• Greg Steerpanorama_fish_eye
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 22/03/2001
    12 years

    A gentleman must have run into hard times in 1885 and had to pawn his watch. This is from The St Paul Daily Globe, Saturday Morning, September 12, 1885.

    www.gregsteer.net/IWC/I_Images/Simon_1885_header.jpg

    Listed among the gents watches

    www.gregsteer.net/IWC/I_Images/Simon_1885_IWC.jpg

    I'm not sure if there are earlier indications of the cost of an IWC, this one at US$140.

    Cheers from the cellar

  • Mr. kenneth laycockpanorama_fish_eye
    Connoisseur 〚✅〛

    Member since: 18/04/2011
    12 years

    "Those were the days"
    Kenneth.

  • Mr. Alan Rosspanorama_fish_eye
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 29/05/2003
    12 years

    Not really. $80 in 1885 would be equivalent to about $1,750 today. $140 would be about $3,050.

    i69.photobucket.com/albums/i49/lndblr/96bb9c5fa0b01af8eb6901723a7de240.jpg
    i69.photobucket.com/albums/i49/lndblr/994fa11c18daae50f998cf68d17664d9.jpg

  • Mr. Jarrod Gillpanorama_fish_eye
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 09/05/2012
    12 years

    What would it be worth today???

    Cheers

    Jarrod

  • dzulpanorama_fish_eye
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 14/11/2008
    12 years

    Interesting posting, Cellar! It is always a pleasure to see you here! I miss your weekly contributions and I hope you are doing well!!!

    Best regards,
    Jim

    "We are the other people, we are the other people...you're the other people
    too!"
    Frank Zappa

  • Michael Friedbergpanorama_fish_eye

    Member since: 23/07/2010
    12 years

    First I found this extremely interesting. It's the first I've seen for values of Jones watches. Thanks, cellar, for the contribution.

    On values back then, it's really hard to calculate. One source said the following:

    Current data is only available till 2012. In 2012, the relative worth of $80.00 from 1885 is:

    $1,990.00 using the Consumer Price Index

    $1,830.00 using the GDP deflator

    $10,800.00 using the unskilled wage index

    $17,200.00 using the Production Worker Compensation

    $18,500.00 using the nominal GDP per capita

    $97,900.00 using the relative share of GDP


    On values today, the market is thin and irregular. I once bought once for under $1000 and have one, virtually new, that one expert estimated at $10,000. I'd say that most I see are in the $2000-5000 range.

  • Mr. Bob Bunnikpanorama_fish_eye
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 22/08/2001
    12 years

    Greg, fantastic find and certainly a different angle to the great history of IWC!

    Groeten,

    Bob

  • Clepsydrahelp_outline
    Master 〚✅〛

    Member since: 04/08/2001
    12 years

    This is a very interesting story in which an IWC helps the owner survive through hard times, but is not the only one.
    About 100 years later the Portuguese residents of Benguela, Angola, fled the city (1975) because of the civil war. They used their IWCs, Ingenieurs, Aquatimers and Yacht Clubs, among other easily tradeable goods, to finance their return to, and settling in Portugal. No pawn brokers, nor ebay.
    These watches keep showing up for sale in Portugal, and are now all over.
    The prices shown are in Angolan Ecudos, are outrageously high.
    i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii236/costadaguia/Ref866Ingadv.jpg

    “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”
    Mark Twain