VIRTUAL POCKET WATCH MUSEUM DAY 83, cal 29

Never seen anything like it ! And as Alan writes below it really is (as yet)
and unexplained serial number assosiated with what is definately a very nice
IWC Cal. 29.

I would highly suggest that those of you reading this post of Tonny's today,
really take the time to read his and the responces below from both Alan as
well as Adrian. It's facinating stuff - to get to know what we do not know.

The Watch

I dont want to distract from Tonny's puzzle today - so will keep it really
simple today. The watch (or should I say watches? ) I share today, originally
also baffeled me - but the explanation was not far off. Or so I thought - just
do what the good doctor says to do. Read the Article !

Some of you shall recall the CaL. 52 Half Hunter I posted a couple of weeks
ago, which Adrian then pointed out, is actually not a C.53 but rather a Cal.
49.

That was this watch.

And one has to admit it is as silver cased IWC pocket watches go - quite a
handsome timepiece.

Well then, how about this same sized half hunter then, seen here on the bottom
in the picture below.

This watch turned up for sale recently, and again one has to ponder the
absolute magnificance of the watch. For example, look at the detail of the
niello inlay on the dial on the front cover.

Where my original watch has the IWC logo on the dial, this one has none.

Note, the yellow color of the dial - which is actually not yellow at all but
rather brilliant white enamel. The yellow shade is caused by ageing and
discoloration of the acrylic lens on the watch. Jeroen will need to replace
this with mineral crystal glass as soon as possible.

Now, know the watch on top is 3 years older than this non branded half hunter
- dating from 1893, when on the 21st of August of that year it was soldf to
Mr. Diedesheim of La Chaux-des-Fonds. Whereas, the watch at the bottom dates
from 1897. What a difference 3 years of ongoing development in Schaffhausen
makes! As they strived for Probus Scafusia.

Can you spot the differences in the two movements?

Now, of course both are Savonette movements. And as advised by the good man in
Belgium, I read and re-read the article (all pages 399 through to 403) and am
now reasonbly familiar with this business of Winding Wheels Visible, 1 screw
each and in fact can even now thanks to that brilliant article, fathom out for
myself that that watch on the left is a so called "Semi-circular" shape 3/4
plate (where the one on the right above, is a "Curved, 'S' shape " 3/4 plate
(see.... I'm learning).

But, I am afraid to say I stil need to have Adrian come in and solve this
riddle for me please....'cause I do find back, the visible 1 screw on the
winding wheels
and I see the semi circle cutout (here in green below) but pray kind Sir do
tell ... why does this 3/4 plate have a hard straight edge along the side of
the balance cock [below in the red box] - unlike any of the movements in the
article, and where the books say this serial number is a type Cal. 52/53/IWC

But to me it 's reminicent of a Cal. 50. Is this then a Sav. C 50A and are
the C.50 then the only movement to have that hard parallel gap along the
balance cock?

Oh dear, I so fear that I am going to have to host a tea party for you Adrian
when this covid crisis is over, serve up some strong coffee and have thee re-
evaluate my entire C.52/C.53 collection and reclassifying it correctly.

Tonny, this is bizarre. The numbers 60001 to at least 61160 are Seeland
numbers used on the calibres 21/23. As you correctly say, the calibre 29
started at 110001. So the number 60620 should have been used on a Seeland
movement before the cal. 29 was manufactured. Your watch is a normal cal. 29
in every respect apart from the serial number. The IWC stamp on the case dates
from 1880 and is found on other examples of the calibre 29. It is probable
that the calibres 28/29 were designed during the Seeland period but not put
into serial production until the Pfister-Droz period but this does not explain
the cal 23 number on a calibre 29.

This will need some thought but for the moment I cannot think of a rational
explanation.

(NB. In our forthcoming book the numbering of Seeland calibres will change but
I am using the existing numbering here)

Alan

Attached are 110503 (cal 29) and 60389 (cal
23)

Curiouser and Curiouser! What a tantalizing puzzle...........

Alan Myers post reminds me of what happened with the Jones calibre 'C'.

For a long time it was thought that all Jones calibres had been made in one
run from 500 until about 26500.

Later it became clear that F.F. Seeland has made a second run of two batches
with numbers 76.XXX and 79.XXX..

As far as I know only one watch from the second run is known today.

But one watch was found with serial number 37.264. For this aberrant movement
number no explanation could be found in the sales records.

Adrian,

(alwaysiwc).