IWC - A Brand History!

In the formative years of the company, Jones set-up a factory in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, near the river Rhine. The location was so that the company could harness the water from the river to generate cheap hydro-power for the facility and keep the production costs down. The factory was opened in 1875, with 196 people working initially in the 45 metre long facility.

Due to unforeseen problems with both import taxes and technical capabilities, IWC was taken over twice in the space of a few years. It wasn’t until Johannes Raschenbach-Vogel bought the company that the brand's fortunes would change. Johannes Raschenbach-Vogel bought IWC at auction for 280,000 francs in February 1880, and four generations of the Raschenbach family owned IWC with varying names. Following the takeover, the company went from strength to strength, with many technical advances made and sales increasing dramatically. Achievements included the first pocket watch with a digital time display, as well as the now famous Calibre 52 movement - an advancement that was revolutionary in its time, in terms of construction and concept.

Although things were looking up for IWC, World War I took its toll on the whole of the Swiss watch market, whilst the global economy also suffered during the depression. Ernst Jakob Homberger was in charge of the company during this time, and managed to guide it out of the slump during World War II when IWC created the very first oversized anti-magnetic pilot’s watch for the military - leading to an increased demand to supply the armed forces.

After the wars, IWC actually started to live up to the vision Floretine Jones had back in 1868. It started to export and sell watches across the globe; most notably to the US, Australia and the Far East. The brand started to build its reputation again, becoming known for speciality watches such as the Mark XI and Ingenieur series, as well as its high quality dress watches.

In 1978, a majority stake in the company was sold to VDO Adolf Schindling AG in order to secure venture capital funds to push the brand forward. IWC started working closely with Ferdinand Porsche, who was commissioned as an external designer and helped launch the Porsche series of watches that are still being made today.

Fast forward to the present day, and IWC is most famous for its Pilot line of watches which was inspired by the work done for the military back in World War II. An IWC watch is a great investment for watch enthusiasts and collectors alike, whilst the brand continues to push the boundaries of design and technical advancements.

Shop the full range of IWC today at TIME².