal74/Cal98/Cal982) and/or a 5441-01 (Cal9828), a 666 (Cal85), a 431 (Cal52), a Mark IX(Cal83), a 5251 (Cal9521), a 5000-01 (Cal5000), 3750 (Cal79061) and/or a 2050 (Cal889/440), a 3531 (Cal891/2)... all in all lots of them).
Let's see what the future will bring!

As a kid I started to collect Swatch and the rest is history......I work as a Watchmaker........

Never really into watches and never really wore a watch until I was holidaying in Macau and saw the IWC Pilot Top Gun in a poster early 2013.

Christmas 2013, I bought myself that as a motivation to what I could potentially achieve in 2014 and aspire to greater things. I wore this everyday since and realised the impracticaity of this as a daily.

So yesterday I bought a 2007 IWC Pilots Watch Antoine De Saint Exupery IW3201.04 - with a stainless steel case to serve as a daily (Am I wrong to wear a limited edition as a daily? LOL). I think I got this at a good price as its immaculate.

Does anyone know how much this dols for new? I also hope it isn't a fake as I'm seeing so many fakes over the internet.

Cheers!

I also hope for your sake, that it isn't a fake!

Cheers Mark

The top gun I bought from an authorised dealer, watches of Switzerland in Sydney (impeccable service).

The other I bought preowned from a licensed watch dealer who appears to have a good reputation. Nevertheless, I will be seeking a 3rd party validation. The dealer offers an authentic guarantee or full refund.

Maybe you can post some pictures?

Here they are:

[](s64.photobucket.com/user/e240_a/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG-20140102-WA0001_zps14b233f5.jpg.html)

[](s64.photobucket.com/user/e240_a/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMAG2153_zps9e451064.jpg.html)

I've got the Pilot Antoine De Saint Exupery verified at the IWC agent to be genuine. The condition is immaculate...like new. Very happy with the purchase.

A watch movement is is the internal mechanism of the watch. There are two main categories of watch movements: mechanical and quartz.

A quartz movement uses electricity to vibrate a quartz crystal at a specific frequency. An electronic counter measures the vibrations in order to determine elapsed time. Quartz watches are very accurate, robust and durable. Most digital watches and cheap analog watches are quartz, as well as some high end watches. Almost all quartz watches with a second hand advance once a second to conserve power. All modern LCD digital watches are quartz watches. A very good quartz watch should be accurate to within 2 seconds a month.

A mechanical watch movement is a watch powered and regulated by mechanical mechanisms, driven by a spring. In a mechanical watch, the time is regulated by an oscillating balance wheel, with each oscillation advancing the watch by a fraction of a second. This is where the tick-tick-tick sound of a mechanical watch comes from. The higher the frequency of the oscillations, the more ticks per second a watch will perform, and the smoother it will sweep.

Mechanical watches are generally considered more interesting than quartz watches. They are, however, not nearly as accurate, robust or durable as a quartz watch, and there is no practical purpose to owning a mechanical watch over a quartz watch. Unless you find mechanical watches fascinating, you will be better served with a quartz watch. A mechanical watch that gains or loses less than 5 seconds a day is considered very good. The recommended service intervals for a mechanical watch are usually every 5 years. Mechanical watches are generally more expensive than quartz watches. Mechanical watches with a second hand almost always advance multiple times a second, and so appear to sweep smoothly, especially compared to a typical quartz watch. This is generally how you tell if a watch is mechanical, or quartz, from a glance.

Many mechanical watches are automatics/self-winding watches. This means that there is a mechanism (usually a mechanical rotor) that collects energy as you move around, and stores the energy in a spring, automatically winding your watch. If an automatic watch is not worn for a couple days, it will stop. If you have a non-automatic mechanical watch, you must wind your watch every day/few days. Automatic watches were popularized by Rolex in the 1930's. Rolex uses the term "perpetual" to refer to automatic watches.

There are types of watch movements that fall into neither or between these two categories. Electric watches (such as Accutrons) are neither quartz, nor mechanical. Somewhere in between these two categories, there are movements such as mecha-quartz, Kinetic/auto-quartz and Spring Drive.

Source from www.reddit.com/r/Watches/wiki/faq

Hi all,

I'm new to the IWC forum. I'm a 23 year old aspiring to be a watchmaker whom is attending watchmaking school in the Spring of 2015. I remember the first watch that began it all about 4 years ago. The AP ROO Bumble Bee with forged carbon case. I couldn't stop asking questions and seeking answers and here I find myself taking the long but rewarding road of becoming a master watchmaker.

I just purchased an IWC Portuguese Hand-Wound 5454-08 so I figured the IWC forum was a must.

Thanks for having me. As a student currently studying business you could imagine I do not get my daily or even weekly fix of "watch talk" at the university. I hope to meet some of you and enjoy many proper conversations regarding mechanical watches and, more specifically, IWCs.

In 1972 I bought an IWC automatic that worked without any major problem until 2012. It was then shipped to IWC for renovation at the age of 40.
In 2007 I was given a Japanese watch with a " high qulity quartz movement". I used it now and theen until the movement gave up last year. Accuracy: Fine. Quality: Poor
May replace the quartz movement and use the watch when I work in my garden.
Prefer a mechanical movement any day of the week.
The other day I bought myself a new Portofino Automatic

My last watch I owned as a child. When I was 16 I saw a beautiful IWC 3740 Chrono in a shop but the price seemed unreachable for me. In that time I made up my mind to make myself a gift when I become 40 in 2014.
At the beginning of 2014 I decided to get me a new pilots chronograph IW370607. But when I tried it I was not assure. I tried the Spitfire IW387802. But when I tried it I was not assure. Then by accident I saw the first Exupery-Edition IW371709 from 2006. It was love at the first sight.
Now I have my first watch since 24 years. And I have the feeling it will not be the last one ;-)
what do you think about the 371709?

Hi CESUS,
That's a lovely watch, quite popular on the Forum. Well Done and Welcome!

Thx!
What was your first IWC?
Best
-c

Hi CESUS,
My first IWC was a Cal. 89
I was really fond of it but sold it a few years ago. I had too many gold white faced watches that looked the same. I come across similar watches frequently and sometimes I am tempted to get another, but something else always comes up :-) Bought a watch this weekend actually. Non IWC though.

Just just purchased my first luxury watch and it was an IWC Mark 17.
IWC is my first brand of watch that I chose because of my love of there craftsmanship. I've been watching all the videos and learning as much as I can. My dream watch, is the Big Pilot. Being 26 years old I am having a hard time affording such a masterpiece. But hopefully SOMEDAY I will.

Welcome Joey,
Very nice choice for your first IWC! I'm sure it is the first of many :-)

Now you must post a wrist shot for us.

welcome Joey!!

And I know we all never leave... 26 is a good age we can see how the pilot range evolve!!

Looking forward to some picture of your new love!!

BHTan