When meticulous craftsmanship meets precise engineering and timeless design in order to make a statement on the wearer’s wrist, the result is Swiss watchmaking art. Since 1868, IWC Schaffhausen has been an important part of the world of mechanical timepieces, with an unmatched instinct for classic aesthetics and modern spirit.
The charm of the unusual site in Schaffhausen and the technical ingenuity are incorporated into the collections of the Swiss watchmaker and have made it one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment. IWC is synonymous with masterpieces in technology and development the world over. ‘Probus Scafusia’ means roughly ‘time-tested quality from Schaffhausen’ and captures the philosophy of a luminary in the watchmaker’s art. Alongside the highest quality benchmarks and design standards, the skilled IWC engineers and designers have mastered the fine art of using perfect craftsmanship and innovative passion to create technical masterpieces.
Find out more about the brand at www.iwc.com Once you have purchased your IWC watch, you can now extend the international guarantee from two years to eight.
same accuracy as marine chronometers. The first ‘large watch’ with pocket watch calibre was far ahead of its time. In 1993 the family of watches made a comeback under the name ‘Portugieser’. The Portugieser line established the large format for watches, which has become highly popular in the watch industry, and with its complex watch technology it has become a beacon of ‘haute horlogerie’. Watch connoisseurs appreciate the distinctive size of the watches and the reduced face with characteristic railway-track minute markers and Arabic numerals. IWC proprietary calibres and sophisticated complications characterise the history and the present form of the watch family. The minute repeater, the rattrapante hand and the 7- or 8-day calibre are sure to stun those seeing it for the first time. The most exclusive and complicated mechanical watch that IWC has ever built is the Portugieser Sidérale Scafusia. It marks a high point in the history of the Portugieser family.
Pilot
In 1936, IWC launched the first watch specifically for pilots. This was followed four years later
by the large pilot watch, which became the epitome of aviation watches. In 1948 the Schaffhausen watchmaker supplied the Mark 11 to the Royal Air Force, where it remained in use for almost 40 years. To this day, the cockpit look of these three watch icons continues to define the appearance of classic aviation watches. The Pilots made by IWC Schaffhausen are categorised in five sub-collections. The classic aviator watches feature a distinctive black and white face and a triangle marker at 12 o’clock. The glossy metallic faces of the Spitfire watches are reminiscent of the fuselage of the legendary plane. The TOP GUN collection thrills watch enthusiasts with its classic face in black ceramic case and crowns and pushers made from titanium. The collection includes the Miramar design variants with authentic military design. The special editions ‘Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’ and ‘Le Petit Prince’ pay tribute to the life and work of the French author and pilot.
Portofino
In 1984 IWC launched a sleek pocket-watch-style wristwatch that was based on a Lépine
pocket watch and went on to become one of the Schaffhausen watchmaker’s most successful watch families under the name ‘Portofino’. The former fishing village Portofino has for decades been seen as the epitome of the Mediterranean lifestyle and carefree attitude. The classically elegant Portofino watch family perfectly reflects this way of living. The sleek watch line now also includes sophisticated timepieces with refined complications and calibres, whether it’s with 8-day manual winding, large-scale date or monopusher. Thanks to its classic face, Roman numerals and feuille hands, the Portofino is considered an expression of understatement and good taste. The 37-millimetre watches make the Portofino line suitable for men and women who like to wear their timepieces a little smaller and more luxurious, yet equally attractive. Diamond-embellished models combine the sleek design with a luxurious touch.
Da Vinci
In 1969 IWC launched the Da Vinci – the first watch with a quartz movement, which the Schaffhausen
watchmaker helped to develop. The hexagonal gold case and the long indices give the watch an elegantly technical look. In 1985 IWC definitively entered the top league of ‘haute horlogerie’ with the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar, developed by former chief designer Kurt Klaus. The perpetual calendar requires no manual corrections up to 2499 and is set entirely by means of the crown. The watchmaker created additional watchmaking highlights in 2009 with the first proprietary chronographic movement and the perpetual calendar with large date and month display. In the latest collection, the designers return to the round stylistic elements of the Da Vinci. The double-framed bezel, broken up with a joint, and the moving lugs with curved horns reference the iconic design code of 1985. Smaller case diameters, gemstones and tight-fitting straps make the watch family appeal to women and men alike.
Aquatimer
With underwater diving increasing in popularity, the watchmaker launched the first Aquatimer watch in
1967. It was pressure-resistant up to 20 bar and had an internal bezel to display the diving time. In 1982 the first 200 bar pressure-proof diving watch caused a stir – the Ocean 2000. The ingenuity of the IWC engineers gave rise to the GST Deep One with mechanical depth gauge in 1999. In 2009 IWC launched an entirely revised Aquatimer collection on the market with an external bezel with extra grip. The current collection gives the Aquatimer models additional functionality with the new external-internal bezel. The mechanism combines the advantages of the internal bezel with the greater ease of use of an external bezel, which can be moved with diving gloves or with cold fingers thanks to the SafeDive system. With even more proprietary calibres, the digital perpetual calendar, the mechanical depth gauge and a sensational pressure resistance of 200 bar, the watch family is scaling the heights of haute horlogerie.
Ingenieur
Even the first ever Ingenieur impressed watch enthusiasts with its Pellaton system, which is wound on both sides
and works much more efficiently than conventional movements. On top of this, there was a magnetic field protection, which continues to play a major role in the watch family to this day. In the early 1970s, Gérald Genta designed the legendary Ingenieur SL with modern stylistic elements with a technical character. The collection was entirely revised in 2013 and took its inspiration from Formula 1; the materials – titanium aluminide, carbon, ceramic and titanium – are based on the material repertoire of motorsports. Technical highlights include the patented constant-force tourbillon, the instantaneous switching and large digital display of the date and month. The new Ingenieur model of 2017 was once again strongly based on the design of the 1950s and 1960s. This is expressed by the sleek round case and also the face with distinctive hands and indices with luminescent elements.
