Amsterdam watch company
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IWC Cushion Ref.1418

Not every sixties IWC was destined for a cockpit.

This IWC Ref. 1418 from circa 1966 shows a much dressier side of Schaffhausen. Instead of pilot-watch instruments and oversized cases, you get 31 mm of yellow gold shaped into a wonderfully soft cushion case. Round enough to feel classical, square enough to make you look twice.

The dial plays things considerably straighter. Its silver surface has taken on a warm tone with age, surrounded by black Roman numerals and a simple pair of dark hands. There is no date, no seconds display and very little text. For a watch with such an unusual case, the dial is refreshingly disciplined.

Inside sits IWC’s hand-wound calibre 422. It is a fitting engine for a watch like this: compact, manually wound and from an era when IWC was producing far more than the pilot’s watches it is so often associated with today. Ref. 1418 examples with this calibre are documented from the same mid-1960s period.

By 1967 IWC would launch both the Aquatimer and Yacht Club, moving decisively into sportier territory. This piece comes from just before that chapter and feels almost like the opposite proposition: gold, Roman numerals and an eccentric little case made purely to look good on the wrist.

A 1960s IWC with calibre 422 and a case that refuses to pick between round and square. Small, elegant and much more interesting than another conventional gold dress watch. Available at Reestraat 3, Amsterdam.

Year

1966
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€ 3.980

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Brand IWC
Diameter 31 mm
Model cushion
Bracelet/strap: Leather
Reference 1418
Buckle/clasp Aftermarket plated
Year of production (circa) 1966
Lug Width 18 mm
Material 18k gold
Set Content Watch only
Crystal Acrylic
Warranty 2 year (AWCo)
Dial color Silver
Movement Hand-wound

International Watch Company, better known as IWC Schaffhausen, was founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868. The company specialized in Aviation watches and is currently operating under the Richemont Group umbrella.

IWC introduced its first pilot’s watch in 1936. An inner rotating pointer could be used to keep track of take-off times and the escapement was anti-magnetic, to cope with the magnetic fields from the cockpit instruments.

In 1939, two Portuguese distributors ordered a large wristwatch with pocket watch movement and another iconic IWC line was born: the Portugieser. Today, particularly the dressy Portugieser chronographs are popular among IWC aficionados.

When Europe plummets into WWII, IWC is commissioned by both sides of the conflict to supply military watches. The two best-known examples are the Dirty Dozen field watches for the allies and the big pilot, known as Beobachtungsuhr or B-uhr, for the German Luftwaffe. The latter would form the design template for the later Big Pilot range.

Towards the end of WWII, IWC developed a new military movement, known as Cal. 89. When the war ends, the tough caliber is fitted to civilian watches. The Cal. 89 watches, many in classic Calatrava style, remain popular among collectors until today. In 1948, the Cal. 89 is fitted to the Pilot Mk XI, another popular vintage reference.

1955 Saw the introduction of another influential IWC model: the Ingenieur. IWC used its expertise in magnetic resistance to manufacture a watch for engineers and scientists, working with magnetic fields. This is two years after Rolex introduced the Milgauss for the same clientele.

In 1967, IWC branches out into water sports. The Aquatimer is introduced as a serious divewatch. The more casual Yacht Club is launched alongside for all-purpose daily wearing.

IWC remained innovative, being among the early adopters of the brand new quartz technology, for instance. But the house also recognized the value of heritage, building on its historic Pilot and Portugieser ranges. The result is a broad scope of all sorts of watches, for all sorts of people. Through it all, IWC maintained a reputation as high quality watchmakers.

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