THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: IWC
MODEL: MKXI
YEAR: 1952
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 36mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND

Introduced in 1948 through a partnership between IWC and Jaeger-Le-Coultre (JLC), the Mark XI was designed to meet the stringent requirements of the British Ministry of Defence, resulting in one of the best military timepieces ever produced. The Mk11 was introduced into the RAF and the FAA (Fleet Air Arm) in 1949 and into the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) in 1950. Both IWC and JLC produced these watches, but, after purchasing around 2,000 Mk 11s from JLC in 1949 the RAF decided to stick with the IWC Mk 11 from 1949 to 1953 when the last RAF orders were placed.

This example has undergone past polishing but still retains a respectable case. The screw-down case back is engraved with the broad arrow, 6B/346, and issue numbers 820/52, dating the watch to 1952. It features an iron black dial - which is significantly thicker than standard wristwatch dials as per MoD specifications - and remains in excellent condition with tritium-painted Arabic numerals and hands. These were early replacements by the MoD and IWC after radium was discontinued for watch use in 1951.

The calibre 89 movement has been fully serviced by Simon Freese and includes our standard 12 month warranty. It is performing exceptionally well with a timekeeping of +4 s/d, 320 amplitude, and a beat error of 0.5.