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IWC Schaffhausen movement or case number checker

Map verified movement-number ranges through 1968 and keep case numbers out of the movement table.

Returns a yearOptional photo OCR

Check your movement or case number

Spaces, dots, and dashes are fine. Manual checks run in your browser. Photo reads log your IP and usage to enforce daily limits; photos are not stored.

Reference only—not an authenticity verdict

A plausible date code can appear on a counterfeit, and an unusual or unreadable code does not by itself make an item counterfeit. Use the result as one clue alongside construction, materials, provenance, and expert review.

Decoding guide

How the IWC Schaffhausen rule works

Corrected IWC movement-number ranges can place supported 1930–1968 movements in a year. They do not date case numbers, and later allocations become split and disputed.

Read it in three passes

Follow the positions in order before interpreting the result.

1
Confirm that the marking is the movement number rather than a case, calibre, or reference number.
2
Compare the complete value with the inclusive 1930–1968 table.
3
Route later values to the split-allocation reference or IWC service rather than forcing them into one continuous range.

Worked examples

See how a visible marking becomes a narrow, readable result.

Marking	Interpretation
1560837	→Indicative 1961 production year

Where to look

The supported number is engraved on the movement. Use professional help when the case must be opened.

Know the limit

The automatic decoder ends at 1968 because public 1969–1974 allocations are nonconsecutive and inconsistently transcribed.

These rules explain documented marking patterns. They do not prove that an item is authentic.

Full reference

IWC Schaffhausen codes, era by era

IWC movement numbers are useful only when they are identified correctly and placed in a defensible table. The movement chart below deliberately stops at 1968 because later public allocations become split and disputed; it must not be applied to case numbers.

01Compiled reference

Continuous movement table, 1930–1968

These inclusive bands provide one-year estimates for the continuous portion of the compiled historical sequence.

IWC movement-number ranges from 1930 through 1968
Year	Inclusive serial range
1930	919,601–929,200
1931	929,201–937,600
1932	937,601–938,200
1933	938,201–939,400
1934	939,401–940,000
1935	940,001–944,800
1936	944,801–955,600
1937	955,601–979,000
1938	979,001–1,000,600
1939	1,000,601–1,013,200
1940	1,013,201–1,019,200
1941	1,019,201–1,039,000
1942	1,039,001–1,062,400
1943	1,062,401–1,078,000
1944	1,078,001–1,092,400
1945	1,092,401–1,106,200
1946	1,106,201–1,131,400
1947	1,131,401–1,153,600
1948	1,153,601–1,177,600
1949	1,177,601–1,205,200
1950	1,205,201–1,222,000
1951	1,222,001–1,253,200
1952	1,253,201–1,291,600
1953	1,291,601–1,316,800
1954	1,316,801–1,335,400
1955	1,335,401–1,361,200
1956	1,361,201–1,399,600
1957	1,399,601–1,436,800
1958	1,436,801–1,480,000
1959	1,480,001–1,513,000
1960	1,513,001–1,553,800
1961	1,553,801–1,612,000
1962	1,612,001–1,666,000
1963	1,666,001–1,733,200
1964	1,733,201–1,778,800
1965	1,778,801–1,796,800
1966	1,796,801–1,820,800
1967	1,820,801–1,889,200
1968	1,889,201–1,905,400

02Compiled reference

Why the automatic table stops after 1968

Published 1969–1974 tables divide some years across nonconsecutive allocations, and source transcriptions contain overlaps. A single continuous range would silently return wrong years.

Examples of split IWC allocations requiring manual review
Year	Published allocation pattern	Checker treatment
1969	1,905,401–1,952,800 and 1,958,801–1,970,200	Manual comparison
1970	Several separated blocks between 1,952,801 and 2,029,000	Manual comparison
1971	Separated blocks extending beyond 2,194,000	Manual comparison
1972–1974	Further split or disputed allocations	Archive or service review

A movement number of 1,560,837 falls in the corrected 1961 band. It should not be shifted into 1960 by a rounded or offset table.

03Documented

Identify and confirm the movement number

Movement, case, calibre, and reference numbers can all be present. Only the movement number belongs in this chart; IWC's service channels should be used when an individual historical determination matters.

Record where each number appears instead of submitting an isolated string.
Use a qualified professional if the movement must be exposed.
Treat every year returned here as an indicative production-band match rather than proof of sale date or authenticity.

Sources and method

Brand and archive material is preferred where it exists. Public decoding tables are identified as compiled references or observed patterns so their uncertainty stays visible.