Why We Love It

Every watch collector needs to find a place for a dress watch in his or her watch box.

Fortunately, we have one right here, a Reference 803A, which combines the excellent reputation of IWC with that of its retailer, Cartier. The well-renowned jeweler has had a long history of offering watches made by other manufactures. The presence of Cartier’s signature on the silver sunburst dial, as well as the Cartier stock number on the lugs, attests to the watch’s provenance.

At its heart beats the Calibre 8541, one of IWC’s best self-winding movements.

The Story

While IWC is known best among watch connoisseurs for its military watches, or aviation-inspired chronographs, the manufacture’s oeuvre is by no means restricted to those areas.

From the 1930s to 1950s, IWC released a spate of simple yet elegant dress watches. Driven by a spirit of functionality over form, they rank as some of the most interesting—and elegant—watches of the pre- and post-war period. While many of these watches are powered by IWC’s superlative manually-wound movements, like the Calibre 83 and 89, the manufacture also fitted them with automatic movements designed by the great Albert Pellaton.

Combining elegant looks with equally imposing interiors, these dress watches are a testament to IWC’s versatility.