Grandfathers Watch

I just got a hold of my grandfathers IWC. He was given it from his wife when he got his commission in the Army. My father seems to think he got it sometime between 1939 and 1941.

the watch looks very similar to, but not exactly like this one on the right.

www.iwcforum.com/Catalogs/1941-42Grey/PAGE_06.JPG

it has the same large numbers and appears to have a glow-in-the-dark paint on the numbers and the hands.

I'll try to get a picture of it up on the forum as soon as I can.

but first a couple of questions:

1. has anyone ever seen one of these before, I've looked at a bunch of vintage IWC sites and have never seen anything close to it.

2. I need to have it serviced, the face needs to be cleaned and I need a new band. Should i ship it to IWC or find a local watch repair shop? What should I budget for this?

3. what's the value of the watch? I have no intention of selling it, just merely my curiosity.

Does it look like any of these?...

Does it have "ANTI-MAGNET" written in the dial and "hermet" stamped in the caseback, and seconds in center? If it does, it is a Ref 304 with cal 66 from the early 1940s. If it has seconds at 6 is still a Ref 304 but with cal. 83.
Date - early to mid 1940s If you can give us the case and movement numbers we can be more precise.
I will email you my opinion re value, when you confirm it is a Ref 304.
Excellent vintage IWC heirloom. Congratulations.

I love the right one

It is almost a spitting image of my first watch from 1960, I showed it on May 25. So, this was a fairly common appearance of a watch in the old days? Of course, the IWC is bigger, the Avia is about 30 mm.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

Does it look like any of these?...

It looks very similar to the one on the left, the only things thats different is there are no tick marks for the minutes around the dial. Is there a special tool I would need to get the case open to get the numbers or should I just take it to a shop to get them? It does have anti-magnet on the face and something that looks like hermet on the back, tough to tell.

I'll get a photo up later tonight

Feel free to email me with your opinions on the value.

Any ideas about repair/cleaning costs?

Thanks,

Joe

Thanks so much for your info

It may be a Ref 304 then...

but a picture of the dial and of the case back, along with the case and movement numbers would still help.
If you never opened a watch before, I would not open that one. The case back is a very tight fit - it is hermetic (hermet). Have a technician do it for you.
Once you know the case and movement numbers you can order an Extract from the Ledger in this site and, for 60 CHF, you will have all the relevant information about your grand-father's watch.
The dial - it is my personal opinion that the dial must not be touched, unless it is very damaged. The patina of age in an original dial of a vintage IWC is actually very desirable.
The movement - if the watch is functioning but has been idle for may years in an dry environment, all it may needs is a good cleaning. There is no need to send it to IWC for that. Any AD will have a technician capable of that job.
Looking forward to seeing those pics and then I may be able of giving you a ballpark figure on value.

It may be a Ref 304 then...

Here is a not so good pic of the watch

There is nothing stamped on the back upon closer inspection, there is just a ding that I thought was the hermet stamp

Also, it says anti magnetic, not anti magnet.

Thanks for your help

Picture

It may not be a Ref 304 after all..

but we will only know if you get the Extract from IWC, which I suggest you do. It is cheap and it will tell you all you are asking about the watch, except its monetary value.
As far as I can see, the dial is in excellent condition for the age. You should leave as is, IMHO.

It may not be a Ref 304 after all..

My only concern as far as the condition is the corrosion on the minute hand

Would you recommend having that cleaned?

I'll def order the extract from IWC once I get the numbers from the insides of the watch

Corrosion on the minute hand...

may be a tricky thing to fix without damaging the luminous paint, which you should not do.
In those days, IWC used Radium 226 based paint for the watches to glow in the dark. It had the advantage over the materials used today of always being luminous without needing a previous exposure to light. The problem is that - it is radioactive. The radiation from one watch is not significant, apparently one gets more radiation from a tooth X Ray. Is was, however, very significant for those making the paint, those painting the dials, and those handling many of those watches.
You may have to find a good watchmaker specialized in restoring vintage watches to eliminate the corrosion. I doubt, but can't be certain, that IWC still have those hands in stock. To find that, you may have to send the watch to Schaffhausen after all.

Just brought it in for service

Just dropped off the watch at a local watch repair shop. Got the movement and case numbers, they seem to date the watch somewhere around 1945, which is a little later than I expected, but we'll see what comes out of the ledger extract, which I'm going to order sometime this week.

they are charging $250 for the cleaning and service on the watch. Does that seem high or low?

thanks

My Ref 304s are from 1943...

and were originally sold to Sweden.
$250.00 for service without replacing any parts is on the high side, IMHO.