Ahead of its Time: IWC Aquatimer 812 AD

The early Aquatimer 812 AD is a thing of austere beauty, very unlike the shouty models of today. They may easily be mistaken for other (lesser) super compressors, but make no mistake: this is one serious bit of kit. For their first ever diver, IWC utilized the famous cal 8541 with Pellaton winding system from its Ingenieur series. It’s a beast. This movement was housed in an incablock shock system and this gorgeous, subtle 37mm super compressor case. These are still largely under-appreciated, but collectable; production numbers remained very low in this reference.

A very reputable dealer, S. Song presents this example. The matte dial has only gently greyed. Its lume is entirely held together and better than most. Often, the inner rotating bezel will grey fasted than the dial. Here, they are quite well matched. It comes on its original Gay Freres bracelet. The case shows signs of polish, but not a botched job. The crowns and markings are correct. It’s cal 8541 looks not a day old. Certainly, a specimen worth consideration.

Find it here for 20000 USD.