• 5 May 2020, 5:28 p.m.

    As some of you know, I am collecting pocketwatches, IWC only.

    Far from saying that my collection is a museum collection but I am proud to
    have found some nice and rare pieces over time.

    Some of the pocketwatches are common, easy to find on the market, sometimes in
    better condition than mine, but some I have are gems.

    So in these crazy times, as the museum in Schaffhausen is closed, why not open
    one here on the forum.

    As long as the museum is closed, I will post here daily a pocketwatch from my
    collection.

    I hope I don't run out of pieces before the virus is beaten. Fingers crossed
    for all of us.

    I will post them in a random order, with some comments, feel free to join.

    Keep safe all.

    DAY 45, cal 73, colour

    For those following this series of virtual museum posts, you have already seen
    that I have a soft spot for the calibre 73 watches.

    If you want to start a collection of pocketwatches, these are easy to find on
    the market and often come in an amazing condition and in special elaborated
    cases.

    The watch today has such a special case and with a bonus of some extra colour
    inlay.

    They added black and a vibrant blue to the decoration of the case , not much,
    just a detail but it makes the watch so more special.

    Very hard to get it right on pictures but I give it a try.

    The watch is from 1921 and has a 14K case.

    The dial has a special colour, a kind of dark gold colour, even with a hint of
    burnt terracotta some would say ;)

    I do love the way the numerals were written, very elegant.

    And some macro pictures of the beautiful details

    look how elegant the numbers are written

  • Master
    5 May 2020, 5:29 p.m.

    Color ! That's not burnt terra-cotta....but it sure is a nice touch of blue !

    The question is which watch in my collection compliments the elegance of
    Tonny's Calibre 73 watch today?

    I think, I'll go for a watch with a white dial, and some elegance to boot.

    The Watch

    The watch today is chosen based on the sheer elegance of it's 18k gold case.
    Not embelished with enamel inlay like the beautiful case of Tonny's C.73, but
    with a shape and dimession, that makes it one of the most pure and elequant
    period
    pieces in my collection.

    The watch left the manufactory years later than Tonny - in fact some 9 years
    and around 109.660 movements later.

    The rather limited height of the movement at only 4mm (H4) allows for a slim
    line case which has an rose turned chequered patern on it.

    These same lines are extended through to the implemenation and design of the
    crown neck and indeed the crown itself.

    And the case back bears an radiating outwards guiloche patern - with again
    like Tonny's example, a
    cartouche for engraving - which remains to this day 90 years later, blank.

    An interesting detail - take a look at the font differences on the two dials
    when compared side by side,

  • Master
    5 May 2020, 9:31 p.m.

    Dear Tonny,

    I like most the serial number of the movement, very close to my most wanted
    c.73

    777'777

    regards watch77

  • Insider
    6 May 2020, 1:33 p.m.

    The lepines 73 have more varieties than others. Here is a dodecagon
    case: