Good afternoon, my grand father gave me this watch just prior to his death
back in 1986. I kept it safe in my bureau, for 37 years as a memory of him,
and only recently have I discovered that it might be one in a thousand
originally made. The crown is different to any of the other watches I have
seen, can anyone tell me why?
Kind regards,
Stewart
Looks to me that a pocket watch crown has been fitted on the watch instead of
the usual Onion or big crown.
Thank you Mark, I have sent the watch for authentication, hopefully IWC will
pick up on whether the crown is original or not.
Good morning Shoaibba,
Unfortunately the only evidence that I have that attaches itself to the watch is an equally rare 'Observers Badge'. The Observer's Badge _Beobachterabzeichen _was a German military decoration that was awarded before and during the war to members of the Luftwaffe. They qualified for the badge after completing two months of qualifying service and five operational flights in the role of observer, navigator or bombardier; also, it could be awarded after a member of the German Air Force was wounded while acting in the capacity of an observer during a qualifying flight.The one I possess points toward a manufacturing style that took place towards the end of the war, which makes me think that my watch had seen quite a lot of action and may explain a repair at some point in its life. The watch is in the condition that my Grandfather received it in.
I am waiting for records from the war office, these will allow me to track my Grandfathers movments during the Second World War. I expect that his only movements in France were towards the end of the war and would tie in the above comments.