A little history

You are the company IWC was founded by an American engineer named Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868. At the time, Jones was running the popular wristwatch company in the United States. E. Howard & Co., and decided to establish the Swiss company with the aim of combining the high skill of Swiss watchmakers in the construction of luxury watches. , alongside the modern technology of American manufacturers. Jones took advantage of the fact that labor wages in Switzerland at the time were cheap compared to those in the United States, and decided to employ skilled watchmakers to establish a manufacturing plant. On February 17, 1880, Johann Rauchenbach-Vogel purchased the company IWC and since then the company has been managed by four generations of the Rauchenbach family. .

In the 1970s and 1980s, a revolution began in the field of wristwatches, which included the miniaturization of mechanisms and the production of battery-powered watches . IWC actually avoided going with the flow in this case, and developed a new line of elegant mechanical wristwatches for women, which was very successful, making 1973 the most successful year in the company's history up to that point.

The production process of a new watch in the company  IWC

When the company's design team wants to launch a new watch model, the guiding principle is the ultimate goal. First, they simulate the first components of the new model using computer software, and working closely with the company's construction engineers, they determine the best way to achieve harmony between form and function. In addition to the emphasis the company's team places on the technological aspect and attractive design, other aspects, such as the way the watch feels on the wrist, also take pride of place in the decisions. Sometimes old drawings and sketches inspire the company's team, thus preserving the company's long-standing tradition IWC. During the development of the model, the watch undergoes several important tests that maintain the prestige and quality of the brand. :

-  Approval processes: The watch undergoes approximately 30 rigorous tests, which last several months already at the prototype stage, as part of the approval process for the pilot series. The tests simulate all scenarios that can happen to the watch, both under normal and extreme conditions. Only when the prototype model passes all the tests several times is the watch ready to go. .

- Corrosion tests and UV: - A test conducted over a period of approximately two weeks, in which the model is placed in a salt bath at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, in order to examine faults that may arise from exposure to salt water or daily use. .

- Climate tests : A systematic examination of the entire spectrum of thermal conditions to which a watch can be exposed, from Alaska to the Sahara and the Brazilian rainforest. The watch is placed in a test chamber that simulates temperature differences for several weeks, and its operation is tested even under extreme conditions .

- Abrasion test : In this process, all parts that may have the potential to wear out over time are inspected, such as: the rotating bezel, the rotating bezels in diving watches. IWC , chronograph buttons, crown check and more .