IWC SOLD-IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph original tritium IWC service Full Set

SOLD-IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph original tritium IWC service Full Set

€7.000,00
Brand: IWC
Model: Doppelchronograph
Reference: 3711
Gender: Male
Year: 1996
Material: stainless steel
Dial Color: Creme white
Dimensions: 42 mm
Watch Movement: automatic
Bracelet/Strap: new alligator leather IWC strap
Box/Paper: Full set box and papers and service papers
Condition: Excellent original condition

WRIST ICONS presents the IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph with all original tritium as a complete full set and has just been serviced at the Richemont/IWC service center . This is one of the most important and iconic neo vintage watches of the nineties.

This beautiful IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph comes with a new black IWC alligator strap and 3 WRIST ICONS premium seatbelt NATO straps of choice. The watch comes as a full set with original wooden box, papers and certificate sold almost 25 years ago in Munich. List price which is also on the price tag (and I checked it in old Armband Uhren Katalogs that I have from the late 90s) was 9900 Deutsche Marken.

The IWC Doppelchronograph is such an iconic IWC; it is a big chunky pilots watch with a beautiful military styled dial for increased visibility and it comes with a perfect highly complicated split seconds chronograph movement.

The dial is what this piece makes a true neo-vintage masterpiece. From 1997 onwards manufacturers began to fade out tritium dials and replaced them for dials with Luminova as a luminous material to indicate the time during night. These old creamy tritium dials are often replaced during service for later Luminova dials which have bright white hour markers and hands, in my honest opinion ten times less interesting & less attractive.

The IWC Doppelchronograph is a beautiful watch to use as a daily wearer and looks great worn on the traditional black alligator pilot style leather bracelet, but is also a match made in heaven with WRIST ICONS premium NATO seatbelt straps.

 

History of the IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph

This notorious IWC 3711 doppelchronograph is a neo vintage icon. This watch introduced in 1992 was the first mass produced split seconds chronograph. At the time Günter Blümlein was responsible for IWC. This legend later also helped with the resurrection of A. Lange & Söhnes. These 2 companies and Jaeger leCoultre were managed by the firm Les Manufactures Horlogères, which, in 2000, Blümlein sold to the Richemont Group for over 3 billion CHF.

Under the reign of Blümlein IWC became a very interesting brand since they introduced many high complicated watches at the fraction of the prices of the established trinity of watchmaking.

IWC turned into a value-oriented connoisseur's brand. It made a perpetual calendar, a split-seconds chronograph, and even a grand complication – and it built all of these complications on the backbone of the humble Valjoux 7750.

 

What is a split second chronograph?

A split-seconds chronograph is a twist on the chronograph, which is itself a complex mechanism. A distinctive feature of these watches is the two – instead of one in typical chronographs – sweep seconds hands. This feature makes it a very nice watch to play with as an owner. Its just really cool to see the seconds chronograph hand catch up with the first chronograph seconds counter.

The split-seconds chronograph is used to time different events that begin but do not end together. As a normal chronograph can time a single event, the split-seconds chronograph allows a person to time multiple events – or parts thereof, such as laps – at once.

A traditional split second chronograph is very difficult to manufacture since its is very difficult to adjust and regulate and can only be done by the most experienced watchmakers.

It is usually made with a column wheel. To run the extra seconds hands there is an additional chronograph wheel placed directly above the central chronograph wheel. This extra wheel – the split-seconds wheel – sits between two pincers.

 

Design of the Doppelchronograph movement IWC caliber 79030

For the doppelchronograph Blümlein got the help of Richard Habring who developed a very nice chronograph module which they put on the Valjoux 7750 base movement. This module used a cam instead of a column wheel for both the chronograph as well as the split seconds function. It was designed very robust and is shock resistant as well very reliable and durable. Due to this lay out the movement was way more easy to produce since a column wheel designed split second chronograph required more fine adjusting.  

Another big advantage of this new caliber was the use of a new production process. It was one of the first complicated movements that made use for the manufacturing of parts of CNC machining. This allowed smaller tolerances and better reliability.  

 

Design of the 3711

Besides the clever movement it was a very attractive watch. The chronograph movement was cased in quite big 42mm stainless steel case with as very nice satin kind of finish. The dial and hands were designed with cues from its predecessor the IWC MKIX pilots watch. On top not was a very interesting rounded domed sapphire crystal (which was actually flat in the later execution the 3713).

 

Marketing of IWC

In the late 90s early 2000s IWC began with a really great marketing strategy. Their ads were targeted on men with funny but very masculine text. The message was “Engineered for MEN”

IWC started a campaign which was quite similar to some of the edgy advertising from Porsche which featured statements like “Honestly now, did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Nissan or Mitsubishi?”, IWC took the machismo a step further with lines like “Almost as complicated as a woman. Except it’s on time”, and “Often seen on stewardesses’ bedside tables”.

Though they caused quite the stir, it was precisely this kind of boundary pushing that then-CEO George Kern (actually the youngest CEO when he joined IWC IN 2002)was known for, and the clout surrounding the much-loved brand continued to grow into what it is today.

 

Condition

This stunning example of this IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph has just been serviced by IWC and is in stunning condition. It has all the good parts what makes this a great looking vintage piece. The watch is worn regularly and the case is unpolished.

 Dial: This IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph features a rare original tritium dial and handset. During IWC service these tool watches had to be in immaculate condition. And the company policy in Schaffhausen is to get new Luminova dials and handset.. Therefore they swapped parts to keep the performance like new. Only on special request at Richemont (owner of IWC) service centers you can opt to maintain all original tritium parts. The matte black dial has original lume that has aged to a beautiful yellowish vintage color.

Hands: Original Tritium hands. The patina of the hands match the patina of the hour markers.

Crystal: The first series IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph has a rounded sapphire crystal which differs from its successor the 3713 which has a flat sapphire crystal..

Case: Case shows wear. (Please see pictures). The titanium bezel is rotatable in one direction, as is common in professional diving watches.

Crown: Original IWC crown

Bracelet/strap: New IWC alligator signed leather bracelet with IWC steel buckle. Comes also with the 3 WRIST ICONS NATO straps which you can choose...

Movement: Just serviced by the Richemont service center. Caliber 79030 Running perfectly with 2 year service warranty. The watch carries the self-winding IWC caliber 79030 based on Valjoux 7750 with a date disc, polished decorations and circular Côtes de Genève finishings. The movement features 29 jewels and a bi-directional central rotor, beating at 21.600 A/h, with a power reserve of 44-hours. The movement is clean, and during the time of testing the watch was fully functional.

Accessories: The full set of this IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph significantly increases its collector's value. The watch comes with its original square wooden box,  instruction manual, hangtag. The serial numbers on certificates and service papers are all correct.

Notes: Absolutely stunning example of a super desirable IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph with an attractive dial and original hands. Very hard to find these in this condition.

Overall, the IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph is noteworthy, both for its design and execution. This IWC 3711 Doppelchronograph is remarkably well preserved. 

As with all of our pre-owned watches this watch comes with a full 12 month warranty with ourselves that will be invoked from the day of purchase.

Viewings can be arranged at our office by appointment.

Specifications:

Brand:                   IWC

Model:                  Doppelchronograph

Reference:             3711

Serial number:        26191xx (1996)

Movement:             mechanical automatic in-house self-winding Calibre IWC 79030 with 29 jewels

Functions:             date, hours, minutes, center seconds, split-seconds chronograp

Features:               unrestored dial, original lumes

Case Diameter:       42 mm

Lug Width:            22mm

Case Material:        stainless steel

Crystal:                 sapphire

Bracelet:               IWC signed alligator leather bracelet with IWC stainless steel buckle. Comes also with 3 WRIST ICONS premium seatbelt NATO straps

 

 

 

12 month warranty
authenticity
safe
14 day returns