THE FIRST OF 25...........

...Another extreme rare IWC Schützenuhr was brought to my attention by Rolf Birkenauer : The 1899 Baden ( near Vienna) IX Niederösterreichises Landesschiessen : the 9th shooting competition in lower Austria 1899. Rolf permitted me to show this watch on the Forum.
The Meis book does not reveal a lot about the figures ,depicted on this rare watch. On one side a gentleman with huge moustache is depicted : Erzherzog Rainer Protektor ( Archduke Border Protector).
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

....The other side ( sorry that the images have been reversed), show a lady with a huge riffle. Probably she is involved in leading the shooting competition. If any collector knows more about the background of these images : please comment!
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

Another grateful reader. Thanks, Adrian.

Keep the photo's coming. Nice stuff.

Amazing - and I note it's a color photo. So I assume that the box was in someones collection when photographed, as opposed to having been lifted/copied from an early pamphlet or promotional print (where the pictures were mostly line drawings in any case).

Good to know someone cares to be a custodian of it - for as you write Adrian, indeed I will never see another like it.

...Another Schützenuhr delivered by Rolf Birkenkämper.
It is probably the rarest IWC Schützenuhr as only 80 pieces were made.
Rolf says : " If you want to show my "lousy" Schützenuhr of Bremgarten, 1991, please go ahead. I bought it only because it is so rare." There is only one picture available....

......There are pictures and a story of this historical watch in the book of Reinard Meis. However the pictures are not very clear. Besides on pocket watches, the image to honour a special occasion like a Schützenfest, was also applied to medals. I found the medal that was issued for the 1891 Bremgarten, Schützenfest on the internet.
I show it because by far it is the best image used as well on the pocket watch.
It shows Hans von Hallwyl, a Swiss officer in the Canton of Aargau. Hans von Hallwyl(1434-1504) fought for the Habsburgs and the Kings of Bohemia and Hungary, even before America was discovered by Christophor Columbus in 1492.
On 22-06-1976 he led the victorians Bernese troops at Murten against the Burgundians under Charles the Bold. His device : " mit Gott zum sieg" (with God to victory).Images and text on these watches should be interpreted as part of history. I do not want to discuss any issue as it is the rule of this Forum to refrain from this.
As said, all of this is history, but for the Swiss, who had to fight for ages to establish their unique cantonal federal state, people like Hans von Hallwyl , Wilhelm Tell and others, are the heroes of their state...
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

OOPS!! a typo : 22-06-1976 should be : 22-06-1476 ( a difference of only 500 years)!
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

This thread is a wonderful thing...

Thanks Adrian and all.

I am very happy to learn more about these wonderful bits of IWC history.
Thank you.

Nelson

This is history and horological history to a tee...Thanks for your time Adrian.

Best Regards

Jimmy

Wonderful thread Adrian. Thanks so much for sharing.

Adrian, I Learn I learn!

Keep them coming. Wonderful posts thank you.

Hello friends of shooting PW's.

I found a picture with some more and some known shooting IWC pocket watches.

P.S: One is not a IWC Pocket watch

Thank you all very much for coming up with more information, details and images. It's great to see and learn from this thread.

Kind regards,

Clemens

I remebered, in my (...x/%&%**ç...) of IWC docs, there should be a doc on Schützenuhren. So I started to dig and found a doc, describing the Schützenuhr #24 from 1990 of the "Eidgenössischen Schützenfest Winterthur" a city apporox 25 km from Schaffhausen.
The Ferderal Shooting Contest (Eidgenössisches Schützenfest) takes (now) place only every 5 years. Between 1824 and 1910 it took place totally 40 times every 1 to 3 years. Then, between 1924 and 1979 it took place only 10 times. Since 1985 its is fixed to take place every 5 Years.
The new IWC PW's for shooting contests in the years 1979, 1985, 1990 and 1995 the shotting contest watch was built by IWC.

Here you see a page of the catalog from 1990:

A PDF-File of the complete Catalog, you can download HERE

If exists probably only in German...

Thank you Ralph...
The next Schützenuhr to discuss in this thread should be the Winterthur and you had probably the same brain wave! That is outstanding because the more we can learn, the better.
Here yo can see the real watch , a Savonette from 1990 in 18 kt gold. It is Ref. 5433 equipped with cal. 982. The weight is 118 grams, making this a heavy gold Pocket Watch....

..... The Winterthur watch was limited to 100 pieces. This one is no. 48. It was one of 4 modern Schützenuhren, together with Lucerne ( 1979), Chur (1985) and Thun(1995).
Here you can see its original white box made of a strange material that crumbles after many years exposure to light....