IWC International Watch Co. Schaffhausen WWI 18 K Gold Officer’s Wristwatch with Original 18K Shrapnel Guard, Swiss ca 1918

Offered for your consideration is this exceptionally rare and beautifully preserved IWC Schaffhausen Officer’s Wristwatch from the First World War era—an extraordinarily fine surviving example distinguished above all by its original matching solid 18K gold shrapnel guard.

Few officers’ wristwatches of any manufacture were originally fitted with solid-gold protective guards, and considerably fewer have survived together with their original watches more than a century later. To encounter such a complete example from the International Watch Company makes the present watch particularly important from a collector’s standpoint.

The substantial 18K gold case and matching guard are complemented by a beautifully preserved original dial with distinctive block skeleton numerals and elegant poire squelette hands.

Together they give the watch the unmistakable character of an early military wristwatch while elevating it into an object of exceptional quality, rarity and refinement.

Shrapnel guards belong to a fascinating transitional period in the development of the wristwatch.

During the First World War, watches were increasingly transferred from the pocket to the wrist, where they could be consulted instantly under battlefield conditions. The exposed crystal, however, was vulnerable to impact.

Protective metal guards provided a practical solution, shielding the crystal while leaving sufficient openings through which the time could still be read.

Most surviving guards are encountered in base metal or silver. The present watch retains its original guard in solid 18K gold, made to match the case—an exceptionally luxurious interpretation of what was fundamentally a functional military accessory.

Of particular importance to a collector, both the watch case and its matching guard retain their Swiss 18K gold hallmarks.

The rarity of the exterior is matched by the quality of the mechanism within.

This exceptionally high-grade IWC movement is jeweled through to the centre wheel and incorporates a ruby mounted in an individually screw-secured setting, reflecting the care devoted to reducing friction and maintaining precise timekeeping.

Such construction places the watch firmly at the upper end of IWC’s production during a period when the company was already internationally respected for the exceptional quality of its movements.

It is the combination that makes this example particularly compelling: a high-grade IWC mechanism, original dial, solid 18K gold case and, most unusually, its original matching hallmarked 18K gold shrapnel guard.

And I would make the final paragraph slightly more collector-focused:

Created during the formative First World War years of the wristwatch, the present solid-gold Officer’s Watch represents an especially rare chapter in IWC history. Its high-grade movement, beautifully preserved original dial and extraordinary original matching 18K gold shrapnel guard combine to make it a particularly important surviving example of early twentieth-century wristwatchmaking—and an exceptional acquisition for the serious collector, whether chosen personally or as a significant gift.