IWC Mark XII Automatic

IWC has always been a brand that takes to the skies.

This marriage of IWC and aviation began with the production of the first watch ever developed solely for aviation, the Spezialuhr für Flieger or Special Pilot's Watch, in 1936. The Special Pilot's Watch later became known to collectors as the 'Mark IX,' the progenitor of IWC's fabled 'Mark' series of pilot's watches.

The Mark IX more or less set the standard for what aviator's watches would look and feel like: It had a black dial, large luminescent numerals and indices, and — most importantly — a shock-absorbent movement, the Calibre 83. Production of the Mark IX ceased in 1944 when the model was supplanted by the Mark X. 

The Mark X, produced from 1944 to 1948, saw wrist-time during the closing days of World War II. This is one of the famous 'Dirty Dozen' produced by the twelve manufacturers that met standards passed down by the British Ministry of Defense. With case backs stamped "W.W.W." for "Watch Wristlet Waterproof," these watches were, as one can infer from the name, waterproof, shock-absorbent, and bore the looks (black dial, luminous hands) already typified by the 'Mark IX.'

As the military increasingly embraced aviation, the importance of watches as navigational tools increased. Once again the British Ministry of Defense called upon manufacturers to design watches that could meet the rigorous standards required for military use. A new tender, which the MoD coded '6B/346,' required chronometer-grade, anti-magnetic movements. The MoD awarded the contract to two manufacturers: Jaeger-LeCoultre and, of course, IWC. 

In creating the Mark XI, IWC met the antimagnetic properties set forth by the MoD by covering the movement with a soft iron cage. The Mark XI was fitted with the Caliber 89, regarded as perhaps the most robust three-hand movements of all time. Featuring an 18,000-vph beat rate, a Breguet overcoil, and a special IWC-patented drive for its sweep-seconds hand, this Albert Pellaton-penned design is still beloved by watchmakers today.

The Mark XI entered military service in 1949 and was decommissioned in 1981. It was not replaced in the Mark line until 1993, when the Mark XII was introduced, a model that maintained the look and the feel of the Mark XI, but featured an automatic movement and a date wheel. The movement powering it, the IWC caliber 884/2, was based upon the JLC caliber 889/2. 

The Mark XII, more refined than its predecessors, launched the Mark line into the realm of civilian wear. And yet it retains the austerity of the military watches it succeeds, with a stainless steel case in un-fussy matte finishing. Except, that is, for the rare 18K yellow gold version, produced in roughly 3,000 pieces. Measuring 37mm in diameter and featuring a screw-down crown, a sapphire crystal, a screw-down caseback, and a smooth bezel, it boasts a handsome black dial with an outer white minute track, 'Arabic' and luminous rectangular and triangular tritium indices, a date widow at 3 o'clock, and IWC's signature luminous 'Mark' handset with a 'sword' minute hand a stubby hour hand.

Paired to a brown leather strap with a signed yellow gold pin buckle and accompanies by its inner and outer boxes, this attractive and versatile watch is right at home on the modern wrist, a perfect marriage of military precision and modern sensibilities. 

When an American watchmaker named Florentine Ariosto Jones arrived in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 1868, he found a city almost frozen in time. Though the Industrial Revolution had swept through America, in Switzerland the situation was very different. Watchmakers still plied their trades by their own firesides, as they had done for centuries. But Jones had in mind something different — an American-style factory where the watches would be designed and assembled in keeping with the old Swiss ways. His methods caught on, and soon there were 196 people employed at his factory.
Though the International Watch Company was founded 35 years before Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first flight, the association between IWC and aviation began just as the age of flight dawned: A pocket watch made by the company in the 1890s found its way into the pocket of one Robert Albert Lotter, a pilot in the German Luftwaffe who served with distinction during the First World War.
Two decades later, in 1936, IWC released a watch that set the standard for pilot’s watch design, the Spezialuhr für Flieger, or Special Pilot's Watch. Another would follow in 1940, the Beobachtungs-ühren (“observation watch”), which spawned an entire model line in IWC’s current collection called the Big Pilot. However, despite the Big Pilot’s current popularity, it was the Special Pilot’s Watch that would lay the cornerstone for IWC’s most iconic line: the Mark series of pilot’s watches.
IWC released the Mark XI in 1948 according to specifications set forth by the British Ministry of Defense. These watches had to be legible, compact, and able to withstand exposure to the magnetic fields emitted by instruments in an airplane’s cockpit. The Mark XI, therefore, had a black dial with large luminous Arabic numbers, while its incredibly robust Calibre 89 movement was encased in an iron cage. (Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, IWC would produce myriad dress watches in steel and gold based upon the Calibre 89 movement, which remain relatively plentiful on the vintage market.)
The Mark XI served as the basis for design inspiration for a robust line of pilot’s watches still being produced today – easily identifiable by their clean, uncluttered dials, robust cases, and outstanding quality.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.