IWC Yacht Club
Introduced in 1967, the IWC Yacht Club was part of a new line of watches from IWC. They were meant to appeal to customers who would appreciate a function tool watch that they could also wear in more formal settings, like a club. IWC released a trio of these watches, each meant for a specific consumer. The Yacht Club, Golf Club and Polo Club all had specific qualities that made sense for the sport they were intended for. Of the three models, the Yacht Club proved to be the most popular and is still manufactured and sold today. Updated models introduced in 2010 include a wide range of styles and complications, making this watch perfect for yachting connoisseurs worldwide. The Yacht Club was the best-selling watch for IWC in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Pellaton Automatic Winding System
The original 1967 IWC Yacht Club (811AD) featured the dependable Calibre 8541B, which featured an innovative mechanism known as the Pellaton Automatic Winding System. Thomas Gaümann, the director of movement development for IWC, described the challenges with traditional automatic winding systems. He said, “From a design point of view, the difficulty lay in converting the rotor’s bidirectional movements into a unidirectional winding motion that would put the mainspring under tension.” The Pellaton Automatic Winding System addresses this issue in an ingenious way by using a heart-shaped eccentric bearing-mounted disc. Gaümann explained further: “The rotor’s smallest movement in either direction is used to wind the mainspring.” The Pellaton Automatic Winding System has been continuously updated with new material science developments. In 2009, the system benefited from the use of ceramic in its parts to reduce wear. The modern Calibre 52000 features the automatic wheel and pinion made from black ceramic. Gaümann explained: “As a result, the interaction between the pawls and the wheel is now virtually wear-and-tear-free.” It is amazing to think that Pellaton’s improved winding system, invented many decades ago, is still relevant today.
Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph
In 2010 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie watch show in Geneva, Switzerland, IWC revived the classic Yacht Club name with their new Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph (IW3902). The newly updated Yacht Club featured something that the original 1967 model did not: a chronograph. The chronograph mechanism is made possible by IWC’s integrated chronograph movement, Calibre 89360. The subdial layout for the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is somewhat unusual but works very well. The center of the dial includes the hands for the running hours and minutes, as well as the chronograph seconds, and at 6 o’clock a subdial indicates the running seconds. So far, this is similar to the chronograph dial layouts we see widely used in the watchmaking industry. The difference is at 12 o’clock, where a subdial indicates both the chronograph hours (up to 12) and chronograph minutes (up to 60) coaxially. This space-saving measure works very well in terms of dial symmetry, leaving ample space for the model name (Yacht Club) at 9 o’clock and the IWC Schaffhausen logo at 3 o’clock.
Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide
In 2020, IWC introduced a new version of their famous Yacht Club timekeeper, called the Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide (IW344001). As you can guess by its name, this incredible watch features a complication that keeps track of and indicates the current moon phase and tide status. At 12 o’clock, a subdial indicates the moon phase in both hemispheres, as well as the strength of the tide (spring or neap). The tides of the ocean are strongly influenced by the phase of the moon, so this combination of indications on the dial makes a lot of sense. At 6 o’clock a similar subdial indicates whether to expect a high tide or low tide. These inventive complications make a lot of sense for the updated Yacht Club and are great to see on the 10th anniversary of the relaunch of this classic watch. The Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide is a large watch, at 44.6mm in diameter by 14.4mm thick. The case is made with a beautiful 18-karat pink gold and features a deep blue dial. Water resistance is respectable at 30 meters, but it is not advised to go diving in this watch. To round things off, IWC paired the beautiful gold case with a functional and smart-looking rubber strap.
IWC Yacht Club Pricing and Availability
The IWC Yacht Club has a lengthy history and a large variety of models available in the preowned market. Examples of the vintage 1967 IWC Yacht Club sell for about $1,000 based on condition. And examples of the modern versions of the IWC Yacht Club Chronograph sell in the range of $6,000 to $7,000. Some limited edition versions of the modern IWC Yacht Club can sell for more, for about $7,000.