Fine engineering from Schaffhausen

IWC’s watch families – the Pilot’s Watches, Portugieser, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Da Vinci and Portofino – look back on a long tradition. They attest to the innovation of the engineers in Schaffhausen through four generations and embrace the broad range of the company’s watchmaking expertise: from robust watches for everyday use to professional sports watches and the complexities of haute horlogerie at its finest. These are joined by watch specialities such as the Grande Complication and the IWC Vintage Collection.

In 1868, Boston watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones founded the “International Watch Co.” in Schaffhausen, far from the watchmaking centres of French-speaking Switzerland. His plan was to marry advanced American production technologies with the skilled craftsmanship for which Swiss watchmakers were famous. In Schaffhausen, he found ideal conditions: modern factory premises, a hydropower plant driven by the Rhine to run the machines and, equally important, a centuries-old horological tradition. The company’s reputation was established from the start with its first movement, the eponymous Jones calibre. In 1885, IWC demonstrated its innovative spirit in the Pallweber pocket watches, with their revolutionary digital display for hours and minutes. The end of the 19th century saw the appearance of IWC’s first wristwatches featuring the 64-calibre pocket watch movement.

F.A. Jones rented his first factory premises in premises known as the Moser Industrial Complex. Soon afterwards, the company leased additional space in the Oberhaus, one of Schaffhausen’s oldest buildings. In 1874/75, a new IWC factory – and the company’s headquarters to this day – was built at the Baumgarten, directly adjacent to the banks of the Rhine. Headquarters were expanded in 2005 and 2008 with the addition of the East and West Wings.

The company takes its economic, social and environmental responsibilities seriously, as evidenced by a wide range of internal activities as well as partnerships and joint ventures worldwide. Its social commitment, for example, is demonstrated by its support for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports disadvantaged youth across the globe. In the interest of environmental sustainability, IWC supports the Charles Darwin Foundation – among others – in its struggle to maintain the flora and fauna on the Galapagos Islands. Closer to home, the company uses 100% renewable energy for electricity, recycles waste heat and rainwater, and offsets remaining CO² emissions.