Wristwatches · Wristwatch
IWC Automatic Date, ref. R825A, TV Case With A Silver Sunburst Dial, 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- IWC (maker)
- Date
- 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- silver
- Stock no.
- vws3988
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3988)
- Catalogue title (original)
- IWC Automatic Date - Reference R825A - TV Case With A Silver Sunburst Dial - 1970s (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3988), this is a wristwatch by IWC, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
IWC Automatic Date T.V Case round dial in a steel case - model ref R825A International Watch Company, or IWC, was founded in 1868 in Switzerland by Florentine Ariosto Jones, who is an American. IWC has gone through many different ownerships in its time, such as the Rauschenbach family. IWC has been used in many different areas, such as aviation and diving. What's on offer This piece is one that very much captures the spirit of the 1970s, with its distinctive old TV- shaped case and its round dial that contrasts with the shape of the case, and its plexiglass crystal makes it feel more durable. The dial excellently displays the date as its black outlined hands are complementary to the black date. The fully silver design of it also helps to complement the watch's aesthetic. It comes with a textured black leather strap in very good condition. Powering the watch is an automatic C8541B 23j calibre movement. The IWC signed crown is flushed or inset to the case which helps to make it feel more square. Apart from a couple of small dings on the case, the watch is in impressive condition despite being made over 50 years ago.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Automatic (self-winding) watches
Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.
What to look for
- A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
- 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
- A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.
Dating clues
- Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
- Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
- Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.
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.
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