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 · Ingenieur
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz
Reference 53583OR.33
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- IWC Schaffhausen
- Collection
- Ingenieur
- Model
- IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz
- Reference number
- 53583OR.33
- Year / era
- 1955 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Skeletonised
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Skeletonised
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 54B — In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1955 – 1963
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 41 mm Skeletonised Quartz sits within IWC Schaffhausen's Ingenieur line, introduced in 1955. It carries the house codes established since 1868 — quartz tpt case, skeletonised dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.
More Ingenieur
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 39 mm Slate 18k
Ref. 15985OR.69
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 43 mm Mother-of-pearl Sapphire
Ref. 23873OR.67
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 37 mm Meteorite Sapphire
Ref. 41554OR.47
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 41 mm Salmon Platinum
Ref. 79776OR.51
IWC Schaffhausen Ingenieur 44 mm Slate Ceramic
Ref. 68794OR.84