My First Gold Watch: An IWC Cal. 8531
Once again, we find ourselves with an article by yours truly on an IWC. Oh well, I’ve bought another vintage watch from International Watch Company Schaffhausen. It’s starting to become a bit of a running joke. This time, though, I haven’t gone for steel. Instead, I bought my very first gold watch.
I seem to gravitate to IWC. There are a few good reasons for this. First, I have a family connection to the brand. Second, there is something about the no-nonsense designs that appeal to me, particularly with the brand’s neo-vintage pilot watches. Third, historically, the company has just made great, robust watches.
My connection to IWC
I am the proud owner of an IWC Mark XV, a 3706 pilot’s chronograph, and my grandfather’s Caliber 89 dress watch. I’ve also been spending lots of time with a special IWC RAAF pilot’s watch lately. Now I can count an IWC Caliber 8531 in a solid gold case from 1961 to my collection as well.
For those of you groaning at my apparent lack of shopping around, let me explain. This IWC Cal. 8531 came into my possession seemingly by pure serendipity. Recently, I went through a shift in personal circumstances. Some time ago, I purchased a nice ring for my then-girlfriend from a local jeweler and was now faced with the decision to keep or return it. The problem was, if I returned it for cash, I would take a financial hit. The shop, it so happens, also sells some vintage watches, mostly by Cartier and Rolex. The folks at the shop told me that if I traded the ring in, I could get a watch of equal value without any loss.
An IWC Cal. 8531 caught my eye
Filing through the watch cabinet, I saw the glint of a small gold watch. It had an attractive pie-pan dial, so I first assumed it was a vintage Omega Constellation. When the store attendant brought out the watch, I was surprised to find it was a beautiful vintage IWC.
Here is where the second element of serendipity seems to come in. The watch, it turns out, was manufactured in 1961, which is my dad’s birth year. It also happened to cost, dollar for dollar, the exact amount that the ring I was trading in cost. I walked out of the shop with a new (old) watch and a grin from ear to ear.
The IWC 8531 — A worthy movement
I left the shop with an IWC dress watch in solid 18K yellow gold with an automatic caliber 8531 beating inside. According to this informative post, the 8531 movement hails from a family of automatic movements widely hailed by watchmakers. Calibers 8531 (date) and 853 (no-date) were used extensively in IWC’s Ingenieur. An improvement on the preceding 852 series of movements, the 853 and 8531 debuted in 1958. Caliber 853 remained in production until 1963, and the 8531 stuck around until 1964. IWC produced a total of 140,400 units of both the calendar and non-calendar movements.
The whole series began with IWC’s caliber 85 in 1950. It would then lead to the 852, 853, and 854 movements. The “1” tacked on at the end indicates a date function. Caliber 85 used the now-famous Pellaton winding system, in which rollers oscillate between an eccentric cam, which causes two clicks to ratchet against a saw-toothed winding wheel. The benefits of using a Pellaton winding system were significant. Not only did it efficiently wind the movement, but it was also easy to disassemble when it came time for a service. IWC produced some 8,400 caliber 85s before introducing the caliber 852 in 1952. According to this article, caliber 8531 is a 13-ligne (29.0mm) movement with a 5.6mm thickness, 21 jewels, and a 19,800vph frequency. It also features a Breguet hairspring, Reed’s regulator, and Pellaton winding. The nominal power reserve is 44 hours.
Moving to the watch
Long story short, the 85 series of calibers was a significant commercial and technical success for IWC, showcasing the brand’s capability in making a rugged automatic caliber beloved by watchmakers. And now we come to my specific watch. An interesting element of calendar-equipped models like mine is how the date window was designed to sit inside the hour markers instead of among them, which helped provide dial symmetry. I quite like this, and it’s a shame more brands don’t do this in the modern era.
This is the first time I have ever owned a gold watch. You see, gold watches had never strongly appealed to me. Something about the shine of gold never really had me hooked. I have always gravitated more toward stainless steel dive watches, so a dressier gold watch certainly hadn’t crossed my collecting mind, so to speak.
That feeling of wearing a gold watch
That was until I saw and tried this watch on. There is something quite elevated about having a solid gold timepiece on the wrist. It just feels good. This watch’s hands are also gold, and they contrast beautifully with the silver dial. The pie-pan dial also helps provide another element of three-dimensionality, which I love. A nice touch is the beautiful IWC fish logo on the crown. I certainly wouldn’t take this watch swimming, though. The case has a very wearable 35mm diameter, and wears perhaps a little larger, like a 36mm watch.
Then there is the noticeably different heft of a solid gold watch. It provides a feeling of assuredness. The luster of the gold also changes depending on the light conditions. I tried to photograph this watch in slightly darker, overcast lighting to help capture the dark luster yellow gold can provide. Plus, the beautiful IWC script with its italic style pops in this subtler lighting.
Concluding thoughts
It seems appropriate that, having returned a ring that symbolized a personal commitment, I would come away with a very special timepiece instead. This IWC feels truer to who I am — someone who appreciates IWC and the philosophy this brand took to watchmaking in the middle of the last century. It also just makes me feel good to wear it, and isn’t that one of the best features of these little mechanical joys we wear on our wrists?
This watch will have special significance because it represents a new and exciting chapter. It’s the sort of watch I’d be proud to pass down decades from now. And no doubt, if I take care of it, the watch will still be ticking strong for many years to come.
