IWC International Watch Co. AG, or IWC Schaffhausen, is a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868, IWC has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group since 2000.
IWC is best known for producing high-quality pilot/aviation watches and using titanium in watchmaking. In addition, IWC is notable for being the only major Swiss watch manufacturer located in eastern Switzerland, as the majority of the well-known Swiss watch manufacturers are located in western Switzerland; in fact, the lingua franca of IWC is German. Since early 2000s, IWC has been recognized as a forerunner in watchmaking industry committed to environmental protection and sustainable development.
IWC’s watch families – the Pilot’s Watches, Portugieser, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Da Vinci and Portofino – look back on a long tradition. They attest to the innovation of the engineers in Schaffhausen through four generations and embrace the broad range of the company’s watchmaking expertise: from robust watches for everyday use to professional sports watches and the complexities of haute horlogerie at its finest. These are joined by watch specialities such as the Grande Complication and the IWC Vintage Collection.