IWC

(Active since 1868)

The International Watch Company, also known as IWC is a luxury Swiss watchmaker with headquarters in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Founded in 1868, the manufacturer has always been recognised as a leading maker of pilot watches, as well as timepieces for aviation of highest quality.

The company was founded by Florentine Ariosto Jones, prominent watchmaker and engineer of American origin and former director of E. Howard & Co. His intention was to combine Swiss and American craftsmanship and experience in horology in order to manufacture high-quality watch movements and details for the American market. However, as time went by, the business expanded, the number of employees rapidly increased, as well as the brand’s fame grew, and soon the factory started manufacturing timepieces for the global market. 1900 was the year that determined the further history of the company. It was back then, when wrist watches for the British Royal Navy and the German Imperial Navy were created. In the mid century, the manufacturer presented its legendary Caliber 89 movement, which powered the IWC models until the early 1990s. The mechanism’s exceptional accuracy and longevity immediately brought fame to the company.

Throughout its history, IWC has made a number of important inventions that became a great contribution to the development of watchmaking. In 1985, the company presented a perpetual calendar module – the first module to have all indexes adjustable with the crown. The mechanism recognizes the number of days in a month over the next 500 years. The mechanism was supplemented with an exclusive four-digit year indicator. In 1990, the first complex watch with 9 hands, consisting of 659 parts, was developed, which became another breakthrough for the already renowned manufacturer. The list of IWC’s outstanding developments keeps expanding. For instance, in 2003 the manufacturer presented a watch with the indication of the phases of the moon in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres simultaneously - the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar. The collection of these timepieces remains one of the most demanded and desired nowadays.

At present IWC has received worldwide recognition not only due to its exceptional timepieces and watch mechanisms of highest quality, but also thanks to its sustainable development policy. According to the report of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), published in 2018, IWC tops the list of the world’s 15 major watch manufacturers and is the only company examined that has shown active engagement in sustainable development. Along with such iconic Swiss watchmakers as Omega, Chopard and Breitling, IWC stands at the forefront of developing sustainable production and smart consumption policies.

Throughout its long and rich history, the company has won the hearts of millions of horology connoisseurs. Its sophisticated watches, especially from limited collections, such as IWC Big Pilots Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition Antoine De Saint, Portuguese Chronograph Automatic, Leonardo Da Vinci Tourbillon and Da Vinci Split-Chronograph, are in incredible demand. As for the renowned firm’s respect for ecology and its sustainable development policy, this helps attract even more loyal customers and brand fans and friends.