Wristwatches · Wristwatch
IWC Polo Club SL Steel Integrated Bracelet by Gerald Genta ref 1831, mid 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- IWC (maker)
- Date
- mid 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- steel
- Dimensions
- Case 38 mm
- Stock no.
- W-2030
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-2030)
- Catalogue title (original)
- IWC Polo Club SL Steel Integrated Bracelet by Gerald Genta ref 1831 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-2030), this is a wristwatch by IWC, made in Switzerland, dated mid 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 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 — Bulang & Sons
Round and integrated and interesting… This is a very unusual and seldom-seen integrated sports watch by IWC that was designed by the master of this genre, Gerald Genta. The 38mm round steel case remains in outstanding condition and even has the case back sticker intact. The rare dial has a glossy black finish with cool black date wheel and glorious tritium in the hands and the hour markers. This watch really is a 10/10! The watch has an integrated steel bracelet that will fit a wrist size of up to 18cm that is in awesome condition – the clasp is really stiff still. We do not believe that this watch been worn more than a few times. The automtic movement has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications: - IWC Polo Club 1831 - 38mm steel case - Movement serial 215xxxx dates to the mid-1970s - Rare black glossy dial - Cool white font on black date wheel - Automatic Calibre 8541B movement - Original steel integrated bracelet - Fully servicedby our watchmaker - One-year mechanical warrantee - Includes a handmade leather watch pouch
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
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
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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