Does anyone know what the W.L.K. inscription on the back of this watch means? Is it a unit designation or an owners initials? Also does anyone have a dial they will sell for this watch? As you can see this one is pooched!! I don't have it in my possession yet as they wouldn't ship from the US to Canada so I'm waiting for them to ship to New Bedford and then for brother Michael to pass it along to me.. The watch dial is marked Ulysse Nardin with the case and movement marked IWC -Probus Scafusia tm, and the IWC trademark so part of the lot that was manufactured for supply to Ulysse Nardin to help fill the US order. thanks,Tom

It is in a different font so my guess is that it would have been someone's initial added at some point in the watch's life. My guess is it would likely have been added at some point after the watch wound up in private hands as adding your initials to Army property that had to be returned would not have been accepted practice.

Could you please share photos of the watch's dial and the movement? These are really nice watches.

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The movement and case are by IWC. Surely the dial is incorrect. I am not aware of any connection between Nardin and IWC.

I agree with Ethan. I think your dial may not be original although I've never seen an IWC Corps of Engineers before. Here is my Ulysse Nardin for comparison.

That´s where your wrong Ethan, I´m just in the process of doing a write up on these Corps of Engineers watches at the movement. Ulysse Nardin couldn´t get the amount of ebauches together to meet the contract, so they also used IWC, Henrey Moser, Movado and a couple of other manufacturers. The case, by the way, also wasn´t from IWC, it was from Huguenin Freres...So you have a lot of reading to do.

By the way James, yours is a Henrey Moser movement.
You live and learn here eh

Werner, I am not a student or collector of Nardin Corps of Engineers watches. I am well aware of Swiss manufacturers' use of movements or ebauches purchased from other makers, but they generally stamp their own names on those movements or ebauches. That's why I found it surprising to see an IWC trademark stamped on a movement with a Nardin dial.

I mispoke when I said that the case was by IWC. What I meant was that it is stamped with the same IWC trademark as the movement.

Ethan, it was only Vacheron & Constantin who took the liberty of signing their name on anothers Movement while fulfilling their contract with the Corps of Engineers, but only if the movement came to their standard, otherwise the inner dustcover was marked "Examined by" Vacheron & Constantin.

A pity all my secrets are to the wind now, I may as well let Tom do the rest of the article
I wanted to wait till I have got all the different watch variations together, but Tom bought this IWC from under my nose
...but I did get the Corps of Engineers Hamilton today, of which only 1000 were produced (you missed that one Tom )

Here´s a Nardin in a Corps of Engineers case








...and here´s what I meant with Vacheron & Constantin "Examined by" with this valjoux 42 movement.

quote:

Posted October 03, 2012 15:02
I agree with Ethan. I think your dial may not be original although I've never seen an IWC Corps of Engineers before. Here is my Ulysse Nardin for comparison.

hi James; complicated game eh??? I also have a Ulysse Nardin Corps of Engineers watch with a Moser movement as well as a Zenith Corps of Engineers watch with signed movement,dial,and case all signed Zenith ,as well as the IWC Shaffhausen Nardin above.

as well I just picked up this Ulysse Nardin Corps of Engineers watch for which I need a dial see damage at 7 & 4