Description

An IWC Da Vinci Quartz Electronic reference 3501 in stainless steel, presented on its original integrated bracelet with IWC-signed deployant clasp and running in excellent condition. The blue sunburst dial, less common than the gold and champagne variants more frequently seen on this reference, is clean and original, with applied silver baton indices, a printed minute track, and the date window at 3 o’clock. The cushion tonneau case sits low on the wrist with the characteristic solidity that only a full stainless steel construction of this era can produce. This is not simply a vintage IWC. It is the watch with which IWC launched the Da Vinci collection, powered by the most significant quartz movement in Swiss horological history.

Reference 3501 – The Watch That Started Everything

The IWC Da Vinci Quartz Electronic reference 3501 was introduced in 1969, and it carries a weight of historical significance that few vintage watches can match. This first edition had a hexagonal-shaped case which now seems unfamiliar to the collection today, yet this shape has been the inspiration for later watches. But its most important attribute was what it contained: the Beta 21, the first Swiss quartz calibre to go into series production.

The Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH) – an amalgamation of 20 Swiss watch manufacturers – developed the Beta 21 in the late 1960s, spurred on by Japanese and American advances in quartz technology. IWC was among those 21 founding manufacturers, and the number itself gives the movement its name. The Beta 21 was the Swiss watchmaking industry’s collective response to the existential challenge of the quartz crisis: a movement that could match and exceed the accuracy of Japanese quartz while remaining entirely Swiss in conception and production. That IWC chose to house it in a bold, graphic, integrated-bracelet tonneau case, an entirely new design language for the brand, spoke to the confidence with which it approached this new chapter.

The ref. 3501 is consequently a piece of double historical significance: the first IWC Da Vinci, and the first IWC to carry a Swiss quartz movement. Both firsts remain attached to this reference permanently, and they are the reason it is collected not merely as a vintage curiosity but as a genuine landmark in the history of Swiss watchmaking.

The Beta 21 – A Collective Achievement

The Beta 21 movement was developed over several years by the CEH consortium and represented the combined engineering ambition of twenty-one Swiss manufacturers working in parallel toward a common goal. The movement runs at 8,192 Hz, a frequency chosen for its accuracy and its compatibility with the battery technology of the era, and was capable of accuracy to within one minute per year, a standard that no mechanical movement of the period could approach.

What makes the Beta 21 particularly significant in retrospect is the context of its creation. IWC issued their first timepiece with this movement in an extremely bold and modern style, the Da Vinci Quartz Electronic ref. 3501 came in a hexagonal case, with graphic lines, and an integrated bracelet that is typically 1970s. The movement inside this watch is running in excellent condition, a meaningful point, as Beta 21 service is specialised work and a running example commands a premium over non-running counterparts.

The Blue Dial – The Less Common Configuration

The ref. 3501 is most frequently encountered with a champagne or gold dial, the warmer-toned configuration that dominated the reference’s production. The blue sunburst dial on this example is the less common alternative: a deeper, cooler ground that shifts from saturated blue at the centre to a lighter, almost electric tone toward the outer edge as the radial brushing catches the light. Against this dial, the applied silver baton indices and the white printed minute track create a clean, graphic composition that reads as distinctly more contemporary than the champagne-dialled version, a fact not lost on collectors who specifically seek the blue.

The dial is original and unrestored, with the IWC signature, “International Watch Co. / Schaffhausen” text, “Quartz Electronic” and “Da Vinci” all reading clearly. The date window at 3 o’clock presents cleanly with a white date wheel.

Specifications

Brand: IWC – International Watch Co. Schaffhausen

Model: Da Vinci Quartz Electronic Reference: 3501

Year: circa 1969-1975

Case material: Stainless steel

Case shape: Cushion tonneau

Case diameter: approx. 38 mm

Bezel: Polished stainless steel, integrated with case

Dial: Blue sunburst dial with applied silver baton indices and printed minute track

Hands: Silver baton hands

Bracelet: Original integrated stainless steel bracelet with IWC-signed deployant clasp

Movement: Quartz – Beta 21 (CEH), 8,192 Hz, running in excellent condition

Condition: Good vintage condition with honest wear consistent with age; dial clean and original

Accessories: Watch and original bracelet only (no box or papers)

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Availability

This vintage day-date automatic watch is available through Vintage Times Amsterdam.

For further information or high-resolution images, please feel free to contact:

Vintage Times

Vintage Times Amsterdam is a small watch boutique who mainly deals online and with a select group of private collectors. We are constantly looking for rare vintage timepieces and try to present the best condition available. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for more information about this watch or other timepieces from our collection. We ship worldwide and also welcome you for a visit at our office in Amsterdam

Vintage Times

email: [email protected]

tel / app: +31 6 4 1111 044