IWC Fliegerchronograph ref. 3741 mecha-quartz with original bracelet

Maker: IWC
Model: Fleigerchronograph
Reference: 3741
Year: early 1990's
Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 36mm diameter; 10.4mm thickness; 44mm lug to lug
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Lume: Tritium
Caliber: JLC quartz caliber 631
Service history: NA, new battery installed June 2024. Chronograph function is not working
Bracelet/Strap: IWC original stainless steel Milanese bracelet
Lug Width: 18mm
Box/Papers: IWC service case only

Much like its Richemont brother Jaeger-LeCoultre, the history of IWC is closely intertwined with Günter Blümlein. In 1980 Blümlein, an engineer by trade became the head of Les Manufactures Horlogères, an umbrella company that the German precision instrument company VDO Adolf Schindling AG formed to manage its newly acquired portfolio of two watchmaking companies: IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre. The year Blümlein took over LMH marked the beginning of the great turnaround for IWC. Under the supervision of Blümlein, engineering was put front and centre and IWC was marketed as an unabashedly masculine manufacturer of no-nonsense timepieces. One of his greatest decision was to make the iconic Flieger watch available to the general public. Formerly, the Mark XI, which had been in production since 1948, was only offered to military and civilian pilots. The 1989 Pilot’s Watch range was finally made widely available with the introduction of the reference 3740 and 3741 Flieger Chronograph watches powered by a Jaeger-LeCoultre meca-quartz movement - a stark reflection of the predominance of quartz technology at the time,

This ref 3741 IWC fliegerchronograph ticks all the boxes for a collector looking for a Blümlein era IWC collectible and attractive neo-vintage time piece. The carefully designed stainless steel case meaures at 36mm and is only 10.4mm thin due to the JLC quartz movement that it employs. The tritium lume has aged beautifully on the dial and hands. One of the main attraction of this particular watch is the original IWC 12 linked Milanese bracelet. The early 12 linked bracelets are quite difficult to find these days and in our humble opinion, the most attractive out of all the other steel bracelets that IWC supplied on its Pilots watch range throughout the years.

Overall this IWC fliegerchronograph is a very well preserved piece. The case is strong with sharp edges and thick lugs. The original Milanese IWC bracelet is in fantastic condition. It can fit up to a 16.5cm wrist size. The dial, hand set, crown, and sapphire crystal are all in excellent condition. 

Please note that the chronograph function on this watch is NOT functioning. The IWC boutique has confirmed it can be serviced but given that they would have to replace the dial we decided against servicing the watch to preserve its originality. The time and date function is currently working fine without any issues.

The watch comes with a IWC service case .

Ships from Japan