IWC International Watch Co. AG, founded as the International Watch Company and trading as IWC Schaffhausen, is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.[1] Originally founded in Switzerland by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868, the company was transferred to the Rauschenbach family in 1880 after bankruptcy and has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group since 2000.[2][3][4]
IWC is best known for its luxury pilot/aviation watches, material competence such as the pioneering use of ceramic and titanium in watchmaking, its chronographs, Gérald Genta’s design of the Ingenieur Ref. 1832, and Kurt Klaus’ user-friendly perpetual calendar..[5][6][4][7][8][9][10] In 2018, IWC was recognized by the WWF for its environmental efforts and received an "Ambitious" rating, placing first amongst fifteen other Swiss watchmakers. The luxury watch manufacturer won the Aiguille d’Or at the 2024 GPHG for the Portugieser Eternal Calendar, recognized as the overall best watch of the year for its groundbreaking secular perpetual calendar that accounts for Gregorian calendar exceptions, and its Double Moon™ display, accurate to one day in over 45 million years.[11][12]
History
Creation
In 1868, American engineer and watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916),[13] who had been a director of E. Howard & Co. in Boston, founded the International Watch Company in Switzerland.[14] He planned to assemble watches in Switzerland and import them into the United States.[15] At the time, wages in Switzerland were relatively low and there was a ready supply of skilled watchmaking labor,[14] mainly carried out by people in their homes. Jones encountered opposition to his plans in French-speaking Switzerland because he wanted to open a factory.[14]
Motto and slogan
IWC's motto is Probus Scafusia, a Latin phrase meaning "good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen".[29] The motto was established in 1903.[30]
Watch manufacturing
Production records
The company began keeping detailed records for each watch that has left the factory since 1885. Since 1885, details of the caliber, materials used and cases have been entered into the records. In the case of later models, these also include the reference number, delivery date and the name of the authorized dealer. For a small fee, the owner can obtain precise information about their watch, as long as the watch is at least ten years old.[31]
The company claims that its service department has the parts and is capable of repairing and maintaining watches from every era since IWC's foundation in 1868.[32]
IWC movements
Manufacture in-house movements include the Caliber 50000/52000, Caliber 80000/82000/89000, which feature the Pellaton winding system, using pawls rather than direct gearing between the rotor and barrel,[33]
Charity auction
Since 1997, IWC has been offering a horological item for online auction annually on its website, donating proceeds to the Ecole des Sables – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry school in Mali.[49] The school provides education for Tuareg children.
In 2007, the Company auctioned a platinum version of the Pilot's Watch Automatic Edition Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Reference 3201. The watch was made as a tribute to the French author and aviation pioneer. It was auctioned together with an original copy of Exupéry's debut novel, Courrier Sud (Southern Mail), featuring a handwritten dedication by the author.[50] In 2009 IWC introduced the Big Pilot edition Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1,900 pieces. Only one of them will be in platinum and will be auctioned for charity.
Watch International
Four times a year, IWC publishes a customer magazine, Watch International.[51] This publication is available in German, French, and English. The magazine includes feature stories about IWC, and other articles.[52]
See also
External links
References
- Company Overview of IWC International Watch Co. AG^
- Compagnie Financière Richemont SA - Home www.richemont.com, retrieved 2019-02-02^
- IWC - Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie www.hautehorlogerie.org, retrieved 2019-02-02^