Sell your IWC · South Florida · by appointment
Sell your IWC to someone who knows which calibre should be inside.
Tell me the family and the reference, send a few photos, and I reply personally within 1 business day. The offer names the movement, the edition if there is one, and what the card and the strap add or take away.
- Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, and Da Vinci, checked by hand
- Insured prepaid FedEx label, signature required, USA only
- Payment by wire or check within 24 hours of inspection
Who this page is for
Six families, and the movement decides more than the dial.
IWC sellers usually own one of two watches: a Portugieser bought for the dial, or a Pilot's Watch bought for the size. Some are moving up to another brand. Some inherited a Da Vinci or an old Ingenieur and want to know what it is first.
With IWC, the family tells me where to look and the movement tells me what the watch is worth. A Portugieser Chronograph from 2015 and one from 2021 look the same across a room; one carries a supplied Valjoux-based calibre, the other IWC's own 69355. The warranty card, the My IWC registration, and any edition paperwork then decide more than condition does.
This page lays out what I look at on an IWC so my reply reads as reasoning you can check. I keep prices off the page; demand shifts between families and editions, and a posted figure would be wrong for half the watches that read it.
Selling to a private dealer
One person reads the watch and signs the offer.
The calibre is named
I identify the movement from the reference on the caseback, so you know whether the offer reflects a seven-day calibre, an in-house chronograph, or a supplied base.
Editions read for what they are
Top Gun, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince, Saint Exupéry, and the numbered casebacks are priced against their own group, not the standard reference.
Shipping on my account
The FedEx label is prepaid, insured to the declared value, signature required. I open the parcel on camera.
Money within a day
Once the watch passes inspection, payment goes out by wire or check within 24 hours. You pick the method up front.
What I check on an IWC
Six details that shape an IWC offer.
Each one appears by name in my reply.
Family and reference
Portugieser and Pilot's Watch carry most of the demand. Portofino and Da Vinci are dress families. Ingenieur and Aquatimer are smaller markets with their own buyers.
In-house or supplied calibre
IWC's own 5000-series seven-day, 69000, and 89000 calibres draw more interest than the 30110, 35111, 79320, and 79350 built on ETA, Sellita, or Valjoux bases. Both are good watches; buyers separate them.
Warranty card and My IWC
The card dates the first sale. My IWC registration extends the warranty well past the standard term, and the extension passes to the next owner. Ask me before registering a watch you are about to sell.
Editions and the caseback
Top Gun ceramic and Ceratanium, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince blue, Saint Exupéry brown, anniversary Portugiesers. Edition casebacks are engraved or numbered, and the box and papers matter more.
Strap, buckle, or bracelet
Santoni calf on a Portugieser or Portofino, riveted calf or textile on a Pilot's Watch, or an IWC steel bracelet. The bracelet with its links adds the most; the IWC buckle matters on a strap.
Case finish and service
IWC cases are mostly satin brushed with polished bevels; a buffed case reads as altered. IWC service papers list replaced parts. An independent service without records is unknown history.
How it works
From photos to payment in four steps.
01
Send the details
Use the appraisal form. Add the family, the IW reference from the caseback, and photos of the dial, the caseback engraving, the strap or clasp, and the warranty card. On an edition, photograph the numbering.
02
Read the offer
Within 1 business day I reply personally with a figure and the reasons for it.
03
Ship or meet
Use the insured prepaid FedEx label, or book a meeting by appointment in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach.
04
Inspection and payment
I check the watch in hand against the photos. If it matches, you are paid within 24 hours. If not, it returns insured, at my cost.
In-house or supplied
What the calibre origin changes on an IWC.
Both are sound watches. The secondary market still separates them, and the caseback reference tells me which you own.
| Criteria | IWC manufacture calibre | Supplied base calibre |
|---|---|---|
| Typical watches | Portugieser 7 Days, Big Pilot, Portugieser Chronograph 3716, Ingenieur 2023 | Mark XV to XVIII, Portugieser Chronograph 3714, Pilot's Chronograph 3717, Portofino |
| Calibre numbers | 5000, 51011, 52010, 69355, 69380, 82200, 89361 | 30110, 35111, 79320, 79350 |
| Power reserve | Seven days on the 5000 and 52000 series; two to three days on the 69000 and 89000 | Roughly two days |
| How I tell | Reference, and the Pellaton winding through a display caseback | Reference and the movement in hand; most have a solid caseback |
| What the buyer asks first | Edition, dial colour, card and registration | Condition, and whether the bracelet is with it |
Direction only, not amounts. The real effect depends on the family and the week.
The detail
What sets an IWC offer, and why.
Seven-day calibres, chronographs, and supplied bases
IWC's reputation on the secondary market rests on the seven-day automatics: the calibre 5000 series in the Portugieser Automatic and the Big Pilot, later the 51000 and 52000 series with ceramic parts in the Pellaton winding. The 89000 series brought a manufacture flyback chronograph, and from around 2016 the 69000 series put an in-house column-wheel chronograph into the Pilot's Chronograph and, in 2020, the Portugieser Chronograph 3716.
Many IWCs use a supplied base instead: the 30110 and 35111 automatics on ETA and Sellita ebauches in the Mark series and the Portofino, and the 79320 and 79350 chronographs on the Valjoux 7750 in the Portugieser Chronograph 3714 and the Pilot's Chronograph 3717. They are reliable and cheap to service. They also sell to a different buyer at a different number.
The reference on the caseback
Every IWC carries a reference engraved on the caseback: IW followed by six digits, or four digits on older pieces. It names the family, the calibre, and the case material, and it is the first thing I read. Send a sharp photo of it with the serial. If the reference and the movement inside do not agree, I settle that before any offer stands.
The warranty card and My IWC registration
IWC issues a warranty card with the reference, serial, and date of sale. Registering the watch in My IWC extends the warranty well beyond the standard two years, and that extension stays with the watch for the next owner. A registered watch with its card is the set the buyer wants. If you have not registered yours and are about to sell it, ask me first; the registration is tied to the owner's account. No card at all still gets an appraisal, with more weight on the serial, the caseback, and the movement, and a lower offer I explain.
Portugieser: chronograph generations and the 7 Days
The Portugieser, called the Portuguese on older paperwork, is the family most sellers bring me. The Chronograph 3714 with the supplied 79350 ran for two decades; the 3716 with the in-house 69355 replaced it in 2020, and the two are priced apart. The Automatic 7 Days (5001, then 5007) is the other anchor, with the Perpetual Calendar, Annual Calendar, Yacht Club, and the anniversary editions above it. The Portugieser page covers each reference and the dial colours buyers ask for.
Pilot's Watch: Mark, Big Pilot, and the editions
The Pilot's Watch splits into the Mark series (XV to XVIII, and the XX from 2022), the Big Pilot with its oversized crown and seven-day calibre (5002, 5004, 5009, 5010, and the 43 mm 3293), and the chronographs (3717, 3777, and the in-house 3881). Most carry a soft-iron inner case against magnetism, which is why so many have solid casebacks. The editions are where the market gets specific: Top Gun in black ceramic or Ceratanium, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince in blue, Antoine de Saint Exupéry in tobacco brown. The Pilot's Watch page takes each in turn.
Portofino, Da Vinci, Ingenieur, and Aquatimer
Portofino and Da Vinci are the dress families. The Portofino Automatic on the 35111 and the Hand-Wound Eight Days on the 59210 are the references I see most; the Da Vinci ranges from the 1985 Kurt Klaus perpetual calendar to the round cases of 2017. Both sell on condition, dial, and strap more than on edition. The Ingenieur is the Gérald Genta sports watch of 1976, revived in 2005 and again in 2023 as the 40 mm Automatic on an integrated bracelet; the 2023 watch has its own buyers. The Aquatimer is IWC's diver, and bezel action, crown seal, and the bracelet or rubber strap decide most of its offer.
Straps, Santoni leather, and bracelets
Many Portugieser and Portofino references left the boutique on a Santoni calf strap with an IWC buckle or deployant. Pilot's Watches came on riveted calf, textile, or a steel bracelet. A worn strap barely moves the offer; a missing IWC buckle does. An original bracelet with all its links adds the most, so if you kept it, send both.
When selling to me is not the right call
If you can wait months for a private buyer, you may net more than a dealer offer. If a trade suits you better, I can credit the IWC against another watch instead. If the watch is a replica or has a swapped movement, I will say so and will not buy it.
How to prepare your submission
- Daylight photos: dial straight on, the caseback with the IW reference and serial legible, both sides of the case.
- The clasp or buckle, and the bracelet laid flat if you have one.
- The warranty card beside the watch, and whether it is registered in My IWC.
- For an edition: the caseback engraving or numbering, and the edition box.
- Service history: IWC or independent, roughly when, and what was replaced.
- Ship on my label or meet in person, and which county.
Questions, answered
Before you send an IWC
Do you buy IWC watches?
Yes. IWC is one of the brands I buy outright: Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, and Da Vinci. I do not buy replicas or watches with swapped movements.
Is my Portugieser in-house?
Read the reference on the caseback. A Chronograph 3714 carries the supplied 79350; a 3716 carries the in-house 69355. The Automatic 7 Days references run IWC's own seven-day calibres.
Do you buy the Big Pilot?
Yes, every generation from the 5002 to the 43 mm 3293, including the Top Gun, Spitfire, Le Petit Prince, and Saint Exupéry editions.
What if I lost the warranty card?
I still appraise the watch. The offer is lower, and I explain by how much. If the watch is registered in My IWC, say so; the registration helps fill the gap.
Should I service my IWC before selling?
No. A service right before a sale rarely pays back. I inspect the movement and price any needed service into the number. Recent IWC service papers are priced as serviced.
Sell your IWC
Find out what your IWC is worth to a buyer.
Send photos and the caseback reference. I reply within 1 business day, the label is insured and on me, and payment follows within 24 hours of inspection.