IWC Vintage Watches

About IWC Vintage Watches

To commemorate its 140th anniversary in 2008, IWC selected six iconic models from the company's archives to recreate in a contemporary fashion, equipped with modern IWC-innovated automatic and hand-wound movements. While the new reinterpretations stayed true to their original counterparts, each re-worked model was fitted with hand-wound pocket movements based on IWC's renowned 98 calibre, which has been in production longer than any other movement. Each of the six watches in the Vintage Collection is fashioned after a model that inspired one of the brand's families of timepieces.

In 1936, IWC unveiled its first IWC Special Pilot's watch. This model was fashioned with aviation navigation instruments and aircraft cockpits in mind. In addition to visually embodying characteristics of flight, the watch was crafted to be precise and durable enough to withstand the conditions of piloting an aircraft. The Pilot watch in the IWC Vintage collection was modeled from this original Special Pilot's watch. In 1939 the original Portuguese watch was introduced. This timepiece was the first pocket watch style wristwatch with the precision of a marine chronometer. The style of this watch set a precedent for the trend of larger timepieces that exists today. The Portuguese model in the IWC Vintage collection pays homage to the original Portuguese.

In 1955 the first Ingenieur Automatic appeared. When the original Ingenieur Automatic was designed the goal was to create a timepiece that could be wound solely by the movements of the wearer's arm. This function was achieved with the Pellaton pawl-winding system, which had been patented earlier in the decade. Today, the Ingenieur in the Vintage collection reflects the design of this model.

In 1967 IWC revealed the Aquatimer, a watch developed for divers with water resistance and reliability. While many improvements have been made to the models in the Aquatimer family over the years with advancements in technology, the foundation of the original Aquatimer inspired the Aquatimer in the Vintage collection. In 1969 IWC employed its quartz wristwatch movement for the first time in its original Da Vinci model. This movement, which was developed in the mid-1960's, revolutionized the industry of watch making. This technology transcends throughout the Da Vinci family of watches and appears in the Da Vinci model in the Vintage collection.

In 1984 the first Portofino model was launched. In a time when trendy watches were dominating the market, IWC continued to recognize the demand for classic and timeless watches. The Portofino timepiece stays true to just that, as does the Portofino inspired model in the Vintage collection.