Virtual Pocket Watch Museum Day Whatsoever +2

Dear all

As we are just philosophizing away on different calibres, just have a look on
this one. Clearly marked "International Watch Co. Schaffhausen" it doesn't
look like the standard Cal. 52 or any of its predecessors.

Have fun!

Th. Koenig

This is absolutely mind boggeling, Thomas!

While I wait patiently for someone to answer my (maybe absurd) question of...

Why does this movement appear to be in Mirror Image?

you come up with this movement, which is not even near anything we have ever
seen. Absolutely amazing.

I have in my collections a rare nickel plated C.53 (?) which has on it the old
cursive script logo as well - which we dont typlically see on the main plates
after the Seeland period.

As can be seen, this movement still needs to be restored.

Mark

The answer to your question regarding the "mirrored Cal. 52" is not simple, it
is more than simple. Up to then we discussed in the thread you asked this
question Cal. 52 pre 1904 and its forerunners. What you have is post 1904 Cal.
52. From 1904 onwards all Cal. 52/53 had that "mirrored design". You can
recognize the post-1904 versions easily by the ratchet wheels fastened by
three off-centre screws while the pre-1904 have the single centre screw (Cal.
52) or two screws on the ratchet wheels (Cal. 49/50). With Cal. 52 you can
identify the respective version from outside. The post-1904 versions by the
pin to set the time on the left side (looking on the dial), with the pre-1904
version by the pin on the right had side

For demonstration two Cal. 52 Qual. Extra side by side.

Regards

Thomas

Dear Tonny

Size always matters!

Thomas

Thomas,

I think it is the 24 ligne 'Schaufenster Uhr' a kind of reference watch,
packed in a wooden box shown in the display window of a retailer.

Adrian,

(alwaysiwc).

Tonny and Adrian

you are on the right track. It is a shop-window-chronometer. See the pic
below.

But it is not the 22 lig. nor the 24 lig calibre used in IWC shop-window-
chronometres, but the 25 lig. calibre, based on the Jaeger LeCoultre Cal. 25L,
later on renamed Calibre 160.

IWC bought 24 pieces of the 25L movements, converted them into IWCs and sold
14. Nobody knows what to the other 10 happened. The other two shop-window-
chronometre calibres are even rarer. But IWC still has spares.

The case shown needed a full restoration as nearly everything, wood and metal
was rotten.

Regards

Thomas

WOW. What a nice movement. Has to be one of the range 794'601- 795'200 ....

A great and special movement.

Ralph

Another great story, lovely to see out top-top-guru's in search of answers
themselves ;-)
For me, as a PW novice, the fact these were produced for shop windows is
already a great story!

So thanks again for sharing gentlemen.

Regards, Bob

What an amazing timepiece (and history story)

thanks for sharing Thomas.