
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
IWC Porsche Design IW3503 Ocean 500 Titanium
- Maker / attribution
- IWC (maker)
- Date
- c. 1990
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- titanium
- Dimensions
- Case 34 mm
- Stock no.
- Product 9604167205140
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Collectors Corner NY (product 9604167205140)
- Catalogue title (original)
- IWC Porsche Design IW3503 Ocean 500 Titanium (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York (stock number Product 9604167205140), this is a wristwatch by IWC, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1990. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: titanium. Recorded dimensions: Case 34 mm. The record is illustrated with 5 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 — Collectors Corner NY
Created by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche in 1980 and released in 1983, IWC's "Ocean 500" diver's watch is a slightly smaller counterpart to the 'Ocean 2000'. True to its name, it boasts water resistance up to 500 meters. Both models of IWC's Porsche Design 'Ocean' watch are now coveted among collectors, who value their historical significance as some of the first diver's wristwatches crafted entirely from titanium, as well as their timeless design and comfort on wrist. This 34mm variant, circa 1990 has remained in excellent vintage condition with a nicely patina'd dial, hand set and lume triangle at noon. The dial is co-signed by IWC and Porsche design. For anyone looking for an off the beaten path tool watch, this piece offers unique design language and feels ultra light due to its titanium integrated bracelet. Explore more of our vintage IWC watches .
Historical context
Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.
Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution
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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