Swiss and luxurious - The Evolution of IWC Watches

Over 150 years of precision engineering experience is behind our mechanical watch collection, which features our iconic chronometers with innovative internal systems. Our watches blend exact timekeeping with an elegant device. IWC continues to push the boundaries with progressive designs, such the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar, that complement the sophisticated mechanisms within.

IWC launched its first automatic winding mechanism in 1950, utilising the acclaimed Pellaton system. Inertia and gravity combined to allow the automatic watch to run in perpetuity as the slightest rocking motion would coil the mainspring. This solution remained unchanged for almost 60 years until the 52000 Chronograph, an overhaul that resulted in a more efficient double-pawl mechanism.

The iconic aviator watch has been a steadfast presence since IWC’s beginning. The idea was conceived in 1936 by then-owner Ernst Homberger. Given to his two sons who had recently qualified as pilots, this watch had to be a hardy, shock-resistant, anti-magnetic navigation device. The result is a precise chronometer that is the envy of all aviator watches.

In 2010, IWC combined the Portugieser with the 1967 IWC Yacht Club timepiece. The result, with its marine chronometer precision, was perfect for today’s sailing watch demands. The Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph combines classic design with sporting flourishes to match the requirements of boating-related activities and is one of the most recognizable sailing watches of today.

Originally developed for engineers and scientists, the Ingenieur has become a favorite of motorsport enthusiasts. The first of the racing watches to withstand extreme magnetic fields of up to 50,000 A/m, the Ingenieur’s most recent incarnation is the 2017 edition. The digital perpetual calendar, chronograph complication and 18-carat 5N gold case are a showcase for contemporary elements.

Nothing tests design like the stresses of deep-water diving. High salinity and excessive pressure are just two of the problems. IWC faced these challenges with the introduction of the Aquatimer in 1967, which was watertight to 200m. The exploration continues today with water-resistant diving watches to depths of 2,000m and the use of Ceratanium®, a light, scratch-resistant material.  

Add a suave sophistication to your timepiece with Santoni accessories, offering a distinctive array of alligator- and calf-leather straps crafted exclusively for IWC by Italian shoe manufacturer Santoni. Each strap is hand finished, bringing a patina that showcases its own distinctive colour tone. Such character surfaces a sense of chronicles untold as each strap displays a unique story.

Watches assembled for chronometry in perpetuity that will not err until 2499, the complications of our perpetual calendar watches include the date, day of the week, month, moon phase, and the year in a four-digit display. This early-1980’s creation debuted in the iconic Da Vinci model. Perpetual calendar watches redefined the operational standards of internal mechanisms. 

The chronograph is practical yet sophisticated. IWC includes at least one manifestation of the chronograph in each watch family. Our chronograph watches have an accuracy of a tenth-of-a-second via a simple-to-operate, push-down mechanism. The first IWC chronograph in 1980 was a world first. At the time of its launch, it was the only watch assembled from titanium.

IWC builds on the designs of Swiss women's luxury watches launched in the mid-1870’s. Offerings within the Portofino and Pilot watch families were followed by the elegant Da Vinci collection.  The understated Portofino and Pilot watches offer a subtle addition to the wrist, while our diamond-encrusted Da Vinci’s are as much jewellery as they are chronometer.

Displaying the moon phase has challenged many watchmakers over time. IWC first achieved the feat of producing a moon phase watch in 1977. Initially conceived for the Northern Hemisphere, the mechanical challenge of a double-moon display gave IWC engineers a second goal, delivering the dual-moon complication in 2003, which shows the phase for the Southern Hemisphere as well.