An early IWC military watch --signed Ulysse Nardin

Here's a vintage watch that appeals to military collectors. This has been discussed here years’ ago briefly, but I thought some of you might find the details to be interesting.

One of the earliest IWC military-issued watches was a pocket watch issued to the the US Army Corps of Engineers in World War I.

When you see the watch it doesn’t look like anything special:

[](www.iwcforum.com/)

In fact, when you look at the dial it says “Ulysse Nardin LeLocle & Geneve” (this one’s printing appears quite faded)

[](www.iwcforum.com/)

And the back shows its clear military provenance:

[](www.iwcforum.com/)

But when you open its case you’ll find a Porbus Scafusia stamp:

[](www.iwcforum.com/)

And the movement is clearly by IWC!

[](www.iwcforum.com/)

Actually, some of the Nardin Army Corps of Engineers watches were also by Vacheron Constantin. Apparently Nardin negotiated a contract with the US military but used other companies to supply the products. IWC produced some of these watches for Nardin.

Regards,
Michael

P.S. This one isn't mine. Its condition didn't make the grade.

The numerals also look like those on the...

1936 Pilot watch.

Nice, I really like it. Great story! nt

For those interested in these

watches:

IWC supplied more than 2,000 pocketwatches and a handful wristwatches via U. Nardin to the US Corps of Engineers.

The watch shown is no longer in its original condition.
(i) The numerals of the dial were painted with a greenish luminous, radium based compound.
(ii) The minutes and hours hands were skeletonized and as well filled with that luminous compound.
(iii) The silver case was not polished, but blackened (You can see some of the original colour on the pic with the movement). As this black coating tends to change into a ugly black and brown camouflage pattern in the course of the years, you normally will find no watches any longer in its original tone.

Besides Vacheron, who supplied more than three thousand chronos, IWC via U. Nardin was the biggest supplier of the CoE in WW I. Besides V&C, Nardin itself and IWC a lot of other well known companies supplied watches to the CoE, mostly as well via U. Nardin.

Greetings from Germany

Koenig

very interesting - thank you (nt)

wristwatch?

Interesting info Mr. Koenig, I hadn't realized that wristwatches were also produced. I would think these would have to be considered some of the earliest wristwatches produced by IWC. Are there any photos available?

Kind regards,
Michael

wristwatch?!

Sorry, no pics of the CoE wristwatches!

I know about them only due to an entry in the sales record clearly stating wristwatches Cal. 64 with radium based luminous.

Regards

Koenig

Quite interesting Michael thank you (nt)

wristwatch?!

Very interesting Mr. Koenig and a bit surprising that no such wristwatch has ever turned up, do the records state the number of pieces produced? Also, it was my understanding that it wasn't possible to accurately state when the first wristwatches were produced because records for Cal 64 production would not state what type of case the movement was used in. But it does seem that in this instance the use of the movement in a wristwatch was clearly stated...
Kind regards,
Michael

Additional informations . . .

. . . from the article: "COLLECTING IWC WATCHES, How to Recognize Vintage from Fakes" by Adrian van der Meijden and Hans Goerter page 8:

[i]This is also true rare pocket watches used by the American Corps of Engineers, which entered France at the end of WWI.
Among the extensive supplies the army ordered, were over 10,000 pocket watches of predominately Swiss manufacture.
ULYSSE NARDIN, one of the contractors, could not produce the large amount of watches fast enough. Sub-contractors were hired, among them IWC. The company delivered 2,200 watches to ULYSSE NARDIN. On the dial was depicted: ULYSSE NARDIN,LOCLE&GENEVE. The movement cases were produced by IWC (Koenig and Wagener, www.zeitwerke.com)
Also, THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS pocket watch is considered by collectors as a genuine IWC product.[i]

Thanks Hans, you always have good information. nt