The IWC Porsche Design Ocean Bund has a special place in IWC collectors

IWC's Minesweeper Ocean Bund

The IWC Porsche Design Ocean Bund has a special place in IWC collectors’ hearts. It follows IWC’s grand tradition of military watches and, in fact, is the last production model IWC made for military use. In one rare variation, the minesweeper model, it also follows IWC’s great tradition of making antimagnetic watches. Of course, it also is a Porsche Design model with its purity of design and it is a diving watch.

After the successful launch of the Porsche Design line of watches in 1978, perhaps as an attempt to survive in face of the quartz onslaught, in about 1980 IWC introduced a Porsche-styled diving watch, the Ocean 2000. It also obtained a contract with the then-West German military, the Bundeswehr, to make a variation of that watch for their Navy. The watch had various minor design changes –primarily, it was less water resistant (to "only" 300 meters), a black bezel, an orange minutes hand, and an alternative nylon strap.

According to Clemens von Halem in Munich, the Ocean 2000 Bund came in four different versions:

1. Bundeswehr-Versorgungnummer 6645-12-199-5070

Time and dive-time measuring device and navigational aid for Seal units.

It used a Quartz Cal. 2250Q, and had tritium markers (denoted by the "3H" on the dial).

2. Bundeswehr-Versorgungnummer 6645-12-197-8096

Wristwatch for the general use of Bundeswehr diving units.

This model had a self-winding movement with date (Cal. 375M, based on ETA 2892), as well as luminous numerals without tritium.

3. Bundeswehr-Versorgungnummer 6645-12-197-9681

Wristwatch for Seal units.

This model had a self-winding movement with date (Cal. 375R, also based on ETA 2892), and tritium markers.

4. Bundeswehr-Versorgungnummer 6645-12-199-3503

Wristwatch for Minesweeper diving units; special amagnetic version.

This watch's self-winding movement had a special antimagnetic finish (Cal. 375 Amag, which included a beryllium balance) and tritium markers. All Amag movements reportedly were individually numbered adjacent to the Calibre number, such as 375-21, in addition to the normal movement serial numbers. This model also had tritium markers. The movement is depicted at left.

All Bund Ocean models are rare, but the antimagnetic model is extraordinarily rare. Reportedly, no more than 50 pieces were produced. To this day, most are kept under under lock by the Bundeswehr, to be issued only in crisis situations. The watches are closely guarded, allegedly for fear of ruining the antimagnetic features, which are consider necessary to keep the minesweeper divers alive.

According to the story, the Bundeswehr paid approximately DM 16,000 for each antimagnetic Ocean watch. Finding one today would be a real coup, since few were made and most are still in the hands of the German government.

Michael Friedberg

Special thanks to Clemens von Halem, who supplied the images of the Minesweeper Ocean Bund model, and provided information concerning the various IWC Bund models