The Usefulness of Archives: Unravelling the History of the IWC Da Vinci (Part 1)

Europa Star makes past articles available online. One of its avid readers is Stephen Foskett, a watch enthusiast and technician living in the United States. His website, "Grail Watch," utilizes back issues of Europa Star to provide further explanations of current models and introduce discontinued models. In this article, he delves into the history of the IWC Da Vinci and considers the usefulness of archived watch information.

Benefits of having archives online

　Historical records about watches can tell us a lot of information. Because history is one of the strongest selling points for modern watch brands, facts are sometimes hidden or altered. This is why I spend time examining archives. In this article, I would like to convey the value of archives by unraveling the history of an important model, the IWC Da Vinci.

　First of all, the online archive of Europa Star that I use allows me to view two different publications: The Eastern Jeweller and Watchmaker, published between 1950 and 1995, and Europa Star, published from late 1959 to the present.

The Eastern Jeweller and Watchmaker (EJW) was primarily aimed at industry professionals in East Asia, South Asia, and Australia. In the 50s, it featured a wide range of content, including introductory content on the basics of watchmaking, local news, and information on the watch and jewelry trade. It also had special sections covering women's fashion, jewelry trends, and local event information. Early articles were written in Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai, but most were in English. From 66, it was positioned as the Asian version of Europa Star. This article will consistently refer to the Asian version as "EJW." While there were some differences in the content of EJW from its European counterpart, Europa Star, most of the content was the same.

　Meanwhile, articles in the European edition of Europa Star were written almost entirely in French for the first 20 years, with English and German translations added later. This structure changed in the late 70s, with more English content. In the 70s and 80s, the magazine began to feature a significantly larger number of articles on the French watch industry, most of which were written in French and did not offer translations. Furthermore, the advertising structure of EJW has changed significantly since its inception, making it ideal for researching "export" brands.

　The focus of Europa Star has shifted slightly over the years: from the 50s to the 60s, it was the promotion of international trade, and in recent decades, it has been the promotion of the watch industry as a whole. Traditionally, it wasn't written for "consumers" like me, the customers of the watch industry, but that has changed in recent years. With the democratization of the internet, the scope of coverage has expanded. Regardless of the era, there is much to learn from the archives.

　Browsing the archives offers a panoramic view of important developments in the watch industry over the past 70 years: the rise of electric and tuning fork watches, the explosive popularity and subsequent changes of battery-powered watches, the resurgence of the watch industry centered on complicated timepieces and in-house mechanical movements, and the rise of luxury watch groups. These events, along with the reactions of those around them to the changing brands and models over time, are fascinating. The reference to Europa Star's first watches is a testament not only to their existence, but also to the conditions surrounding their creation.

Looking back at the history of the IWC Da Vinci through the archives

　Here, I would like to introduce my research process using Europa Star, using the interesting IWC "Da Vinci" model as an example. The Da Vinci model name has been used on important models for over half a century, and it shows the development of IWC and the watch industry through many changes. However, compared to popular models from Rolex and Omega, there is little documentation about it, and there are many mysteries surrounding the quartz movement. So, let's start here.

　First, I logged into the Europa Star online page and typed "Da Vinci" into the search box. Without any search criteria, I simply sorted the results chronologically and identified the earliest postings. From the 50s to the 60s, I found several mentions of Leonardo da Vinci, but none related to IWC.

　At the Basel Fair in 71, the first IWC Da Vinci, the Da Vinci Quartz Electronic, was spotted. According to Europa Star issue 68, the Da Vinci was described as an electric/electronic watch. The article noted that "it still only makes up a small portion of the Swiss watch industry's exports."

　We'd heard the Da Vinci was IWC's first quartz model, but now IWC lists the Da Vinci as having been introduced in 1969, suggesting that in-house development began a year earlier. We now have evidence that IWC, along with a dozen other Swiss brands, unveiled the CEH Beta 21 quartz movement at the Basel Fair on April 10, 1970. This is likely the earliest date the Da Vinci has ever been seen in public. Let's take a closer look.

　No other mentions of the IWC Da Vinci appear until 71, leaving the story as fragmented as a puzzle. Perhaps the name Da Vinci simply wasn't included in Europa Star's coverage of the 1970 fair, or perhaps the Da Vinci was in fact IWC's first quartz watch. A quick search for "International Watch Co." for 70 reveals this. IWC's Beta 21-powered watches were released without a model name on the dial, simply labeled "Quartz electronic." Moreover, unlike the 70 Da Vinci images, they featured large, round cases. While it's hard to say for sure that the hexagonal Da Vinci wasn't introduced in 71, it certainly wasn't featured in Europa Star.

(Continued in the second half)