The individual who purchases an IWC watch expects not only precision, functional design and a long service life but also the kind of advanced technical features that only a few watch manufacturers worldwide are able to provide. At IWC Schaffhausen, we pride ourselves on building timepieces that exceed these expectations. If your watch is in need of restoration, repair or service, we're here to make that process as convenient as possible.
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Can I go swimming with my IWC watch? Is it protected against magnetic fields? Where can I get it serviced? Find all the answers to frequently asked questions.
If you need to have your IWC watch serviced or repaired, this is where to find addresses of IWC Service Centres all over the world – and one close to you.
By following a few simple tips on care and safeguarding your IWC watch, you can make a substantial contribution to increasing its serviceable life.
IWC watches are first-class examples of Haute Horlogerie at its finest. Behind IWC's legendary declaration of quality, “Probus Scafusia”, “good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen”, lies a commitment to manufacturing highly practical precision timepieces that retain their value and have a long life expectancy. For this reason, every single IWC watch is passionately and painstakingly crafted by experienced watchmakers, in compliance with strict quality standards. To ensure that your IWC watch continues to meet our exacting standards even after many years of use, we recommend regular maintenance by one of our authorised service centres or by our headquarters in Schaffhausen (Switzerland). This page provides an insight into our worldwide customer service and will help ensure that your timepiece receives the care it deserves.
We wish you many years of enduring pleasure with your IWC watch.
In everyday use, a wristwatch is subjected to many different strains and stresses, such as vibrations, impacts, dust, water, UV radiation, perspiration or fluctuations in temperature. We should not omit to mention the mechanical strain placed on a movement designed to keep the time with absolute precision for 24 hours every single day, and for periods of many years. In order to combat the wear and tear on certain moving parts, as well as the natural aging of oils and lubricants, we recommend owners to have a maintenance service carried out approximately every two years and a complete one every five.
The suggested 2 year service with 8 essential steps
We recommend a maintenance service carried out approximately every two years and a complete service carried out every five.
After removing the wristband and opening the case, the watchmaker demagnetises the watch. A visual and technical examination gives him a first impression of the watch's condition and accuracy.
The watchmaker lifts the movement out of the case. The rotor, balance and escapement are removed, cleaned, reassembled and then oiled.
The case is dismantled into its individual parts. During this process, the glass, seals and other components such as push-buttons or rotating bezels are removed.
The case, metal bracelet and clasp are ultrasonically cleaned in a special fluid. During reassembly of the watch, all the seals are replaced in order to guarantee the watch's water-resistance.
Relying on his own sensitive fingers and precision instruments, the watchmaker puts the movement back in the case and screws it securely into place. Finally, he checks the watch's appearance and its technical functions.
With the help of a timing machine, the watch's rate is tested and adjusted until it lies within the tolerances prescribed by IWC Schaffhausen.
The hermetically sealed case is then tested under water at various pressures to ensure that it is leak-proof.
At the end of the maintenance service, the watch is subjected to a visual inspection and a strict check of its technical functions. An automatic watch winder simulates everyday wear of the watch in various positions to test its accuracy.
The maintenance service includes checking the watch's functions and appearance, ensuring that it is water-resistant and runs accurately, and giving the exterior a thorough cleaning. Our specialists identify any functional defects and repair them only after consulting the customer. After a maintenance service you can be sure that the watch will show the correct time, that all its functions are working properly and that its water-resistance is at the level stated.
Seals and mechanical components are subject to wear and tear and natural aging. We therefore recommend having the water-resistance checked by an IWC service centre and a maintenance service carried out approximately every two years. The intervals between individual services vary considerably depending on how the watch is used and the conditions under which it operates.
As stated in the IWC service guarantee, IWC Schaffhausen grants a 12-month warranty on all work carried out and parts replaced in the scope of the maintenance service.
The most extensive service available with 16 essential steps
We recommend a maintenance service carried out approximately every two years and a complete service carried out every five.
After removing the wristband and opening the case, the watchmaker demagnetises the watch.
The watch is uncased; in other words, the watchmaker separates the movement from the case and removes the hands and dial. This is followed by a visual and technical examination.
After removal of the rotor, balance and escapements, all the settings are tested and, if necessary, readjusted. The next step is to remove the automatic winding assembly to provide access to the parts located below it.
The watchmaker carefully dismantles the movement into its individual parts. He then meticulously examines each component for wear and tear or damage and repairs or replaces it as necessary.
The dismantled movement is degreased and cleaned in a special fluid until it is spotless, if necessary with the aid of ultrasound. During this process, the fine-meshed cleansing basket rotates slowly and moves up and down.
After cleaning, the watch movement is carefully reassembled as set out in a carefully defined procedure. One by one, all bearings and moving surfaces are lubricated using an oil dispenser.
It is now that the watch is given its “soul”: drawing on all his experience and using special instruments, the watchmaker assembles the hand-setting mechanism and the date function on the dial side of the movement.
The case is dismantled into its component parts. During this process, the glass, seals and other components such as push-buttons or rotating bezels are removed.
Strong signs of wear and tear on the case, metal bracelet and clasp are laser-treated. This is a way of building up extra material to ensure that not too much is lost when the flat surfaces and angles of the components are subsequently ground and polished.
The case, metal bracelet and clasp are ultrasonically cleaned in a special fluid.
The glass is press-fitted into the case. All seals and, if necessary, components such as the push-buttons and crowns, are replaced. The case is hermetically sealed without the movement in order to conduct a preliminary test of its water-resistance.
Once the tests and functional controls of the movement and case have been completed successfully, the dial and hands are positioned with painstaking precision and the individual components reassembled.
After the movement has been secured in the case, the watch's accuracy is checked with a timing machine in the five main different positions.
If necessary, the movement can be adjusted by increasing or shortening the active length of the balance spring. The aim is to ensure that the rate tolerances prescribed by IWC Schaffhausen are strictly adhered to.
The case is hermetically sealed and the watch, complete with movement, is placed in a special machine, where its water-resistance is tested once again in water under pressure.
At the end of a complete service, the watchmaker painstakingly inspects the watch's exterior and checks all the technical functions. Only after a test of its accuracy lasting several days is the watch ready to be returned to the customer.
Like any precision instrument, a watch from IWC requires care and attention. A complete service involves a full overhaul of the timepiece, a complex, largely manual task, lasting several hours. A specialist completely dismantles the movement, meticulously checks every part and repairs or replaces it, as required. The individual components are then cleaned. After this, the watch is reassembled from scratch, and oiled and lubricated at critical points. Finally, the movement's accuracy is checked and, if necessary, adjusted. The case and bracelet are cleaned and refreshed in a complex process that gives them a new sparkle. Every watch subsequently undergoes a special test programme where it is required to meet a number of strict tolerances. Now you can be sure that your watch shows the correct time, that all its functions are working properly and that its water-resistance is at the level stated. After an overhaul, your IWC watch will look like new.
We recommend that your watch have a complete service approximately every five years. The intervals between individual services vary considerably depending on how the watch is used and the conditions under which it operates.
As stated in the IWC service guarantee, IWC Schaffhausen grants a 24-month warranty on all work carried out and parts replaced as part of the complete service.
This is where to find IWC Boutiques, authorised retailers and IWC service centres worldwide.
Every restoration IWC offers is completed with a strict check of the watch's functions and performance in accordance with the original specifications. Learn More
