Overview
During World War II, IWC was one of twelve brands commissioned by the British Ministry of Defense to produce mil-spec watches meant to be worn by soldiers in the field. IWC’s contribution to the “Dirty Dozen” was the Mark X, a beautiful time-only watch equipped with arabic numerals, sword hands, small seconds, and the hand-wound caliber 83. The Mark X was decommissioned in 1948 and replaced by the now famous Mark XI. This new pilot's watch contained several upgrades to the dial and movement, including the iconic triangle lume plot at 12 o’ clock, a paddle hour hand, central seconds, and the chronometer grade caliber 89 — now protected by an anti-magnetic soft iron shield. The Mark XI remained in service until the 1980s where it was phased out and ultimately unreplaced by the MoD.
No longer commissioned by the military, IWC sensed an opportunity to offer a Mark series watch to the general public and in 1993 released the Mark XII. The newest version kept many of the same dial features as the XI save for the removal of the British Broad Arrow on the dial and the addition of a date window at 3 o’ clock. IWC also replaced the movement with the high-end automatic JLC caliber 889/2 (branded as the IWC 884/2), and the watch came fitted with either a black calfskin strap or an 11-link beads of rice bracelet in a matching satin-brushed finish. The Mark XII would end up being very well received, and has become a highly important watch in IWC’s history as it laid the foundation for subsequent iterations of the civilian pilot's watch that are now the brand’s most distinctive and recognizable offering.
Specifications
Brand:
IWC
Model:
Mark XII
Reference:
IW3241-01
Year:
1990s
Case Number:
2731370
Case Material:
Stainless steel
Diameter:
36 mm
Lug Width:
18 mm
Thickness:
10.6 mm
Lug-to-Lug:
44.2 mm
Dial:
Black
Lume:
Tritium
Crystal:
Sapphire
Movement:
Automatic
Caliber:
IWC 884/2
Bracelet/Strap:
IWC stainless steel bracelet
Max Wrist Size:
7.25 in (24 links)
Hand model has a wrist size of 6.2 in
Condition
Case: The satin brushed case shows light signs of wear in the form of a couple hairlines and tiny nicks throughout. The overall impression is clean. The lugs are nice and strong, with excellent definition at the edges. The polished top portion of the bezel remains crisp and shows several tiny scuffs, hairlines, and micro nicks. The caseback condition is consistent with the rest of the watch, showing light signs of wear throughout. The model and serial number engravings remain sharp and deep.
Dial, Hands, & Crystal: The matte black dial is in nice overall condition, but shows imperfections with tiny portions of the tritium hour markers at 9 and 12 o'clock having chipped away. The polished hands are in excellent condition with fully intact tritium and faint signs of oxidation under a loupe. Both the dial and hands exhibit no lasting glow when exposed to UV light. The sapphire crystal shows micro wear under a loupe, but remains clean overall with no major blemishes.
Bracelet/Strap: The IWC stainless steel bracelet is in fantastic overall condition with minimal stretching and hardly any marks outside of very faint surface wear to the links near the clasp. The clasp itself is clean with no major marks. The logo engraving remains crisp and detailed.
Performance
Functions: All functions including the crown winding, time setting, and quickset date are working as expected.
Service History: The watch underwent a full service by Superior Watch Service that was completed on 02/11/2025.
