THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: IWC
MODEL: IW3751
YEAR: c1999
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 39MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
At Falco, one of the questions we’re asked most often is: “What still represents good value in the vintage or neo-vintage world?” While value is inherently subjective, there are certain watches that make such a compelling case that even the most sceptical watch nerds would struggle to argue otherwise.
Among the strongest candidates are perpetual calendars from the 1980s and 1990s. For years, watches like the Audemars Piguet Quantième Perpétuel and the Patek Philippe 3940 could be bought for a fraction of the price of their much simpler—and originally much cheaper—stainless steel sports counterparts. In recent years, they have finally begun receiving the attention they deserve, with steadily rising prices to match. Even so, one could argue that at £40–50k, the Patek 3940 still represents exceptional value, particularly when compared to the modern 5327, which costs roughly twice as much.
Which makes it all the more remarkable that the three perpetual calendars from IWC that we added to our fleet this week are all priced around—or even below—the price of a modern Rolex ceramic Submariner. The story began with an idea pioneered by the great Kurt Klaus. The legendary IWC watchmaker devised a perpetual calendar system that eliminated the usual cluster of correctors and pushers (often operated with a cocktail stick, as many perpetual calendar owners will know). Instead, his ingenious module could be adjusted entirely via the crown. It automatically accounts for the varying lengths of months and leap years, requiring virtually no manual intervention beyond keeping the watch running.
The ref. IW3750 debuted at Baselworld in 1985 and marked the beginning of IWC’s remarkable lineage of perpetual calendar watches, a collection that many credit with helping save the brand during the difficult years of the 1980s. Ten years later, in 1995, the ref. IW3751 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Rattrapante was introduced, with the split-seconds chronograph mechanism co-developed by Richard Habring. It is a slightly scary thought when you compare the price of a Patek Philippe 5004 with that of an IW3751 today… Regardless, we are simply grateful these watches were made. Production lasted only four or five years before the reference was replaced by the IW3754.
The case on this example has been beautifully preserved, showing only minor marks throughout, while the original white dial remains pristine. The split-seconds chronograph (just in case you're timing your eggs and tea at the same time) is beautifully demonstrated by the blue and red chronograph hands. The movement came to us freshly serviced and is running at +4 s/d, with 288° amplitude and a 0.2 ms beat error.
The toughest part about stocking these neo-vintage IWCs is having the discipline not to keep them ourselves. Such remarkable watches.