IWC

IWC

International Watch Co., called IWC (or IWC Schaffhausen), is a luxury watch company based in Switzerland. IWC is the only large watch manufacture in eastern Switzerland (all other brands are in western Swiss regions).

IWC Schaffhausen was founded 1868 by the U.S. watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones to merge the craftsmanship of Switzerland watchmakers with the engineering skills from the U.S. to manufacture movements and timepiece parts for the USA. IWC is unique among similar companies for keeping detailed records for every watch produced since 1885. Since 1885, caliber, materials used and cases are tracked. Younger IWC watches are shown in the records with reference number, delivery date and the name of the authorized dealer. Every IWC collector can request this information for all watches older than ten years. IWC says it can service and repair all watches produced since 1868. IWC Schaffhausen movements in more affordable watches and chronographs (IWC Portuguese Chronograph) are from ETA. Non-ETA IWC calibers are: Caliber 5000, Caliber 8000, pocket watch movements. Notable watch models include the Aquatimer, Ingenieur, Portuguese, Da Vinci, Portofino as well as Pilot’s Watches.

Advanced Flight Instruments: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium

This article was originally published in the September/October 2022 Issue of the WatchTime print magazine. Over the years, IWC has become almost synonymous with pilot watches. The Swiss brand’s current squadron of horological aces is divided into a “Classic” segment (with the Heritage and Spitfire models), “Performance Materials” (with Top Gun, Pantone and various other special...

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Apr 17, 2024 by Roger Ruegger