Inherited IWC Identification Help Please

Greetings all,

Sadly, I have recently inherited my grandfather's Schaffhausen wristwatch and I am unable to identify much about the watch and so any help would be greatly appreciated.

I took some pictures to share but sadly, I am just not smart enough to figure out how to post them here. So really the first order of business is can anyone tell me how to post pictures here for people to help me identify this watch.

My first thought was to take the watch to the local IWC dealer here in Las Vegas. Sadly, once the gentlemen realized I was not there to buy a watch but attempting to identify the original watchband to my grandfather's watch, he, another salesperson, and the manager did everything they could to get me out of their store as quickly as possible. I supposed I would have been less offended had there actually been anyone else in the shop.

Here is what I do know

1: The watch is stainless steel
2: The watch has a white dial
3: Numerals from 1 - 12 surround the watch dial in gold lettering with gold dots between the numbers
4: The watch has a sweeping second hand radiating from the center of the face.
5: Below the 12 are the words: International Watch Company and below that, Schaffhausen
6: There did not appear to be any numbers on the movement.
7: The movement is stamped International Watch Co & Swiss
8: The case inside
a: Has a round stamp in the center reading Produs IWC CAFUSIA(?)
b: Below the round stamp appear to be a hand scratched number reading either SS799Z1Z followed by a circle with a + symbol inside or 55799212 again followed by a circle with a + inside
c: The words Acier inox appears to be stamped but is difficult to read. I assume this means Stainless Steel
d: Lastly is a stamped number of 1154922

Apart from the general details of what I have, what I would like to know more then anything else is where, when, and to whom this watch was first sold.

If anyone can give me any insight or leads I may follow, I would greatly appreciated the contact.

David Schmerin
BottledVideo.com
info@bottledvideo.com
01-213-228-1626

<edited>

Thank you, I will look into this. In the mean time I saw another of your posts with this photoIf you were to remove the secondary second hand dial and replace it with a sweeping second hand attached where the main watch hands attach, you would have the watch I am trying to identify. Of course I could not tell from your photo if the watch pictured in stainless steel.

Best regards

dastimerkeeper,

are u a seller on a well-known auction/selling site ?

do note that any posts here and help rendered is done so 'bona fides', in good faith, so there should be no misrepresentations on your's or anyone's part.

Well said Shing.

Well I am not sure the reason for the question but no, I am not a seller on any well known / less known / unknown auction sites. I am just some guy from Las Vegas trying to identify my Grandfather's watch. I thought I was clear in a previous post. I have no interest in selling the watch what ever it may actually be. Like everyone else I just want to know what it is.

Best regards

Seems posting pics to Facebook and linking in does not work...

However here is the link to my Facebook pictures if anyone is willing to have a look.

www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.265232406894455.80063.100002230934240&type=3&l=07db8049c8

Sorry, I will get the pics posted somewhere later today.

Cheers

We do need a photo to know more, and also the serial number of the movement (I assume 1154922 is the case number). Your watch is probably a so-called calibre 89 (that's the type of movement) from about 1948.

Google "IWC vintage catalog project", where you'll find my page showing old IWC catalogs. See if your watch is shown there.

Here are the pictures for my Grandfather's watch. My special thanks to Michael Friedberg for his help so far.

Cheers

The movement looks like a Cal 89, as Michael guessed. You might be able to see a number down between the plates that would lead to certainty.

Hard to tell from photos, but it looks like a refinished dial. Many of the dials from this period have been refinished, so that in itself is not highly unusual. It is still a very nice watch and a wonderful family keepsake. You should value it.

The reason for the question about the auction site is that this is a very friendly site populated by wonderful folks who always try to help, especially in answering questions from new posters. Unfortunately, there have been a number of recent incidents where someone asked a question, members here did research and helpfully provided information, only to find that used in an auction site post the next day, sometimes in an incorrect or misleading way. Nobody was accusing you of anything at all, but it's hard not to get gun-shy after several such incidents. Hope you understand.

Well that would certainly explain a bit...

Having said that, my sincere thanks to those who have helped. The watch does appear to be a Cal 89 c.1946-48.

This watch is a personal family treasure and will be kept in the family for many years to come. My grandfather was a great man and with this watch I honor him.

What I want to find now is the history behind the watch. Where and how did it come to be my grandfather's. Given the time period my grandfather would have been in Palestine. After the war, most of what was left of my family tried to make their way to the Canada and US.

Because the Stainless Steel markings on the inside of the back case is not in English, I am certain he acquired this watch prior to coming to America. And so now I wonder... Could this watch have been bought in Palestine at that time? If not where could he have bought the watch? It is possible he did not buy the watch and received the watch as a going away gift from friends and family left behind. Is that even something that would have been done at that time?

I now have so many more questions that identifying the watch itself is proving to be the easy part.

Based on the little information I was able to obtain here ( Cal 89, c.1946) I did a Google search for IWC Cal 89 Stainless Steel 1946 and proceeded to browse 1000's of images. In so doing I found some site who sold a watch just like the one I have. There was not much information just that the picture looked spot on as it were. So I feel while the face is most assuredly redone by now, it does look as it should (at least enough for me)

And so the quest for information continues and I thank you all for your help!