Since then, I've come to believe that the IWC is a much better watch than the JLC Mk XI. I also felt that the price difference is justified despite the JLCs rarity. Today, I opened both watches and it appears such judgment was just "case deep."
Opening the JLC first, my immediate reaction was a heavy "Ahh"--
This watch is (in my opinion) the finest military watch ever issued anywhere in the world;
the quality just screams at you... (James M Dowling)
I've seen excellent scans of the Cal 488 movement but I didn't expect this level of quality! A thousand pardons JLC, I have misjudged thee.
Although the overall design, external workmanship and excellent movement of the IWC make it, in my opinion, the better watch, the JLC's "inner beauty" gives it a special unassumed grace, much simpler and sublime. With the IWC, one can apply the term WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) as everything about the watch is excellent. The JLC, on the other hand, has more contrast between external and internal, an imbalance that is cause for much surprise and provides a glimpse to a totally different watchmaking philosophy.
All that talk doesn't mean that IWC's Cal 89 is a slouch! The first thing I noticed is the Geneva stripes finishing of the movement, a detail I missed on scans I've seen of this watch--
Inasmuch as I don't possess any watchmaking (or even watch repairing) skills, I shall not attempt further technical comparison. Suffice to say that the Cal 488 looks "prettier" to my untrained eye.
[Click on picture for a bigger scan]
Here's another scan of the both watches, with their casebacks and dust covers. Note the additional finishing on the IWC caseback--
And, finally a frontal view of the two Marks--
Before today I thought I understood why a watch like the IWC Mk XI could cost twice as much compared to the rarer JLC version, but now I'm back to square one.
Perhaps it's because of one company's continuity in manufacturing the Marks, superior marketing, or maybe because collectors (myself included) are obsessed with external appearances. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever know.
Thanks for reading.
Posted on Jun 15, 2001, 6:05 PM from IP address 24.11.66.21
