Lot 93

IWC / Intern. Watch Co.

Mark XI

An aviator's vintage wristwatch of the British Royal Air Force

Thomas König, the IWC military watch specialist has provided the following information about this watch:
It is evident that the hands and dial of this watch are not from IWC; the dial is from a Hamilton 6B-9101000, and the hands are probably from a Cyma w.w.w. watch.

In 1948 IWC designed new aviator's watches for England, they were used in different air forces in the United Kingdom. Equipped with the today legendary manual hoist movement "Kaliber 89", they promised the highest possible reliability under toughest circumstances and protection against magnetic influences in the cockpit without corrupting the preciseness. The testing circumstances according to which the "Mark XI" had to survive extreme tests during 648 hours before delivery were also unprecedented. The reliable IWC "Mark XI" was also used as expedition watch, as it accompanied for example Sir Edmund Hillary and Mr. J.H. Miller, who was navigator in chief of the "Ross Sea Expedition" on their strenuous expedition to Antarctica.