IWC In-House vs. ETA Movement Accuracy Debate

ripper444 · 2019-08-08T08:19:04Z

IWC owner ripper444 discusses accuracy issues with in-house movements versus reliable ETA-based calibers, sparking a debate on movement quality.

ripper444

WPS member · IWC forum

26 replies8307 views3 photos

ripper444 shares his candid experiences with IWC's in-house movements, sparking a discussion about accuracy and reliability compared to ETA-based calibers. His decision to trade an in-house chronograph for a 'Le Petit Prince' edition with a Valjoux 7750-based movement highlights a critical debate among collectors regarding movement provenance versus real-world performance.

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So I am going to stick with my personal experiences and they are that IWC in house movements are just not accurate. I have owned in some form or another a watch from almost all their lines and the only reliable/accurate ones are the modified ETA versions.

I experienced both the Mark spitfire and the current Chrono version and can say both were horrible in time keeping. The Chrono version went upwards of +12 a day and the little Mark would lose -10/12 while the power reserve was not at 100%. I also experienced the Chrono hand jumping back then forward. Or had to press the Chrono pusher 2 time before it started. It was intermittent but in either case I didn’t want to deal with warranty work. The in house offered no tangible benefit.

So I decided to trade my Chrono in and got the le petite prince.

I like the look of both equally. Size wise it’s not too much of a difference and both are around same thickness

What are your thoughts? Which do you prefer? Which movement do you like?

Key Points from the Discussion

Modern IWC pilot's watches with Sellita-based movements can achieve chronometer-level accuracy (+1s to +2s per day), while vintage in-house movements like the Cal. 853 and Cal. 89 are considered superior to newer in-house offerings.
Some IWC in-house movements, such as the 8-day manual wind and chronograph classic, maintain good timekeeping (around +5 seconds per day) but may show decay near the end of their power reserve.
Valjoux 7750-based chronographs from IWC have a reputation for inconsistent accuracy, often running fast, and sometimes do not improve significantly even after IWC servicing; independent watchmakers might achieve better results.
The 'Le Petit Prince' edition, often equipped with a Valjoux 7750-based movement, is praised for its reliable timekeeping and aesthetic appeal, with its blue dial being a particular favorite.
The perception exists that Richemont Group's influence has led to a homogenization of 'in-house' calibers across its brands, potentially diminishing the unique benefits of IWC's own movements.

The Discussion

Dmitriy

Aug 8, 2019

I like the Prince better. Like calibre on base ETA - IWC 79320. [nt]

reintitan

Aug 8, 2019

I don't have any watches with the latest modern in-house IWC movements so can't comment on those

But I do have these modern pilot's watches from IWC with Sellita-based no-date movements and they keep chronometer time. +1s to +2s per day. I also have a vintage Ingenieur ref. 666 from the late 1950s with the in-house cal. 853 which needs a service so I can't really qualify it as a bad timekeeper until it gets serviced. But vintage IWC in-house movements like the cal. 853 and cal. 89 are probably in a different league from these new movements. They were designed and built back when IWC was tru

ripper444

Aug 8, 2019

Love those pics. Great watches

I have had a few big pilots including the new ones. A few yacht clubs. Both new spitfires. I think Richmond group ruined their brands by making them share generic “in house” Calibers. I’m happy with Valjoux 7750 in this one!

reintitan

Aug 8, 2019

Thanks ripper

Yep, I think IWC is really good at using the Valjoux 7750 and ETA movements since their what I call "technical era" (1980s to early 2000s). That's when they came out with the great watches from their Porsche Design collaboration, classic Mark-series of pilot watches and later the GST line.

ektaylor

Aug 8, 2019

That's too bad, but IWC's 7750-based pilot watches are terrific.

I have two IWCs with in-house movements, 8-day manual wind and chronograph classic, both Portuguisers. Not sure how relevant these are to your experience, but both keep good time although they’re both tuned to run fast, ~+5 seconds per day. The chronograph does decay significantly near the end of its power reserve, but I don’t think that’s unusual, unless you’ve been spoiled by watches with Breguet overcoils. Also, in my experience with (3) 7750-based IWCs, although they can be tuned to run very

Ron_W

Aug 8, 2019

Both my IWC Pilot UTC 3251 with modified 37526 as my 7 day Portugieser with inhouse 51010 run very steady with -6 and + 2 sec p/day. - 6 seems slow but it the same every day.