IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” IW505003

IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” IW505003. Limited to 500 pieces. Stainless steel 45mm diameter case with polished finish and crown at 3 o’clock. Water resistant up to 30 metres. Manual-winding IWC manufacture calibre 94200 movement with digital jumping hours and minutes display, inspired by the historic Pallweber pocket watches, offering an approximate 60-hour power reserve. Blue lacquered dial with white digital hour and minute apertures and a small seconds sub-dial positioned at 6 o’clock. Sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating. Exhibition case back. Black leather strap with stainless steel pin buckle. Box and papers dated October 2018.

The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” is a celebration of one of the most unusual and forward-thinking chapters in IWC’s history. Inspired by the original Pallweber pocket watches produced by IWC in the late 19th century, this model revives the pioneering digital display system that replaced traditional hands with jumping discs for hours and minutes—an extraordinary concept for its time. Created to mark IWC’s 150th anniversary, the watch pays homage to Joseph Pallweber’s inventive mechanism while showcasing IWC’s modern watchmaking mastery through a beautifully finished in-house calibre. Its deep lacquered dial, precise digital display, and limited commemorative nature make it not just a timepiece, but a bridge between early horological innovation and contemporary haute horlogerie, highlighting IWC’s long-standing commitment to technical ingenuity and design originality.

Joseph Pallweber patented his digital jumping hour and minute display in 1883. At the time, this was radically different from conventional analogue pocket watches, as it used rotating discs and a jumping mechanism to display the time numerically rather than with hands. IWC licensed and developed this patented system shortly afterwards, producing Pallweber pocket watches in the 1880s that were far ahead of their time but also mechanically complex and costly to make.

That patented movement is what the modern Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” directly references. By reviving the concept with the in-house calibre 94200, IWC isn’t just borrowing a design cue — it’s reinterpreting a patented 19th-century innovation using modern engineering, tighter tolerances, and contemporary finishing. That historical patent underlines why the Pallweber watches were rare then, and why this tribute piece feels genuinely meaningful rather than purely aesthetic.