The IWC Mark XVII - Redesigning a classic

How do you redesign a classic? Very carefully.  

The new IWC Mark XVII. Photo is from the Ace Jewelers

and is used with their permission. All rights to the use of this picture is

 reserved by Ace Jewelers and no republication of the same should be made

 without permission from Ace Jewelers. Ace Jewelers is a family run company with three stores located in the City of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The IWC Mark XVII announced in January 2012 can trace it heritage back for almost 70 years beginning with the IWC Mark X.

IWC Mark X. The first IWC Mark watch, the Mark X, was based on order from the British military. In the early 1940's the British Ministry of Defense put out a specification set for rugged military watches to supply its troops. Several manufacturers including Longines, Jaeger LeCoultre (JLC), Omega, Lemania, Eterna and the International Watch Company (IWC) supplied Mark X watches starting in 1944.

IWC Mark X

The appearance of the IWC Mark X was similar to the Mark X watches of other manufacturers, with the main differences being the shape of the hands and case. The elements of the dial were nearly identical across the different Mark X watches. The dial featured Arabic numerals, running seconds were displayed in a sub-dial and the watch had "train tracks" around the sub-seconds chapter. Even the IWC manufactured Mark X's came with four different configurations which varied a little, in the design of the hands and dial.

IWC Mark XI. The Mark X was used as a basis for another watch designed for the British Military. The Mark XI was built based on specifications for the British Royal Air Force in 1949. The Mark XI also marked the transition of the watch from a durable watch to a dedicated pilot's watch. Inside, an inner soft iron cage was added which shielded the movement against magnetic interference. The crystal was redesigned, with a screwed ring to prevent it from detaching from the case during sudden depressurization. The contract for the manufacture of the Mark XI watches was awarded to IWC and JLC.  

Mark XI watches were also purchased by the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, South African Air Force and the British Overseas Airways Corporation (now British Airways).

IWC Mark XI

The most apparent changes in the design are the center mounted seconds hand and emphasis on illumination at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock positions.

The Mark XI would continue to be used by the Royal Air Force for 32 years, until they were decommissioned in 1981, with the Royal Air Force moving on to quartz watches. IWC stopped producing the Mark XI in 1984.

IWC Mark XII, XV and XVI. The IWC Mark XII was the first commercial variant of the watch, IWC having relaunched the design and Mark name in 1993. The Mark XII added a date display to the watch at the 3 o'clock position which replaced the 3 numeral, but the design retained the elements of the Mark XI dial. 

In 1999, the Mark XV was replaced the Mark XII in IWC's line-up. The major difference between the design of the Mark VII and Mark XV being an increase of the case diameter from 36.5 mm to 38 mm. 

In 2006, the IWC Mark XVI was announced, replacing the Mark XV. The 6 and 9 numeral were dropped from the dial and the watch moved to a new larger 39 mm case.

IWC Mark XVI       

  

IWC Mark XVII. The IWC Mark XVII represents the first major redesign of IWC Mark watch in almost two decades. 

IWC Mark XVII

The diameter of the Mark XVII case now stands at 41 mm, which would be in keeping with contemporary standards of how big a gentleman's watch should be. The only substantial change in the design of the dial is the date display.

Instead of the stark unadorned aperture located at the three o'clock, you now have a window displaying three dates. The current date is located in the middle and is indicated by a small red triangle. The design of the date window is nothing new. We have seen IWC use a window displaying three figures in watches like the IWC UTC watches, although in that implementation the window displays the second time zone. 

These simple changes do make substantial differences in the look of the dial of the watch. It highlights the date display in a subtle manner, instead of other options like encasing the aperture in a white gold or silver colored frame. The small red triangle, adding a dash of red to what has traditionally been a bi-color, and stark, black and white design. Overall IWC's new Mark watch, has ayounger, fresher and more contemporary look to it, without detracting from the professional no-nonsense look of the design. 

About IWC. IWC or the the "International Watch Co. Schaffhausen" was founded by an American engineer from Boston, Florentine Ariosto Jones, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in the year 1868. IWC Schaffhausen is notable for being the only major Swiss watch factory located in eastern Switzerland, as the majority of the well-known Swiss watch manufacturers are located in western Switzerland.