The tonneau-shaped watches with Cal. 87 movements don't feature much on the Forum these days and it's worth a look through the archive.
Firstly some details:
An original example:
https://www.iwc.com/member/forum/search_all.asp?table=archives&subject=1930s&archived=yes&id=46202
A Cal. 87 I should have never sold... by MF:
In platinum:
https://www.iwc.com/member/forum/search_all.asp?table=archives&name=mf&subject=wife&archived=yes&id=155955
And Art-Deco (and a lot were):
Cheers from the cellar
Square / rectangular is not my cup of tea, but >>
some of these are very nice looking IWC's.
Bill
I always liked the aesthetics...
of Art Deco pieces...so this tour was of particular interest to me. The only vintage watch I own is a 30's Curvex (made by an old American company) and I very much like the look of it. I would love to have an IWC of this design to wear as a dress watch. Thanks, Greg!
Best regards,
Jim
The rectagular shape is an interesting challenge
There is something playful about the distance between the numbers and the relative small hands. The same goes for the rectangle shaped seconds subdial. If you have a special rectangle shaped movement the seconds hand lays nice deep to the south, and you could put a date to the top, like the Lange Cabaret, which I find to be a perfect modern example.
A bit funny are, I think, the very thin lugs of these IWC's, probably necessary to be able to put a decent strap on. But a bit of an imaginative modern possibility are the Chronoswiss Imperator or the Patek Philippe Gondolo. I think IWC should revive a modern nice rectangle shaped watch, flat and elegant: there are plenty beautiful examples around.
Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese
I've been told that the idea of the design....
...back in the late 1920s, and carrying through the late '30s-early 1940s. when the shape was especially popular, was to great a single line or band effect of the watch and strap. Like a bracelet, the "sleek look" was intended to be, in a sense, part of the Art Deco design --a kind of modernism.
So your surmise about the thin lugs isn't exactly correct, but approaches the design idea of a single band (of watch head and strap).
Back ten years ago, these Cal. 89s were especially sought after, but they have not gained as much in price since they are, by today's standards, a little small. The look today is large and a little clunky (high and heavy) and that is a little antithetical to the sleek "single line" look behind these designs. JLC has tried to enlarge its Reversos, but without much success.