Buy an IWC · South Florida · by appointment
Buy a pre-owned IWC with the calibre named, from the person who inspected it.
Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino, Ingenieur. Every IWC in my case is listed by its IW reference, its calibre, and its case size, with the card, strap, and service history that came with it. See it in your county or by photos, video, and a call.
- Manufacture or supplied calibre identified from the caseback reference
- Edition casebacks, straps, and buckles checked and listed
- Authenticated in person before it ships, guaranteed genuine
- Hand delivery in South Florida, insured FedEx across the USA
Who this page is for
Two IWCs can look the same and be different purchases.
Buyers come to me for an IWC with the family chosen and the hard part left: a Portugieser Automatic 7 Days or the smaller Automatic 40, a Mark XVIII or a Big Pilot, a chronograph on the old Valjoux base or the in-house 69000, and whether the edition caseback is worth paying for. This page answers those from the buyer's side.
How IWC references are read for condition, the IW reference on the caseback, My IWC registration, the editions, the straps, all of that is on my sell page for IWC and its Portugieser and Pilot's Watch pages. I link it rather than repeat it. Here you get what to check before you pay, which calibre families change the purchase, how an IWC gets into my case, and when to search instead of wait.
No prices on this page. IWC's secondary market moves reference by reference, and a figure printed here would mislead you. The catalog carries the numbers for what is in the case.
Buying an IWC from a private dealer
What you get that a listing cannot give you.
The calibre, named
The IW reference on the caseback tells me whether the watch carries a seven-day 5000-series, an 82000 or 69000 in-house calibre, or a supplied 30110, 35111, or 79350 base. I list it so you pay for the movement you think you are buying.
Editions read for what they are
Top Gun, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince, Saint Exupéry, and the numbered anniversary casebacks are listed with their edition box and papers, or with a plain note that those are missing.
Registration that follows the watch
A My IWC registration extends the warranty well past the standard term, and the extension transfers. I list whether a watch is registered so you know what coverage comes with it.
Seen before you pay
By appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach, or by photos, video, and a call anywhere in the USA. Nothing ships until you have seen it.
Guaranteed genuine
Every IWC I sell was authenticated by me before it was listed: caseback reference, serial, calibre, card. The known history is in the listing.
Before you pay for any IWC
Six things to check, wherever you buy.
I check these before an IWC reaches my case. If you are buying elsewhere, check them yourself.
The IW reference and the movement agree
IW followed by six digits names the family, calibre, and material. On a display back, the calibre engraving should match. A 3714 should hold a 79350; a 3716 should hold a 69355.
Case size against your wrist
The Portugieser 7 Days is a wide 42 mm; the Automatic 40 is a true 40 mm. The Big Pilot was 46 mm for years and is now also 43 mm. The Mark XVIII and XX are 40 mm. Try the size before the reference.
Service papers from IWC
IWC service documents list replaced parts. On a seven-day calibre, ask when the Pellaton winding was last serviced. An unrecorded independent service is unknown history.
Card and My IWC status
The warranty card dates the first sale. Ask whether the watch is registered in My IWC and whether the previous owner's account has released it; the extension transfers only if it has.
Brushed case and sapphire edges
IWC cases are mostly satin-brushed with polished bevels; a buffed case reads as altered. On a Portugieser, check the crystal edge and the applied numerals for lifted feet.
Strap, buckle, or bracelet
A Santoni calf strap with an IWC buckle or deployant on a Portugieser; riveted calf, textile, or a steel bracelet on a Pilot's Watch. The bracelet with its links adds the most. Ask what is included.
How buying works here
Four steps, one person.
01
Choose from the case, or ask
Browse the IWC references in the catalog. If the family, calibre, or edition you want is not there, tell me and I search my private network for it.
02
See it
By appointment, Monday to Saturday, in your county or at my Brickell office. Out of state, I send photos and video of the watch in hand and I walk you through it on a call before anything ships.
03
Pay and take delivery
I hand-deliver in South Florida. Elsewhere in the USA the watch ships FedEx Priority Overnight, fully insured, signature at both ends, in discreet unbranded packaging.
04
Inspect it yourself
Remote purchases come with an inspection window on arrival, stated in the terms. If the watch is not what the photos and the call described, it comes back.
A buyer's decision
Portugieser Automatic 7 Days or Automatic 40.
The two time-and-seconds Portugiesers most buyers weigh. Same dial language, different watches on the wrist and in the movement.
| Criteria | Automatic 7 Days (IW5007) | Automatic 40 (IW3583) |
|---|---|---|
| Case | 42 mm and thick enough to hold a seven-day barrel; wears large | 40 mm and slimmer; the closest modern IWC to the original 1939 proportions |
| Calibre | 52010 with Pellaton winding, ceramic components, and a seven-day reserve shown on the dial | 82200 with Pellaton winding and roughly sixty hours of reserve, no reserve indicator |
| Dial | Small seconds at six, power reserve at three; the busier, more collected layout | Small seconds at six only; cleaner and closer to the Jubilee look |
| Pre-owned supply | Deep, including the earlier 5001 with the 5000-series calibre | Newer, introduced in 2020; fewer examples and most still under card |
| Service consideration | A larger, more complex calibre; ask when it was last at IWC | A simpler movement with a shorter history; less to ask about |
| Who it suits | A buyer who wants the seven-day complication and a presence on the wrist | A buyer with a smaller wrist, or who wants the Portugieser under a cuff |
If you want a chronograph instead, the decision is the 3714 on the supplied 79350 against the 3716 on the in-house 69355. The Portugieser sell page sets out both.
The detail
Buying an IWC pre-owned, decision by decision.
Seven-day calibres and what they change for a buyer
IWC's reputation rests on its seven-day automatics: the 5000 series in the early Portugieser Automatic and Big Pilot, then the 51000 and 52000 series with ceramic parts in the Pellaton winding. For a buyer, a seven-day calibre means a thicker case, a power-reserve display, and a movement that should go to IWC for service rather than to a general watchmaker. The 82000 series in the Automatic 40 and Big Pilot 43 keeps Pellaton winding in a smaller package. The supplied bases, the 30110, 35111, 79320, and 79350, are reliable, cheap to service, and sold at a different level. Know which you are paying for.
Pilot's Watch: which reference fits you
The Mark series is the everyday pilot: the Mark XVIII 3270 at 40 mm with a supplied calibre, and the Mark XX 3282 from 2022 with the in-house 32111 and a longer reserve. The Big Pilot is the oversized crown and the seven-day calibre: the 5002, 5004, 5009, and 5010 at 46 mm, and the 3293 at 43 mm from 2021 for buyers who wanted the look without the span. The chronographs run from the 3777 on the 79320 to the 3881 on the in-house 69380. The Pilot's Watch sell page takes each in turn.
Editions: when the caseback is worth paying for
Top Gun in ceramic or Ceratanium, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince in blue, Saint Exupéry in brown, and the numbered anniversary Portugiesers trade in their own groups. An edition is worth paying for when it comes with its edition box, papers, and strap. An edition caseback on a watch with a generic box and no papers is a standard watch with an engraving. Ask for the full set before you pay the edition premium.
What to check before you pay, wherever you buy
Read the IW reference on the caseback and confirm the calibre matches, through the display back where there is one. Read the card date. Ask whether the watch is registered in My IWC and released from the previous account. Look at the brushing in raking light. Check the applied numerals and the crystal edge on a Portugieser; check the crown action and the inner case on a Pilot's Watch. Ask for IWC service papers.
How an IWC gets into my case
I buy every IWC in person or on my own insured label and inspect it the day it arrives: reference against calibre, serial against card, case brushing under a loupe, strap and buckle or bracelet counted, edition set confirmed. If a seven-day calibre is due for service, it goes to IWC before the watch is listed and the papers come with it. The listing names the reference, calibre, size, registration status, and what came with the watch.
Catalog or a commissioned search
If the IWC in the case is the family and size you want, buy it. If you want a specific edition, a Big Pilot in a particular dial, a 3714 in a colour IWC no longer makes, tell me. I source through a private network and buy for you only after the same inspection a catalog piece gets. Editions can take time to surface complete; I will not promise a date.
When buying an IWC from me is not the right call
If you want a current Automatic 40 or Mark XX in a standard configuration, a boutique will sell you one new with a full warranty and the registration in your own name, and that may serve you better. If you want a discontinued reference, a complete edition set, or one person who inspected the watch and will deliver it by hand, that is what I do. A trade toward the IWC is credited after the same inspection.
Questions, answered
Before you buy an IWC
Can I see the watch in person before I pay?
Yes. By appointment, Monday to Saturday, in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach, or at my office in Brickell. Bring your wrist; the 42 mm Portugieser and the 46 mm Big Pilot are decided there.
Does the My IWC warranty extension transfer to me?
It can, if the watch was registered and the previous owner's account has released it. I list the registration status on every IWC so you know before you pay.
Do you sell to buyers outside South Florida?
Yes, anywhere in the USA. Photos, video, and a call before it ships, fully insured with signature required, and an inspection window on arrival stated in the terms.
Can I trade my watch toward an IWC?
Yes. Send the trade details through the appraisal form. It is inspected and credited against the IWC, from the case or sourced.
Buy an IWC
See what is in the case, or tell me which IWC you want.
Every IWC I sell was inspected by me before it was listed and is guaranteed genuine. Appointments in your county, hand delivery in South Florida, insured shipping across the USA.