Review: The IWC Pellaton
Automatic Winding System 5:1 Model

by Michael
Sandler

Click image to enlarge

I first learned of the existence of this little toy when I was browsing
through the IWC website a couple of months ago. Then, about two weeks
ago, I visited the site again, and there was a link to the toy right
on the main page, at which point and I decided that the “taunting”
had to stop…so I ordered one. Approximately 10 days after I ordered
it, the model arrived



In the five days I’ve had this little model on my desk, more people
have commented in it than have ever commented on any of my watches.
Almost everyone who sees it makes a comment like “Whoa, cool!” or
“Where can I get one?”. As a result, I though I’d do a short, partially
tongue-in-cheek review. I’ll leave it up to you to determine which
comments are serious and which aren’t.

The automatic winding system pictured was developed in the late 1940s
and early 1950s by then technical director Albert Pellaton. The way
it functions differs fundamentally from other designs. The rotor as
the most freely moving part is subject to the greatest stresses and
strains created by the movements of the arm and is mounted on a sprung
plate – an ingenious form of shock resistance. Contrary to the design
of other watches, the movements of the rotor are not transmitted to
a wheel train via a gear system but simply move a cam, which is similar
in appearance to the heart piece of a cam. Running on the heart are
the ruby rollers at the two ends of the fork in a lever system, which
eliminates idle running and transmits the kinetic energy to a ratchet
wheel with helical teeth, and from there to the winding wheels and
barrel. In the diagrams below, the small and great click can be seen, which mesh with the helical teeth of the automatic wheel and act
as winding devices and back stops. In the diagram on the left, based
on the position of the heart relative to the ruby runners, the small
click is responsible for winding the movement. In the diagram on the
right, this function is handled by the great click.

Case

Upon its arrival, an examination of the case showed numerous fine
scratches and scuffs. Most are not noticeable under normal lighting conditions, but a few do stand out. I’m guessing that this is a job
that would exceed the capabilities of even Judge Crater’s toughest
patch. The top surface of the acrylic cover is clear, while the four
side surfaces are lightly frosted.



Dimensions of the model (with top cover on) are as follows: Length
(front to back): 87.5 mm; Width (side to side): 138.0 mm; Height 43.5
mm including base.



The base is finished with a coat of white gloss paint. It’s relatively
evenly applied, and there only a few places where minor scratches
(hairline) can be viewed. Many more imperfections which are not visible
to the naked eye become visible under magnification.



To the naked eye, the printing is clear and well formed. As you can
see by the picture below, however, magnification reveals something
entirely different.

Movement

For those of you who don’t like plastic parts in your watch movements,
this model is not for you. The rotor, along with the two rollers that
ride along the cam, are plastic. There is also a thin plastic disc
covering the winding wheel. The remainder of the model is metal, although
I am unsure of the type. I would guess that it is some sort of plated
brass or similar material.

Overall, movement finishing is quite rough (by IWC’s standards anyway).
This is the sort of finish I’d expect on an Invicta or Poljot model.
The major and minor clicks show considerable machining marks, and
the other movement parts show a cursory surface polish. There is no
Geneva striping, anglage, perlage, colimaconnage, and any other “-age”
for that matter.

As you can see from the image below, a close look at the rotor printing
indicates considerable irregularity. This is not really noticeable
to the naked eye, however.

Overall Assessment

This is a very cool toy, and well worth the money. Everyone who sees it wants to play with it. If I had the choice
to make over again, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

Case Composition:	Plastic – Type undetermined
Cover Composition:	Plastic – Acrylic
Case Size:	L: 87.5 mm W: 138.0 mm H: 43.5 mm including base
Thickness of Base:	2.3 millimeters
Movement Height:	11.7 millimeters
Parts:	Approximately 50 (to be verified upon disassembly)

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THE IMAGES

Click on the thumbnail to load the full-size image.

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Credits:

Data on the Pellaton Winding System from the IWC website at http://www.iwc.ch.

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Copyright © 2000, Michael Sandler
All Rights Reserved