• Apprentice
    1 Feb 2025, 1:31 p.m.

    Hello there!

     

    I have a question on dials on Calibre 8541: When did IWC start using the "double logo" variant?

     

    I am talking about the dials that have the applied "IWC" and the printed, long "International Watch Co." script. I understand that these were used on Cal. 8541 watches, which were introduced around 1964. But did IWC use applied logos right away? I associated them with late 60s/early 70s...

     

    A little bit of background and why I ask this question:

     

    I have two IWCs with Cal. 8451 that are around the same age by serial numbers. But one has a "double logo", the other one doesn't:

     

    Ref. 808:

     

    Movement: 175xxxx

    Case: 177xxxx

     

    Ref 809:

     

    Movement:176xxxx

    Case: 175xxxx

     

    Accoring to moeb.ch's DateYourIWC, both of them get very similar "birthyears": Calibres are 1964, cases up to '68. Most likely 1964 or 1965 watches.

     

    Now, I ask myself if the double logo dial on the 809 is a later replacement? Or did IWC just put dials on movements that were available at the moment (and everything is correct here)?

     

    Yours,

     

    montreshistoriques

     

     

  • Master
    2 Feb 2025, 11:24 p.m.

    Date of production is not date of sale...which opens a margin...post '67ish it wasnt too difficult to get a dial exchanged at service if a customer was aggrieved a more exotic offering had hit the market shortly after purchase.

     

    Other older models minus date were IWC'd to sit in the shop window with date models only available with IWC insignia...irrespective of the date being a completely different though slightly related ref...in short it was plum in the middle of the coming quartz scare.