An American in Switzerland

IWC has the most unusual origin story in Swiss watchmaking. In 1868, American engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones — just 27 years old — sailed from Boston to Switzerland with a bold idea: to combine American industrial precision with Swiss craft. He chose Schaffhausen, a town on the Rhine whose waterfall could power his factory. The International Watch Company was born.

Defining Collections

Two of IWC's most iconic collections were born in the late 1930s. In 1936, IWC produced its first dedicated pilot's watch — launching a tradition of aviation instruments that continues today. In 1939, two Portuguese importers commissioned a wristwatch housing a high-precision pocket watch movement, creating the Portugieser — IWC's best-selling collection and a benchmark of elegant watchmaking.

Engineering Excellence

IWC is owned by the Richemont Group since 2000, but its character remains its own: function-first, engineered rather than merely decorative. The Big Pilot's Watch — with its oversized crown, cathedral hands and anti-magnetic soft-iron inner case — is one of the most recognisable watches in the world. IWC won the top prize (Aiguille d'Or) at the 2024 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève for the Portugieser Eternal Calendar.

Collections

The Pilot's Watch collection spans over 50 models across Classic, Spitfire, Top Gun and other lines. The Portugieser offers everything from clean three-hand automatics to minute repeaters and perpetual calendars. The Portofino provides minimalist elegance; the Aquatimer covers diving; the Ingenieur handles extreme magnetic environments.

Prices

Prices range from approximately $4,500 for entry-level Pilot's Watch pieces to $750,000 for the extraordinary Sidérale Scafusia — an astronomical timepiece that took 10 years to develop, individually calibrated to its owner's exact geographic location. The Portugieser collection starts from around $7,000.