British Military IWC Mark 11 RAF Pilots Watch, 1952 — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Watches of Knightsbridge · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 6 · Image: Watches of Knightsbridge · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

British Military IWC Mark 11 RAF Pilots Watch, 1952

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: IWC (maker)
Date: 1952
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Switzerland
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: Stainless Steel
Dimensions: Diameter 37 mm
Dealer: Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London
Stock no.: CUR127
Credit line: Dealer listing, Watches of Knightsbridge (CUR127)
Catalogue title (original): British Military IWC Mark 11 RAF Pilots Watch (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London (stock number CUR127), this is a wristwatch by IWC, made in Switzerland, dated 1952. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless Steel. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 37 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Watches of Knightsbridge

British Military IWC Mark 11 RAF pilots wristwatch issued in 1952. The Mark 11’s are one of the most famous Royal Air Force issued watches and known for their high quality even by today’s standard. These watches were far superior to any commercially made civilian watch at the time which shows the importance of the British Military contract for IWC. The watch features a robust manual wind cal. 89 movement with “hacking” seconds function engraved with the military arrow. The movement is housed in an antimagnetic iron cage including the dial. Overall this example remains in excellent original condition with a few minor battle scars to the case.

Specifications — Watches of Knightsbridge

Metal: Stainless Steel; Movement: Cal. 89 Manual Wind; Case diameter: 37mm; Bracelet/strap: Brown Leather NATO

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Military, pilot and travel watches

The wristwatch owes much of its adoption by men to warfare and aviation. Wristlets — small pocket watches soldered with lugs and worn on a strap — were used in colonial campaigns and became standard equipment in the First World War, with protective grilles over the crystal ('shrapnel guards'). Louis Cartier's Santos (1904), designed for the aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont, is often cited as an early purpose-made pilot's watch.

In the Second World War governments specified watches in detail: the German B-Uhr observation watches, the American A-11, and the British 'W.W.W.' (the 'Dirty Dozen' set of 1945). After the war, jet travel brought GMT and world-time watches, which show two or more time zones at once — Louis Cottier's world-time mechanism and the Rolex GMT-Master (1955) are examples.

What to look for

Military markings on the case back: broad arrow, issue numbers, 'W.W.W.', 'A.T.P.'
High-legibility black dials with luminous Arabic numerals; oversized crowns for gloved hands.
24-hour hands and rotating 24-hour bezels or city rings on GMT/world-time watches.
Wire lugs on early wristlets converted from pocket watches.

Dating clues

Wire-lug wristlets: c. 1900–1925.
Military specifications of the Second World War: 1939–1945.
GMT and world-time wristwatches: mainly after 1950.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Mechanisms mentioned

No escapement or complication is named in the source record. See the encyclopedia for how such pieces work.

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryRecorded
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsRecorded
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Watches of Knightsbridge — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"British Military IWC Mark 11 RAF Pilots Watch, 1952." Watches of Knightsbridge (dealer), London, CUR127. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/british-military-iwc-mark-11-raf-pilots-watch-1952-c284b6.