Dear Forum Members,
I have two IWC Cal. 89 watches which are nearly identical in all respect except one: when setting the time backwards, the seconds hand stops for one watch but not for the other (it continues to sweep forward in time). Did IWC make several versions of the cal. 89? Should I be concerned that the seconds hand in one "pauses" while the other doesn't?
Thank you for taking the time to read my question.
Best,
John
To allow for hand setting by the crown, independent of the timing mechanism, the hands need to be able to slip, free of the gear train. This is fascilitated by a friction clutch. If this clutch is tight, while adjusting time backwards, can cause the seconds hand to stop or even run backwards for a short while. There is no risk of causing damage to the watch. In fact this is used in some watch models as an informal hacking feature.
Mark--thank you for the response. Would you then say that the main difference between my two watches isn't the movement, per se, but tightness of the friction clutch? I guess I am wondering if IWC made several iterations of the cal. 89--one with an informal hacking feature and one without.
Thank you again!
I can't answer your question for sure, but Cal 89 was used in MK11 Pilot Watch so it's possible, but according to Ranfft, there is a hack feature available as an option.
IWC Cal 89...
Hopefully someone here with more experience with Cal 89 can add to this discussion.