IWC Yacht Club 18K ref. 811A, 'Brushed' Grey Dial

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The International Watch Company. Founded in 1868 in Switzerland by an American, IWC Schaffhausen enjoys a rich history in watchmaking, spanning complicated pocket watches, to pioneering wrist watches made of out experimental materials. Be there no doubt, the most popular and well-known family of watches from the brand is its 'Pilot' line, which began in the first half of the twentieth century and now offers a simply massive variety of models with different materials, sizes, movements, etc. You name it, they have it. What is slightly lesser-known are models like the piece that we have here, a Yacht Club. Introduced in 1967, IWC's goal was to fill a market gap and create a watch that could be right at home in elegant or more formal setting, but also had sporting elements like water-resistance, an automatic-winding movement, etc. The name says it all, really. Yacht Clubs, like so many models, would eventually be offered in a variety of shapes, sizes, and metals, with the example that we have here being crafted out of solid yellow gold. Dating to circa 1965, this Reference 811A is a very early example. The 'tonneau'-style case is a versatilely-sized 35mm in diameter and has a screw-down caseback. It is offered in strong overall condition, with correct proportions and showing normal signs of wear from age throughout. Inside, the 'brushed' grey dial it beautifully preserved and seemingly devoid of any of the usual degradation found on colored dials from this era. It features both applied indices with black inserts and Tritium plots on the outside, which remain fully-intact and evenly patinated. The handset has matching black inserts and Tritium within. Powering this piece is IWC's automatic-winding Calibre C.8541 with a date, which can be operated by the signed yellow gold crown at the 3 o'clock position. While by no means a forgotten family of watches, the Yacht Club is a historically significant gem from IWCs history that, like when new, functions beautifully as an everyday vintage piece fit for virtually any occasion.