Surprise from IWC purchase

U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E!

It is the first evidence of time travel. Trust IWC to make it happen. :)

'It happens. I am not sure whether your unique watch is worth more or less in the used market. I speak as one with a certified Ref666 with just 59 minutes. I also have an early Portuguese with a spelling mistake. They can be easily rectified, to me they have greater value as they are.

Ralph, I must ask, how do you have only 59 minutes? Pic please.

One of the minute markers is missing between 12 and 1 o'clock, if I recall.

I would never give that dial away. I would have asked for dial replacement at the most, keeping the original one for me.

Ha, if it was a Rolex! LOL!

would certainly be interesting if you'd post IWC reply here...
some of the skeptic forumers that doubt that such a 'typo' could ever happen would certainly be interested in the manufacture's response...

Been about a week after sent a watch back. Still waiting for official response, other than Australian arm of Richemont group forwarding my complaint back to HQ.

To be honest, I can understand mistakes can happen but at the same time I do expect good quality from brand like IWC.. (I'm not buying $50 watch am I..)

I guess IWC's responsibility goes far as replacing a watch, but I will wait and see what they would do. I've also ask to keep my dial, but I guess IWC might want this to be destroyed from the world ASAP..

Anyways, I will keep posted wherever I can. Not a fun time for me when I was overly excited to get my first IWC watch then end up waiting for responses and replacement.. Sigh..

You are not by any chance from Sidney?

Kind regards,
Paul

Stranger things have happened..
[](s111.photobucket.com/user/oneredtrim/media/Ref866Ingadv.jpg.html)

Did'nt the mis-spelt PP bring multiple times over book, i seem to remember it did.

That is an amazing advertisement from what I believe is pre-independence Angola... Do you happen to know the year?

The advert dates from the early 1970's, probably 1972.
Colonial Benguela was "awash" with IWCs, Ref 182s, Ref 666s, Ref 866s and Ref 811s. Herr Pantli visited Mr Carvalho there in the early 1970s.
There is an, yet unconfirmed, story that the Benguela residents, fleeing the civil war that followed Angola's independence, used their IWCs as currency to sustain them in their perilous journey to Windhoek, then Southwest Africa, onward to Portugal.

Amazing... Thanks for the great (although sad) background story, António!

I wonder what happened with most of those wonderful pieces...

In my opinion you should get the watch for free. I mean they should replace the watch and return your money. That would be a nice move from IWC and would brush up their imago.

Well Jeronimo,
this is a 866 from this AD in Benguela which reached Central Europe.


I don't know its history after the civil war but my 866 came from the Iberian Peninsula.

Kind regards

Below mine, a blue 866 that has also passed the hands of Mr. de Carvalho...

/Anders

Extraordinary! Thanks Hajo and Anders for letting me know. What an amazing history these two pieces of yours must have... And its great to know that they finally ended up finding proper homes!

'I wonder what happened with most of those wonderful pieces'...
Regards,

Jeronimo

Perhaps what happened with the missing quarter baton would be more topical (especially given that lots with missing furniture have been noted pre the advert being shown/known).