Vintage IWC Pre Hermet watch, in 14k yellow gold, black gilt dial, Cal 83 manual, black leather strap on a wrist on black background

Close-up of a Vintage IWC Pre Hermet watch, on a textured blurred surface

Vintage IWC Pre Hermet watch, in 14k yellow gold, black gilt dial, Cal 83 manual, black leather strap held in hands on blurred background

Vintage IWC Pre Hermet watch, in 14k yellow gold, black gilt dial, Cal 83 manual, black leather strap on a wrist on black background, video

Vintage IWC Pre Hermet watch, in 14k yellow gold, black gilt dial, Cal 83 manual, black leather strap, detail video

IWC Pre Hermet 14k Black Gilt 1940

Name: IWC Pre Hermet 14k Black Gilt 1940
Brand: IWC
SKU: #1292
Price: 7500.00 EUR
Availability: OutOfStock

€7.500

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Description
BRAND HISTORY

1940 IWC Pre Hermet 14k Black Gilt – A Rare Survivor from the Golden Era of Watchmaking

Elegant, oversized, and nearly impossible to find — this 1940 IWC Pre “Hermet” is a remarkable artifact from the golden age of Swiss horology. With a large-for-its-time 36.5 mm solid 14k yellow gold case, it was designed with both innovation and aesthetics in mind.

The Hermet name reflects its patented dust- and moisture-resistant construction, a technical advancement well ahead of its era and our model seems to be a Pre Version of the 1938-40 release Hermet. The gilt dial, untouched and evenly aged, radiates vintage warmth with crisp Arabic numerals and original hands, framed by a partially recessed crown — a discreet nod to the thoughtful engineering within.

Originally made for the U.S. market, this watch features a case by Les Fils de Jules Blum, and houses the IWC Caliber 83, recently serviced and running strong. Few watches from the pre-war era combine design, rarity, and preservation quite like this one.

A collector’s time capsule — built with purpose, worn with elegance.

- wrist size in our picture is 18cm circumference -

DIAL:

original never touched gilt dial in good condition
developed slight and even patina throughout the dial
original hands & crown

STRAP & BUCKLE:

black GOLDAMMER KARDINAL Alligator Embossed Leather Watch Strap / 2 mm thick
gold plated GOLDAMMER buckle

CASE:

excellent overall condition, showing minor traces of use
3- body 14k yellow gold case with snap-on case back from case maker Les Fils de Jules Blum
36.5 mm (without crown) / 42 mm (lug-to-lug) / 17 mm (between lugs) / 9.5 mm thick
Year: 1940
total weight: 43 g

MOVEMENT:

International Watch Co. Cal. 83 - manual
17 jewels, 18000 A/h, 44 hours power reserve
professionally serviced in 11/2025
+25 sec/d / 330°

BOX & PAPERS:

GOLDAMMER certificate of authenticity & service documentation card
GOLDAMMER box

GOLDAMMER REFERENCE: #1292

IWC

Founded in 1868 by American engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen, IWC — International Watch Company — has always walked its own path. While most Swiss maisons clustered in the west, IWC brought innovation to the north. Precision, technical excellence, and clean industrial design became the pillars of its identity.

IWC doesn’t chase trends. It builds instruments — for pilots, engineers, explorers, and thinkers. And that utilitarian DNA has given birth to some of the most iconic vintage watches of the 20th century: the Big Pilot, the Ingenieur, the Portugieser. Each one a response to a real-world need, and yet each executed with a sense of minimalist beauty that collectors revere.

There’s a quiet toughness to IWC. You feel it in the oversized crowns of their aviation watches, designed to be operated with gloves. In the anti-magnetic shielding of their 1950s Ingenieurs. In the deep-water engineering of their Aquatimer divers. These were watches made to perform — and made to last.

Today, vintage IWC watches are treasured for their clarity of purpose and unpretentious excellence. No flamboyance. Just clean lines, perfect proportions, and movements built with integrity. They're for the kind of collector who appreciates substance over showmanship.

To wear a vintage IWC is to wear intention. It says you value precision. Heritage. Quiet power. It’s a watch for those who see beauty in function, and elegance in simplicity.

Whether it's a mid-century dress piece, a Cold War-era tool watch, or a classic chronograph — IWC proves that true luxury doesn’t need to shout. It just needs to work flawlessly, decade after decade.

And in a world full of noise, an IWC vintage watch is a statement of restraint. Understated. Enduring. Always in control.