BRAND PROFILE

A young American from Boston founded the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 1868, where the Rhine Falls provided the newly-discovered hydroelectric power to run the manufacture ever since. From its early reputation for extremely fine hand-crafted pocket watches, over the past 150 years IWC has pioneered the combination of engineering and watchmaking for human exploration of the air, land and sea, in addition to its innovations in fine watchmaking. 

IWC’s contributions to horology include:

• The first mechanical digital display in the Pallweber (1884)
• The first anti-magnetic pilot watches (1936)
• The Portuguese high-precision wristwatch is launched (1939)
• World’s first soft-iron inner case for anti-magnetism, Pilot’s Watch Mark 11 (1948)
• The Pellaton pawl-winding automatic mechanism is patented 91950)
• The Aquatimer with the first 200m water-resistance and inner-rotating bezel for divers (1967)
• World’s first chronograph in titanium (1980)
• World’s first 2000m diving watch, the Ocean 2000 (1982)
• Da Vinci, world’s first chronograph perpetual calendar programmed for 500 years (1985)
• Il Destriero Scafusia, world’s most complicated mechanical wristwatch (1993)The GST Deep One with mechanical depth gauge (1999)
• The world’s first twin hemisphere moon phase display (2003)
• The Portugieser Sidérale Scafusia with Sidereal time, Constant force Tourbillon and astronomical displays (2011)
• The Pilot’s Watch Timezoner with time zones controlled by the bezel (2016)

Today, the manufacture is celebrated equally for its engineered exploration watches as much as for the quality and craftsmanship of its complicated masterpieces. The design and use of materials for each collection is distinctive.

IWC sustains its values of engineering, tradition, innovation, and aesthetics in each of its six collections: Pilots, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Portugieser, Portofino, Da Vinci.

IWC Schaffhausen is available at our Watches of Switzerland Boutiques in Melbourne City, Melbourne Airport, Sydney and Perth. For enquiries contact 1800 808 135 or via enquiries@watchswiss.com . As an authorised IWC Service Centre, we provide an after sales service for the lifetime of your IWC watch.