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.

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Seven Must-Visit Watch Museums in Switzerland

Switzerland is home to many great watch museums, and in this WatchTime feature we present 7 of the most interesting Swiss watch museums, including the Omega Museum in Bienne, the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen and MIH in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

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Oct 10, 2018 by Roger Ruegger

Promotion

Baume & Mercier’s new Clifton Baumatic: Lengthened Service Intervals

A mechanical watch movement is a complex mechanism comprising numerous mobile miniature components. Their perpetual interaction results in friction and wear ultimately influencing the smooth running of the movement. This is one of the reasons why watches have to be returned for regular service. The new Clifton Baumatic from Baume & Mercier with the maison’s...

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Oct 15, 2018 by WatchTime

PORTFOLIO

Splash! A Plunge Into the Colorful World of Watersports Watches

Take the plunge with us into the colorful world of water sports. Here you can find professional instruments with appealing technologies, styles, and prices. In this article, we present divers’ watches without complex additional functions (e.g., chronographs) because the watches listed here are designed to focus your undivided attention on the time of day and the...

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Oct 2, 2018 by Alexander Krupp

PHOTO GALLERY

Back is Beautiful: 10 Luxury Watches With Exhibition Casebacks

In our "Back is Beautiful" series of photo features, we present a portfolio of fine mechanical watches that are as appealing from the back as from the front. This latest installment includes timepieces from A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Panerai, Patek Philippe, and more. Scroll down to see the selection and click on each image for the larger photo.

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Sep 24, 2018 by WatchTime

POLL:

Vote on the Winner of WatchTime Wrist Shot Contest #2

Capping off another successful WatchTime Wrist Shot Contest submission period, here are our top 10 images of the 300-plus wrist shots submitted to us through e-mail and Instagram over the past two weeks. Please vote on what you think is the best image based on composition, creativity, and image quality. The top five finishers will receive...

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Oct 9, 2018 by WatchTime

CLASSIC DESIGNS:

5 Iconic Watches from the Mind of Gérald Genta

We take a look at 5 of legendary watch designer Gerald Genta's most notable watch creations, including the Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

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Sep 21, 2018 by WatchTime

WATCH REVIEW

War of the Worlds: IWC Pilot Worldtimer vs. Montblanc Orbis Terrarum

Two world-time watches — the IWC Pilot's Watch Worldtimer and the Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum — duke it out on the wrist in this comparative review from the WatchTime archives.

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Sep 20, 2018 by Martina Richter

PROMOTION:

Gucci Presents #TimeToParr: An Uncommon Photographic Journey

Embracing Instagram’s creative landscape over the past three years with dedicated projects in which artists play with House motifs, Gucci has published and promoted these special works with a series of hashtags. Now, for the first time, the House is collaborating with a single artist on an Instagram project. Exploring the nature of time and...

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Oct 9, 2018 by WatchTime

FEATURE

Dive Watches in Depth: A Dive Watch FAQ

"How water-resistant does it need to be?" "How does a depth gauge work?" We answer your FAQs about dive watches: learn about water resistance, diving bezels, depth gauges, and more in this feature from the WatchTime archives.

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Sep 18, 2018 by WatchTime

PORTFOLIO

Time Machines: 7 Automotive-Inspired Retro Watches

A classic car is a time machine into the past. But what about the smaller machines that measure time’s passage? Which watches would harmonize best with a vintage car’s styling? Fortunately, the retro trend in watches is bigger than ever. Here are seven suggestions, photographed by our own Nik Schölzel.

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Sep 13, 2018 by Jens Koch

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

10 Highlights in the History of the Dive Watch

In the beginning, dive watches were pure tools that helped keep divers on time and alive. Today they’re something else: fashion statements, conversation pieces, rugged companions for a trip to the beach or pool. Our Timeline: "Dive Watches Through the Decades," traces the history of the dive watch from its start in the 1920s, with the invention of the first truly water-resistant cases, to 2014.

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Sep 11, 2018 by WatchTime

FEATURE

Flying Ace: Tracing the History of the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch

IWC's Big Pilot’s Watch became an instant classic when it was re-released in 2002. But its history stretches much further back in time. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we explore the Big Pilot and its many evolutions over the decades.

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Sep 6, 2018 by Jens Koch

FEATURE

Flight Fight: A History of IWC and Breitling Pilots’ Watches

When longtime IWC head honcho Georges Kern left became CEO of Breitling, some saw it as the latest salvo in the two Swiss brands' historical duel for horological supremacy in the air. Here we explore how both brands have made their marks on the history and evolution of pilots' watches.

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Sep 4, 2018 by Jens Koch

NEWS

Inside the New IWC Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen

The first phase in IWC's yearlong celebration of its 150th anniversary was the much-heralded launch of the brand's Jubilee Collection at SIHH 2018. The second phase was unveiled today, with the grand opening of the Swiss watchmaker's all-new watch manufacturing center ("Manufakturzentrum") just outside the brand's ancestral home of Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

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Aug 27, 2018 by Mark Bernardo

Tough Timers: 10 Watches for Extreme Conditions

WatchTime takes a look at 10 tough timer watches, including the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss and the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea, designed to withstand extreme conditions.

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Aug 24, 2018 by Jens Koch

FEATURES:

Ingenious Inventions: Taking a Close-Up Look at the IWC Ingenieur Classic

No other watch brand is as deeply connected to engineering as IWC Schaffhausen. The company employs the spirit of ingenious invention in its Ingenieur watch collection and celebrates it in its impressive timepieces. The first Ingenieur (Reference 666), introduced in 1955, was a simple, round watch that boasted an astonishing degree of precision, shock resistance,...

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Aug 15, 2018 by Martina Richter

Depths of Complexity: 5 Ultra-Complicated Dive Watches

Most mechanical dive watches are priced under $10,000 (even though the iconic Rolex Deepsea, Sea-Dweller, and Submariner, and some Blancpain Fifty Fathoms models, might go for a bit more nowadays), but there are several fascinating dive watches that go way beyond that. Here are some examples.

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Aug 14, 2018 by Roger Ruegger

PORTFOLIO

6 Sports Watches and Dive Watches Built for Adventure

From the WatchTime archives: If you want to climb mountains, explore caverns, or undergo underwater ordeals, these watches will blithely master such extreme situations. But their attributes can also be useful in everyday life.

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Aug 13, 2018 by Jens Koch

DIVING INTO HISTORY:

7 Milestone IWC Aquatimer Watches

For fans of vintage IWC watches, we highlight here five important IWC Aquatimers from the brand’s history, including IWC's Aquatimer GST Automatic 2000 and Aquatimer Split Minute Chronograph watches.

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Aug 10, 2018 by Mark Bernardo

PORTFOLIO

Bring On the Water! 11 Watches Built for Water Sports

In addition to diving, water sports include sailing, surfing and even fishing. The appropriate watch can be a topic of conversation during breaks but also provides valuable time-related information. From our February 2018 issue, here are 11 water-sports watches worth checking out.

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Aug 8, 2018 by WatchTime

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

10 Milestone Moments in the History of the Wristwatch

Today it is common to wear a watch on one’s wrist, but it was a different story around 100 years ago. World War I, which started in 1914 and ended in 1918, brought to the battlefield much that was new — airplanes, mustard gas, military tanks. It also brought something new to civilian society: wristwatches,...

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Aug 7, 2018 by WatchTime

FEATURE:

Second Life: Nine Watches Featuring “Upcycled” Materials

More so than any other consumer product, watches are intertwined with history. Whether it’s your grandfather’s Elgin pocket watch or Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona that recently broke the record for most expensive wristwatch ever sold, it’s these relationships between time and personality that allow watches to retain a sort of indefinable sense of humanity on...

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Aug 6, 2018 by Logan R. Baker

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