IWC Schaffhausen
Apprenticeships
“Become a Next IWC Xpert!”
Did you know that, in theory, a mechanical automatic winding watch will run forever? Without a battery or charging, simply by wearing it on your wrist each day?
The mechanical watches that we have been manufacturing in our workshops along the Rhine since 1868 are complex precision instruments. The countless tiny parts, some of which are subjected to extreme pressures and operate continuously, are assembled in the smallest of spaces. Our watches don’t just tell the time; they also have many additional functionalities, known as intricacies: such as the stopwatch, the moon phase display, and the mechanically programmed perpetual calendar.
Do you share our passion for watchmaking?
Our apprenticeship programs are aimed at enthusiastic young people who want to shape their future with practical passion. During your apprenticeship, you will gain extensive professional expertise. But along the way, we will also teach you how to think and act independently like an entrepreneur and will impart our love of innovative solution development.
Your apprenticeship at IWC will lay the foundation for a successful career. In return, we expect you to have a great deal of motivation, willingness to learn, reliability and perseverance. An apprenticeship with us will challenge you and develop your individual skills and talents.
Take the first step and find out more about our apprenticeships!
Apprenticeship Job Description
- Junior high or high school diploma
- Good performance in physics, mathematics and technical drawing
- Good eyesight
- Technical understanding
- Manual Dexterity
- Excellent spatial awareness
- Patience and the ability to concentrate and persevere
- A thorough and painstaking approach
- The ability to sit still for long periods
Production watchmakers assemble mechanical and electronic watches on assembly lines and carry out maintenance in the service area. They assist employees on the assembly line and advise them on production. The role also includes performing trials, testing and streamlining processes.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
3 years
- High school
- Good performance in physics, mathematics and technical drawing
- Good eyesight
- Technical understanding
- Manual dexterity
- Joined-up thinking
- Excellent spatial awareness
- Patience and the ability to concentrate and persevere
- A thorough and painstaking approach
- The ability to sit still for long periods
Specialization in industrial manufacture
Watchmakers assemble mechanical and electronic watches and carry out maintenance in the service area. They assist the production designers and advise them on the development and manufacture of tools for watch production. The role also includes performing prototyping, trials and testing.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
4 years
- Junior high or high school diploma
- Good performance in mathematics and physics
- An interest in technical problems and mechanical systems
- Spatial awareness
- Manual dexterity
- A thorough and painstaking approach
- The ability to think logically
- Level G – basic educational requirements
- Level E – advanced educational requirements
Specialization in precision engineering
Multi-disciplinary technicians provide support to draftsmen/women and advise them on the development and design of tools and systems for use in production. Using cutting-edge materials and computerized machinery, multi-disciplinary technicians produce individual components, supervise the manufacturing process, manufacture prototypes and carry out testing.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
4 years
At IWC Schaffhausen, this professional training is offered at two entry levels:
- High school diploma
- Good performance in mathematics, geometry and physics
- An interest in technical problems and mechanical systems
- Technical understanding
- Excellent spatial awareness
- A thorough and painstaking approach Patience and the ability to concentrate and persevere
- An interest in working with IT
Draftsmen/women develop technical documents and drawings for use in production in the manufacturing, watch and metal industries. Using their in-depth knowledge of mechanical systems, production engineering and material selection, they work with the production department to formulate constructive solutions for the manufacture of products.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
4 years
- Junior high school diploma
- Good performance in mathematics and geometry
- Good eyesight
- Skillful, steady hands
- Manual dexterity
- Technical understanding
- Patience and the ability to concentrate and persevere
- A thorough and painstaking approach
Watches and jewelry
Surface finishers are specialists in the grinding and polishing of sophisticated components. They have mechanical expertise, select appropriate techniques and define the different processes. They operate and set up machinery, know the properties of different grinding and polishing agents and finish components by hand.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
3 years
- Junior High School diploma
- Good performance in physics and chemistry
- An interest in chemistry and physics
- Manual dexterity
- A thorough and painstaking approach
- Robust health and physical fitness
- No predisposition towards allergies
Surface coaters are specialists in surface coating technologies. They use electrochemical baths to coat watch parts and components to protect them from corrosion and to increase their wear resistance. They ensure the correct chemical compositions are used and operate the machinery and associated analysis and measuring instruments.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
3 years
- High school diploma
- Proficient touch-typing skills
- An interest in administrative work
- Joined-up thinking and the ability to assess situations quickly
- Good spoken and written language skills
- Enjoyment of foreign languages
- A flair for figures
- Independence and reliability
- Good organizational skills
Services and administration
Management assistants have a vast array of skills and professional knowledge and carry out demanding administrative duties in various departments. For instance, the role includes composing a wide range of correspondence, processing customer orders and booking invoices. This is an international working environment in which foreign languages are regularly used.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
3 years
- High school diploma
- Excellent performance in science and mathematics
- Good knowledge of English
- The ability to think logically and in abstract terms
- Spatial awareness
- A systematic and structured approach to work
- An excellent ability to concentrate
- A creative approach to finding solutions
Business informatics
IT specialists have an increasingly important role to play in the mechanical watch industry. They guarantee the provision of an effective IT architecture; something which all departments depend upon these days. With their extensive knowledge of business administration, support, networks, servers, back-up and project management, they have a major contribution to make to a company’s success.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
4 years
- Secondary school level (Sekundarstufe)
- Good knowledge of English
- High interest in new media and technology
- Technical understanding and logical-abstract thinking
- Creativity and flexibility
- Networked thinking and quick comprehension
- Pronounced ability to communicate and work in a team
- Organisational skills
- To be independent and reliable
You enjoy producing content for digital and classic media? You enjoy editing pictures, creating videos and maintaining websites? You are interested in creative projects that you implement independently from start to finish? Would you like to use your multimedia skills in an international environment? Then we have the right apprenticeship for you!
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
4 years
At IWC Schaffhausen, this professional training is only offered to applicants who have obtained the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate.
- Junior or high school diploma
- Good performance in German, mathematics and computer science
- Good physical condition and good eyesight
- Aptitude for craftsmanship
- Organizational skills
- High service orientation and ability to work in a team
- Precise and careful working method
- Patience and the ability to concentrate and persevere
Specialization in Bearing
Logistics specialists are responsible for the optimal flow of data and materials throughout the watch manufactory and as service providers, they ensure efficient and reliable supply to all upstream and downstream departments, so that the high quality of the watches produced can be guaranteed. Their tasks include the precise and speedy set-up, receipt, dispatch and distribution of the various articles in the goods receiving department, the central warehouse and the forwarding department.
Prerequisites
Requirements
Duration of apprenticeship
3 years
Online application
- Cover letter
- CV
- All your school certificates
- Multicheck and Stellwerk aptitude tests
Look for your chosen apprenticeship on the jobs portal and click “Apply now”. Please note that, due to data protection regulations, we only consider online applications.
Contact
We will be happy to assist you with any questions you might have about apprenticeships at IWC or the online jobs portal:
E-Mail: berufsausbildung@iwc.com
Telephone: +41 (0)52 235 78 78
Please note that regional variations may apply to apprenticeships. The above descriptions apply specifically to the headquarters in Schaffhausen.
Working for IWC
Why Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen has a population of around 36,000 people and is nestled around 40 min away from the city of Zurich.
Your Benefits
Flexible working hours, health care and sustainability initiatives are just a few of the benefits awaiting full time employees at IWC.
