I have a question about this Iwc.
I don't find this dial combo on google.
Steel case with gold hands and gold index.
I've only seen steelcase with silver index
and hands.
Is this combo unusual or a common setup?
Here is a picture of my watch
www.dropbox.com/s/r64h0iu69n67f3w/Foto%202017-09-03%2013%2051%2015.jpg?dl=0
If they were, in fact, produced, the production number must have been very low. I would be wary of buying such an example without a guarantee of authenticity from IWC.
Regards,
Tony C.
Ok Tnx Tony
I Will contact Iwc and se if i could get some
more information about this.
/ M
There are examples of a steel case and gold markers/hands as you can see here: The IWC Ingenieur part 2
JK
Hi Johan and Tony
I believe IWC will issue a Certificate of Authenticity for that Ref 666 if all parts are genuine IWC.
IWC produced Ref 666 Ingenieurs with many dial/hands combinations and I will be surprised if there is a record of all variations produced. I also doubt that IWC production was then as "rigid" as some collectors think.
The Ref 666 below, steel case/golden hands and markers, was purchased from the original owner, was never altered and has the CoA issued by IWC.
Thank you, Antonio. I do seem to recall having seen such "mixed" examples, but they were certainly much smaller productions than full steel or gold.
I agree that the subject watch may be original, but with gold cases (sadly) being scrapped in recent years, the possibility of marriages has increased, and so I would be inclined to be cautious. Of course when you know the provenance, as is the case with your lovely example, all is well.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony
I do not agree with your characterization as "mixed" for the steel Ref 666 with golden hands and hour markers and, if I understood correctly, your suggestion that these watches can be the result of "marriages."
There is really no mixture. IWC has manufactured other wristwatches with steel cases with golden hands and hour markers/numbers.
"Marriages" wristwatches tend to originate in pocket watches when the value of the gold case is higher than the whole watch, especially to the ignorant. I've seen more than one fake Ref 666, butI've never seen a "marriage" Ref 666.
Sorry Antonio, I apparently wasn't clear enough. I accept that there were "mixed" 666 produced, i.e. those with steel cases and gold dial furniture. But the production must certainly have been low, given how few are seen in the market.
With regard to semantics, "marriage", in my experience, is used to describe a watch that has been put together with inappropriate parts (i.e. if an Ingenieur dial and movement were to be placed into a non-Ingenieur case).
If a gold case were to be scrapped, and the dial and movement were placed into a steel case, I would not call it a marriage if that type of dial was originally placed in steel cases by IWC. In other words, while it would not be factory original, it would still be "correct", unlike a marriage.
Regards,
Tony
I understood you correctly the first time, Tony. I just do not understand why you caracterize these Ref 666 as "mixed."
What is it that is "mixed" in these watches?
Would you say that the Ref 3714 in steel with golden hands and hour numbers is "mixed"? or the other model with blue hands and hour numbers?
As far as I see it, the Ref 666 with steel case and golden hands and hour markers is just another Ingenieur variation, albeit scarce.
I am simply referring to gold dial furniture and a steel case. That is a mixture of metals, is it not?
Regards,
Tony
OK, I get it.
Using that reasoning the Ref 866 in steel with aprior σ T SWISS T σ dial, with white gold hour indices, is also a "mixed" Ingenieur.
BTW, why do you say the dial with gold indices has "gold dial furniture"? Are you suggesting that golden hour indices/numbers are exclusively for gold cases?
IWC has a long tradition of manufacturing steel watches with golden hands and hour numbers as can be seen in this Ref 325 from 1950.
I'm using the image of this watch prior to restoration so there is no doubt as to the authenticity and originality of all the parts.
IMHO opinion characterizing these watches as "mixed" casts a pall over these beautiful watches.
Hi Antonio,
I am referring to the aesthetic mix of yellow or pink gold and a steel case, as opposed to the consistent use of a single color throughout. So no, I do not consider steel-cased ref. 866, to use one example, to be "mixed" because the markers are white gold.
With regard to the use of the term "mixed", we apparently have a semantic difference of opinion. I don't think of the reference to the use of different colored metals to be denigrating in any way. I actually like the look of steel with pink gold furniture very much, and own a few of that type.
Finally, I thought that I made made this point clear in my second post on the thread, but I have no doubts that IWC produced such watches, albeit in very low numbers in the case of the ref, 666 Ingenieurs.
As a related aside, have you ever seen a ref. 866 of that style? I cannot recall having seen a single example.
Regards,
Tony
Hi
Be that as it may, using "mixed" and "marriage" in the same post gave me pause as it could essily be inferred that the originality of the watch was in doubt. I am glad that was not the case.
No I have never come across a Ref 866 with a steel case and golden hands/hour indices.