IWC

IWC / Intern. Watch Co.

An aviator's early, antimagnetic vintage wristwatch of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 1948, IWC designed new pilot's watches for the Royal Air Force (RAF). These pilot watches were used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Australian Air Force (RAAF), the New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), the British Overseas Airline Company (B.O.A.C., the predecessor of British Airways) and in civilian versions. The Royal Air Force purchased around 7,400 Mark 11 watches between 1949 and 1953. 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 11' had to survive extreme tests during 648 hours before delivery were also unprecedented. The reliable IWC 'Mark 11' 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. This watch comes from Konrad Knirim's extensive collection of military timepieces.