
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Tiffany & Co. 18K YG 'Tortue-Style' Dress Watch By IWC, 1930s
- Maker / attribution
- IWC (maker)
- Date
- 1930s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- TIFCOIWC18K
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (TIFCOIWC18K)
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1930s Tiffany & Co. 18K YG 'Tortue-Style' Dress Watch By IWC (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number TIFCOIWC18K), this is a wristwatch by IWC, made in Switzerland, dated 1930s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 — Craft & Tailored
When we think of vintage Tiffany & Co. watches, the first examples that come to mind are the big-name brands with co-signed dials of the classic jeweler that have become famously sought-after for their rarity and charm. This piece, however, is a little different. While from the outside, it appears to be all Tiffany & Co, the watch itself was made for the jeweler by IWC and features a 17-jewel manual-wind movement by the beloved watchmaker inside. Movement aside, the 18k gold Tortue-style case is pure class, with its shapely curves and diminutive lugs. And the dial continues the vibe with large Arabic numerals, cathedral-style hands, and that tiny-yet-mighty Tiffany & Co type just under 12 o'clock. This is a time capsule, and a timely piece with the renewed love for all things Cartier (the brand that put the Tortue-style case on the map). Despite being nearly 100 years old, it exudes just as much style and panache as it did when it first came out. SPECS Stock # TIFCOIWC18K Brand Tiffany & Co. By IWC Style Dress Watch Model N/A Serial 24XXX Size Men's Material 18K Yellow Gold Dial Silver "Aged" Millimeters 29 X 29.5 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The handsome and thick 18K yellow gold tortue-style case exhibits evidence of gentle polishing in the past while retaining the attractive angles and dimensions intended by the factory with light signs of use present. The case retains its original unsigned crown. The snap-on case back is in excellent condition with only minor wear marks. The watch comes supplied on a two-piece handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The original silver dial has aged to exhibit some spots and light markings from age, coinciding with the age of the watch, though we believe this increases the vintage aesthetic and charm of the watch overall. The radium lume in the Arabic numerals has aged to a dark caramel color. The cathedral-style hands appear to have been professionally restored with radium in the past when inspected under UV light. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is keeping time, but the service history is unknown. A movement service can be provided upon request.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial 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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