To kick off its 150th Anniversary celebrations IWC presents a tribute to the Pallweber, its first digital jumping hour watch.

by James Buttery

IWC holds its Pallweber pocket watches, first released in 1884, in such high regard that it lists them alongside the Portugieser and Aquatimer as the watches that helped shape the company.
The watchmaker from Schaffhausen has even opted to honour the digital jumping hour watches as part of the brand?s 150th Anniversary celebrations in 2018, although this time as a wristwatch.

 
In June 1884 IWC?s second owner, Johann Rauschenbach-Schenk, signed a deal with Salzburg watchmaker, Josef Pallweber, to secure the rights to his Pallweber digital jumping hour mechanism, which displayed the hours and minutes as numerals within apertures rather than using hands and dials. The resulting Pallweber pocket watch became IWC?s first watch with a ?digital? display but the energy required for toothed cogs to advance the numeral discs – especially the single minute disc which advanced once every 60 seconds – meant power reserve was limited. Over the next six years, the International Watch Company produced around 20,000 examples of the design before ceasing production.
As a centrepiece to the brand?s 150th Anniversary Jubilee Collection, IWC has recreated the historic design as the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition 150 Years. Presented in a 45mm 18ct red gold case with substantial wire lugs and a flattened onion crown, the m...