Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
IWC Schaffhausen · Aquatimer
IWC Schaffhausen Aquatimer 38 mm Black 18k
Reference 73720OR.32
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- IWC Schaffhausen
- Collection
- Aquatimer
- Model
- IWC Schaffhausen Aquatimer 38 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 73720OR.32
- Year / era
- 1972 · 1970s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- In-house manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 52F — In-house manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 40 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1972 – 1986
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
IWC Schaffhausen Aquatimer 38 mm Black 18k sits within IWC Schaffhausen's Aquatimer line, introduced in 1972. It carries the house codes established since 1868 — 18k white gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
The House
IWC Schaffhausen
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1868
- Founder
- Florentine Ariosto Jones
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Da Vinci
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 38 mm Blue 18k (2000) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 40 mm Black Carbon (1962) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 38 mm Silvered 18k (1987) · IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser 36 mm Slate Grade (1991)
Brand history
IWC Schaffhausen has spent more than 158 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Portugieser, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Florentine Ariosto Jones established IWC Schaffhausen in 1868, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every IWC Schaffhausen calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1868
Florentine Ariosto Jones founds IWC Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
1899
IWC Schaffhausen earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces IWC Schaffhausen to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
IWC Schaffhausen enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
IWC Schaffhausen continues to produce Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino and other icons in limited numbers.