Are you are looking for an iconic timepiece and something that looks stunning? IWC Watches will offer you all the features of a classic watch. Built with precision Swiss craftsmanship that will last you a lifetime. You will almost certainly have stumbled across the inspiring range on offer from IWC.
A company history that dates back 150 years and featuring some truly spectacular innovations. It isn’t hard to see why IWC watches are the watch of choice for many individuals looking for a quality timepiece that will not date.
Who are IWC?
IWC, or International Watch Company, was founded in 1868 by Florentine Aristo Jones, a 27-year-old American watchmaker and engineer. Originally from Boston, Jones founded the company in Switzerland, not far from the River Rhine. The company’s first watches were pocket watches. Created with the help of modern technology, hydropower from the River Rhine and the skills of highly qualified Swiss watchmakers. It wasn’t long before Jones returned to the US, and the company was taken over by a local industrialist family, the Rauschenbachs. In addition to pocket watches, the company specialised in both men’s and women’s wristwatches.
Over the years, the company have produced some particularly iconic watches. These have stood the test of time and are still as popular today as they were back then. These include the Spezialuhr fur Flieger, the first Pilot’s watch of its kind and the Portugieser model. A larger, high precision watch specifically requested by Portuguese importers.
The post-war years saw IWC adding an 89 calibre or soft-iron inner case to their watches. This protected against magnetic fields and the Pellaton winding system. This was quickly followed by the Ingenieur and the Aquatimer – the company first diving watch. These watches still form a part of the product range that IWC offers. A testament to their flawless designs and attention to detail that has made them so popular.
In recent years, the company has become a subsidiary of Richemont. A fellow Swiss company, alongside other well-known brands like Cartier and Mont Blanc.
Pilot’s Watches
IWC crafted their first Pilot’s watches during the 1930s and 1940s, and in doing so, set technical benchmarks. Their attention to detail in creating their dial designs offered them a look that is particularly characteristic, even today.
Featuring both metal wrist bands and leather straps, their classic range of pilot’s watches range from the simple elegance of the Big Pilot’s Watch 43 to the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph.
- Check out the Garmin Delta 2, specifically for pilots here.
Top Gun
The Top Gun collection was launched in 2012. It featured black, and more recently beige, ceramic cases on all of the watches.
Spitfire
Since 2003, the Pilot’s Watch Spitfire collection has been offering cutting-edge technology and elegance. More recently, the Spitfire has optimised its design, offering in-house calibres and new complications.
Le Petit Prince & Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
With its trademark blue dial, this limited-edition timepiece is a commemoration of the Le Petit Prince book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in whose honour IWC have also created a special range of watches. These feature tobacco brown dials and are a tribute to the author, who vividly described the excitement of the pioneering era of aviation.
The Portugieser
One of the oldest and perhaps best-known watches created by IWC. The Portugieser is a collection of watches that incorporate some of the most technical aspects of haute horlogerie.
Each watch in the range features distinctive Arabic numerals, slim feuille hands and a railway-track-style chapter ring synonymous with the design of a 1930s pocket watch. These are larger watches and feature the same stunning larger movements that would have been seen in the pocket watches of the time. Their clear, easy to read dials and exquisite attention to detail mean they are still an incredibly popular watch with the discerning horologist.
The Portugieser ranges include Chronograph, Automatic and Automatic 40, and a range of Calendar watches amongst its incredibly popular models.
The Portofino
For over 30 years, the Portofino collection has offered a classic, elegant watch with a laid-back Mediterranean air. With elegant roman numerals and simple hour markers, the uncluttered and modern looking Portofino range is a popular choice for both women and men. The hand-wound Moonface model became the lead model for the collection on its launch in 1984.
Da Vinci
Named for the famous inventor Leonard Da Vinci, the collection, as you might expect, features several technical innovations. All of the watches in the collection feature a smaller rounder faced design, striking strap horns and a three-wing butterfly clasp. Many models feature rather feminine detailing to the face, making them a very popular women’s watch. However, there is also no shortage of more masculine faced watches in the range that will appeal equally to men.
Ingenieur
The IWC Ingenieur is considered to be their sportier model, and this understated yet highly versatile timepiece is not lacking when it comes to elegance. Designed during the 1950s, this model is a homage to the technical ingenuity of the era and featured the most advanced winding mechanism of its time. Ceramic and titanium feature heavily in the design, and it has lots of clever innovations, such as its adjustable strap, which can be altered using just one hand at the touch of a button.
Aquatimer
Designed specifically for divers, the Aquatimer collection features a quick-change system for the strap, allowing the user to change from the “daytime” steel bracelet to a waterproof diving strap. The reliable sealing system and luminescent coating to the face give this watch those all-important diving features. Different models in the collection are suitable at a range of depths, offering something for every type of diver. Despite being designed with the practicalities of diving in mind, the Aquatimer collection loses nothing in appearance. These are still incredibly elegant watches and very much a part of the overall IWC collection.
Conclusion
In summary, if you’re looking for a watch that combines years of experience, knowledge and striking design, a timepiece from the IWC collection is sure to be a wise consideration.
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A highly motivated all-around writing professional with experience in writing about modern technology. Joanne writes for Superwatches for over 2 years now. Joanne specializes in product comparisons and reviews for us and we truly appreciate the quality of her work.
Lives in Congleton, UK.
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A highly motivated all-around writing professional with experience in writing about modern technology. Joanne writes for Superwatches for over 2 years now. Joanne specializes in product comparisons and reviews for us and we truly appreciate the quality of her work.
Lives in Congleton, UK.
