Our remarks

IWC Vintage Aquatimer Ref. 812 AD White Tritium Dial Gay Frères Bracelet Cal. 8541 Bj-1968 Very Rare

We are delighted to present a superb and rarely seen example of IWC's very first dive watch: the Aquatimer Ref. 812 AD, here in the highly sought-after white dial execution — a configuration far scarcer than the more commonly seen black-dial versions of this reference.

Introduced in the late 1960s, the Ref. 812 marked IWC's late but decisively engineering-led entry into the professional dive watch category. Rather than following the design conventions established a decade earlier by its rivals, IWC built the Aquatimer around the patented EPSA Super-Compressor case — a construction in which increasing water pressure actively enhances the case's seal, the deeper the watch descends. Measuring a compact and beautifully proportioned 37mm, the case delivered a genuine 200 metres of water resistance while remaining eminently wearable, a balance that still defines the model's appeal today.

The dial is the true star of this particular example: crisp white and light blue inner turning bezel, fitted with the period-correct tritium luminous markers and hands that have taken on a gentle, even patina — a look collectors prize far above a relumed or refinished dial. The framed date window sits neatly at 3 o'clock, while twin screw-down crowns, each embossed with the IWC fish emblem, define the watch's distinctive profile: the crown at 2 o'clock operates the internal rotating dive bezel protected safely beneath the crystal, while the crown at 4 o'clock governs winding, time-setting, and the date.

At the heart of the watch beats the in-house automatic Calibre 8541, fitted with IWC's patented Pellaton winding system — widely regarded as one of the finest automatic movements produced by the Swiss industry in this era, and the very same movement architecture found in the contemporary IWC Ingenieur. Over its full production run from 1967 to 1982, IWC produced only around 2,000 examples of this first-generation Aquatimer, making any Ref. 812 AD a genuine rarity — and the white dial variant seen here rarer still.

Completing the watch is its original stainless steel "beads of rice" bracelet by Gay Frères, with clasp signed IWC — a bracelet now considered nearly as collectible as the watch itself, and seldom found still paired with its original head.

This 812 AD comes with:

- stainless steel case

- stainless steel Rice Gay Freres bracelet

- IWC Pellaton caliber 8541

- Rare excecution

"The Aquatimer Ref. 812 AD is IWC's first true dive watch and remains one of the most under-appreciated vintage divers on the market — a thoroughbred tool watch built with the same engineering discipline as the brand's celebrated Ingenieur. Very impressive on the wrist!"