IWC

Uniting three of haute horlogerie’s most revered complications — a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and a minute repeater — the IWC Grande Complication Reference 3770 represents one of the most ambitious undertakings in modern Swiss watchmaking. Launched in 1990 after nearly a decade of development, it marked a watershed moment for the Schaffhausen-based manufacture, becoming the most mechanically complex wristwatch the brand had ever produced.

Encased in platinum and measuring 42.2 mm in diameter, the present example is part of a strictly limited production of 50 pieces made annually in each precious metal configuration. Despite the movement’s 568 individual components and 75 jewels, the case retains a highly wearable profile of 16.4 mm in thickness and 48.5 mm from lug to lug, balancing mechanical density with classical proportions.

At its core lies the Caliber 79091 — a sophisticated fusion of IWC’s in-house innovation and robust watchmaking architecture. The movement is based on the trusted Valjoux 7750, but extensively modified to integrate a perpetual calendar system conceived by legendary IWC watchmaker Kurt Klaus. This patented mechanism allows all calendar indications — including day, date, month, four-digit year, and moon phase — to be adjusted in unison via the crown, eliminating the need for individual pushers or reference charts.

Equally impressive is the integrated minute repeater module — a first for IWC — engineered with the assistance of the famed team at Renaud et Papi (now part of Audemars Piguet). When activated, it chimes the time with hours, quarters, and minutes, underscoring the brand’s deep technical prowess and acoustic refinement.

The dial, rendered in pristine white lacquer to echo the elegance of vintage pocket watches, is adorned with gold feuille hands, applied gold baton indexes, and a celestial moon phase disc crafted from aventurine glass. The overall composition is stately yet contemporary, housed within a rounded platinum case with an angular stepped bezel and stylized welded lugs — the vision of then-IWC design director Hanno Burtscher.

This Reference 3770 is a triumph of traditional watchmaking in the modern era. It remains one of the most impressive expressions of IWC’s engineering and design legacy, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most sophisticated wristwatches of its time. Even more importantly for the discerning collector, the current example is number 1/50 — making it the very first platinum 3770 to be delivered — and is accompanied by full service documentation from 2017.