IWC Schaffhausen watches

IWC Schaffhausen Watches, Aquatimer, Da Vinci, Ingenieur, Pilots Watch Classic, Pilots Watch Spitfire, Portofino, Portuguese, Specials, Vintage Collection, technical advice, Watchfinder, market leader in new and pre-owned IWC watches

IWC Schaffhausen watch history IWC (International Watch Company) is thought to be the only major Swiss watch company whose founder was an American. In Boston in the 1860s, Florentine Ariosto Jones took over a failed watch making enterprise and set up his own company in Switzerland. His plan was to assemble watches in Switzerland and import them into the United States, hence the name International Watch Company.

Jones teamed up with Johann Heinrich Moser, a watchmaker whose hometown of Schaffhausen was near the Rhine. A dam was built there to harness the mighty river and generate hydro-power to drive the machines used in manufacturing facilities throughout Schaffhausen. A watch factory was built in Schaffhausen to take advantage of the cheap hydro-power and production started in 1868.

Several years later, IWC had changed hands between different owners, and became the first to produce the first pocket watches with digital time indication, as well as the famous Calibre 52 movement, which at the time was quite revolutionary in its concept and construction.

IWC then found success during World War II with the first oversized anti-magnetic pilot's watch, followed by the famous Mark X, featuring its new in-house movement, Calibre 83.

Exports to the United States increased and the brand became best known for its specialty watches, such as the Mark XI and Ingenieur - the first automatic IWC watch with a soft-iron inner case that protected the movement against magnetic fields - as well as for its elegant dress watches. Vintage IWC watches from the 1940s and 50s are highly collectible today and remain in great demand.

IWC entered the quartz era with its first quartz watch in 1969, using the Beta 21 movement. Then came the debut of the Porsche series of sports watches, which remain in production to this day, as well as the creation of the Da Vinci - a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch that is mechanically programmed for the next 500 years.

This watch caused quite a stir when first introduced and set new standards with its user friendly perpetual calendar.

In 1993, IWC stunned the watch world when it unveiled the remarkable Il Destriero. At the time it was the most complicated wristwatch in the world. 1999 was the most successful year in IWC's history, with 39,000 watches sold, 115 million Swiss francs in revenue, and over 350 employees.

In 2000, the 5000 calibre, a new mechanical movement with a power reserve of seven days and an automatic movement, was introduced.

The automatic, an IWC exclusive and pocket watch-size movement, is featured in the latest addition to the Portuguese line: an automatic with a power reserve display.

Today, IWC continues to make watches of the highest quality with unique technical and design characteristics that remain incredibly popular.

Types of IWC watches The watches available in the IWC Schaffhausen range are: Aquatimer, Da Vinci, Ingenieur, Pilots Watch Classic, Pilots Watch Spitfire, Portofino, Portuguese, Specials, Vintage Collection

If you would like to see a selection of IWC watches please follow the link IWC watches.

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