Much ink has been spilled — some of it admittedly my own — on the beauty of the time-only dress watches powered by the International Watch Company’s Calibre 89 movement. Outfitted with central seconds and a soft-iron inner cage to protect against magnetic fields, the 89 features an efficient bidirectional pawl-winding system designed by the company’s then technical director Albert Pelltaon (1898-1966). In a rare confluence of military and civilian horology, this same movement powered both the Mark 11 pilots watches produced for the British Ministry of Defense as well as a host of simple dress watches cased in steel, various types of gold, and — in rare instances — platinum.
Details of the IWC Calibre 83 movement - (Image by Vintage Portfolio)
Impressive, endearing, and technically sophisticated as the Caliber 89 is, however, one of its predecessors is also worthy of some attention: Meet the Caliber 83, another hand-wound, time-only movement that left the Schaffhausen-based maison’s workshops between roughly 1935 and 1947. Outfitted with either 15 or 16 jewels, a Breguet overcoil, and sub-seconds, it features either a monometallic or bimetallic balance, a beat rate of 18,000 vph, and either INCA shock protection or no shock protection, depending upon production year. An 11 ¾ ligne movement, the Calibre 83 measures 26.5mm in diameter and 4.10mm tall.
Production estimates vary, but several tens of thousands of examples were made, at least 6,000 of which featured in the Mark X “Wrist.Watch.Waterproof.” timepiece produced under contract for the British Ministry of Defense at the tail end of the Second World War. (You may know this watch better by the nickname given to it and its 11 brothers, the “Dirty Dozen.”) Functionally a miniaturized pocket watch movement, the Calibre 83 is a handsome engine — outfitted with six bridges finished with Geneva striping and a baseplate finished with perlage, it has received accolades from watchmakers around the world for its thoughtful design, aesthetics, and durability.
A 1940s IWC Mark XI with Calibre 89 movement - Archives
Much like the slightly later Calibre 89 — the brainchild of Pellaton, who took over technical directorship in 1944 — the Calibre 83 outfitted both the Mark X (“W.W.W.”) military watch as well as myriad time-only dress watches. The sheer variety of said pieces is stunning, giving the Patek Philippe Calatrava a run for its money with respect to the plethora of available dials, cases, and configurations produced. From luminous ‘military’ dials to incredible two-tone examples married to solid gold cases, the Calibre 83 is stupendously collectible — all the more so when one considers the value proposition compared to something like a Calatrava.
Want one with cornes de vache lugs and a stepped case? It’s out there. How about a genuine ‘sandwich’ dial? Done. A double-signed sector dial in a steel case with a wide, flat bezel? Yup. A black radium dial in a steel case? Coming right up. Looking at these stunning pieces alongside contemporary Calatrava references as well as time-only dress pieces from Longines, Omega, and others, it’s clear that a common design language influenced by the Bauhaus is at work: Partially dictated by the Calibre 83’s configuration (hours, minutes, and sub-seconds), the watch designers of the day followed a similarly pared-back aesthetic that left each dial highly legible regardless of its particulars — sector dial, lume or no lume, single tone or multi-tone, etc. While certain executions are busier than others, each is a masterwork of horological beauty.
IWC Dress Watch Calibre 83
A particularly spectacular Calibre 83 recently passed through the Analog:Shift inventory: Measuring 35mm in polished 14K yellow gold with a correct, unsigned crown; an acrylic crystal, and a snap-back caseback, it features a breathtaking two-tone champagne dial with an outer open minute track, an hour track in applied gold ‘Arabic’ indices, and an inner sector featuring the long “International Watch Company, Schaffhausen” signature. Outfitted with a large subsidiary seconds register above 6 o’clock and finished with a gold ‘feuille’ handset, it’s paired to a brown Analog:Shift Cervo strap with a matching 18K yellow gold pin buckle.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 570 - (Image by Christie's)
Take a look at something like a Reference 570 from Patek Philippe with a multi-tone dial and you’ll immediately notice similarities in design language. However, this spectacular Calibre 83 was listed at $4,950 — a tiny fraction of the unfathomable asking price for such a rare Calatrava. Coming in at under 10mm tall, it’ll slip right under a cuff, deftly complementing formalwear and transporting its wearer back to the sartorially sophisticated 1940s. Very few watches embody an era as brilliantly as the Calibre 83. With its well finished movement, sumptuous lemon-tone dial and case, and perfect proportions, this particular example is truly a dress watch for the ages.
