Probus Scafusia - no doubt about it. Look at the two gems of movements that
Tonny posts here today.
And correctly, as he says rare pieces - many of which sadly are falling prey
to "watchmakers"stripping them out of their original gold or silver pocket
watch cases (for smelt value) and offering the movements for sale in these so
called Marriage Watches.
So to compliment Tonny's magnificent pair, I will share today with you the
story, and a watch in my collection.
The Watch
A Cal. 32 Elgin I with a twist
When I first saw this watch come up for sale on the internet I shared but a
cursory glance at it - it was afterall not branded or advertised as an IWC,
was very non descript and appeared to be in a blue steel gun metal case. Not
IWC and of no interest to me.
I continued browsing the internet for other pieces offered for sale, but
somehow my mind kept going back to this watch. I took another look, and tried
to convince myself it was not of interest. However, by the next day my intruge
was prickled to such an extent that I got back to the internet and took
another look at the watch. What, Why is this watch so intriuging to me, that I
need to go back and review it.
Taking a hard look at the movement, in the bad photos that had been posted by
the seller, I suddenly knew why this had my attention. The style and layout of
the brisges and plates simply oozed IWC design to me. So I pulled out my list
of IWC Calibers and started to compare this movement, with the images of other
movements. It does not appear on my list. So taking it to the next level, I
reach for the Tolke & King book, and start to compare movement by movement
from begining to end.
And then suddenly I find the answer to my questions as to why this watch is so
intrigiuing to me. Listed in the book is this watch # 33 and is listed as a
Cal. 33.
This looks like the watch I saw offered for sale. In fact it's the same
curves, plates and lines as this Watch #33 in the Tolke & King book.
However, it is NOT the same. In fact it's 100 mirror image layout to the one
listed for sale.
I overlay the two pictures next to each other rotating the picture from the
internet to have the same orientation (crown neck facing up)
Same, but very different.
I then called Schafhausen, to obtain the opinion of the Museum Curator.
Unfortunately David Seyffer is on vacation and unavailable. So I emailed the
Forum Moderator with my thoughts that I had something special here. His intial
responce was, just like mine that "this is not an IWC and said he would take
another look over the weekend.
It's Friday, the auction is ending on Sunday middle of the night here (the
watch is in the USA). The next day, MF calls me and says he believes I am
correct - that it could be an early IWC movement. I then tell him, that it
needs to be "saved' and that the watch should not be sold off into obsurity.
He agrees. I ask his opinion as to what it may go for, and the amount he
mentions is way to rich for me. Worried, that the watch would be lost I say to
him that he should go ahead and bid on it, ensuring that he secures the watch.
At first he pushes back, saying "you found it - it's only fair it belongs in
your collection." I tell him, that I dont have the funds, and that it's all
his.
Sometime early on the Sunday I received a message from him, that he would not
be bidding. So came about the Gentlemans agreement - and that night backed by
a good friend who said he would help on the cash flow if needed, I went "all -
in" to secure this watch. Over the course of the sunday, the watch increased
in minumum bid. Had other Collectors seen it, and thought the same? However,
it was still in very low numbers. To cut a long story short, I bid in the
closing seconds of the auction and secured this watch, at a very reasonable
price.
I had the watch shipped direct to MF in the USA, and he then the folowing week
hand carried the watch to Schaffhausen. Together he and David Seyffer came
back to me with clearer photos, and their findings. The movement signed
International Watch Company and bearing the serial number #22, appeared to be
genuine. However, the case was non IWC and as such the watch not original and
no Extract of the Register or certificate could be issued.
When the watch reached me, we took a closer look and discovered that the
caseback innerside had an engraving of a stream train.
I extracted the detail of this locomotive.
And went in search of which Case Company in the USA manufactured this case. It
was not uncommen for the casemakers to emboss steam trains on their cases -
after all, many early pocket watches were sold to the railways. not finding it
myself on the internet, I reached out to the NAWCC - National Association of
Watch and Clock Collectors Inc. for their help. They came back with quiet a
list but said "that aint no American Train" case.
I then became more than convinced that this must be a case directly out of
Schaffhausen, and started some European train hunting of my own. There are
great sites with lots of information on them.
But that train was not to be found to have been stamped on European pocket
watch cases. I shared this with the Museum Curator and said that I was more
than convinced that the train was a Swiss Train and the case came out of
Schaffhausen. David was symphatetic, but without any proof, this watch was
just going to stay as "maybe an IWC movement cased in a non IWC case".
Then months later I recieve a phone call from a very excited IWC Museum
Curator... " I found # 22 ! .... I found #22 ! " And so it was, that
on one fine day, while researching something totaly different in the archives
and in the Sales Book very far away from where this watch may have been listed
he ran into the following entry.
So there it was marked clearly, that IWC movement number 22 was cased in
Watch # 41971
... and that this watch was sold to a Mr. Charles Haffli of Schaffhusen in
April 1889.
The rest, as say say in the classics - is history!
The watch as found
The Movement - behind a glass case back
The serial number and Insternational Watch Co. clearly engraved.
The watch spent some time in the Schaffhausen Museum
And of course, only fitting to it's origins Schaffhausen when servicing the
watch retained the original dial and in agreement with myself added the
correct period logo.
And of course, the watch was issued with a COA - Certificate of Authenticity
by Schaffhausen.
The orignial link to MF's post on this piece, once it had been received and
verified can be found back here.
forum.iwc.com/t/pocket-watch-number-22/2067/#post-164751
