IWC Watches
One of Switzerland’s major luxury watch companies was started by an American who saw the potential of bringing Switzerland’s superb watchmaking into the modern age through industrialized manufacturing and high-precision interchangeable parts. The New Hampshire–born watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), who founded International Watch Company — known today as simply IWC — in 1868, was interested in “combining all the excellence of the American system of mechanism with the more skillful hand labor of the Swiss.”
Setting up the company with another American watchmaker, Charles Kidder, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Jones used hydropower from the River Rhine for his plant’s machinery. Rethinking watch design would lead to one of IWC’s early successes: the Pallweber pocket watch. Based on an 1883 patent by Austrian watchmaker Josef Pallweber, the watch employed numbered disks for jumping hour and minute displays, making it a pioneer in digital timekeeping.
After Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took over the watch manufacturer in 1880, four generations of his family led IWC into the 20th century. In 1905, Ernst Jakob Homberger and his brother-in-law Carl Jung — the famed Swiss psychiatrist — acquired IWC. Homberger bought out Jung’s holdings in 1929, and in the 1930s, the company introduced pilot watches, which were particularly robust and aimed solely at the civil aviation industry. These durable wristwatches were designed specifically to remain operational during extreme temperature shifts. (As blue watch dials are particularly hot right now, IWC's blue-dial Big Pilot is having a moment.)
The company still operates alongside the river where it was founded, having gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Vintage IWC watches are prized by collectors — of whom there are many these days — and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time.
IWC’s 2013 Ingenieur watch collection, with its precision based on an inventive constant-force mechanism, looked back to a 1955 Ingenieur model that featured a durable soft-iron inner cage as well as a 1976 update by leading Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta that encased its mechanism in a sleek steel case. IWC has also had a recent push toward sustainability, designing watches that are made to last a lifetime and beyond and earning the highest environmental ranking of any Swiss watch company in a 2018 report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature Switzerland (WWF).
Find vintage IWC wristwatches, Art Deco–style pocket watches and more on 1stDibs.
2010s IWC Watches
Stainless Steel, Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss IWC Watches
Iwc watches for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to IWC
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022IWC Watches stands for “International Watch Co.” Founded in 1868 by an American watchmaker in Switzerland, IWC is one of the most respected luxury Swiss watchmakers today. They’re particularly well-known for their aviation watches. Shop a collection of IWC Watches from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- How do I know if my IWC is real?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To tell if your IWC watch is real, first examine the dial. All of the pieces and numbers should be sharp, clear and precise. IWC manufactures their watches to an extremely high standard and any sign of sloppy workmanship is a dead giveaway. Counterfeiters will often use the wrong fonts and colors, so compare your watch against reference pictures of the genuine article. IWC is known for its slim design on their bezels and crowns, and all the pieces should be sleek and fit perfectly together. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of expertly-vetted IWC watches from some of the world’s top sellers.
- Where does IWC rank in watches?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024Where IWC ranks in watches is within the realm of high-end timepieces. IWC is one of Switzerland's major luxury watch companies. The maker has gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of IWC watches.
- Is the IWC an expensive watch?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertNovember 22, 2024Whether the IWC watch is expensive is largely subjective, and prices for the luxury maker's timepieces do vary. Entry-level IWC watches, such as select Pilot's automatic watches, typically sell for between $4,000 and $7,000, which is similar to or less than the lowest-priced models of some competitors. Of course, the highest-end IWC watches do sell for $200,000 or more. Explore a diverse assortment of IWC watches on 1stDibs.
- Are IWC watches expensive?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertDecember 17, 2024Whether IWC watches are expensive is largely a matter of opinion. Usually priced around $5,000, entry-level watches from the Swiss maker are less expensive than similar timepieces offered by other luxury watchmakers. IWC's highest-priced timepieces do sell for upwards of $250,000. Find a collection of IWC watches on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertNovember 26, 2024Many watch lovers believe that an IWC watch is a good investment. IWC has gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Collectors prize vintage IWC watches and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time. Demand for many of the maker's timepieces remains high year after year. However, whether or not it's worth investing in IWC watches is totally subjective. At 1stDibs, we believe in buying what you love. Our shopping experience enables discovery and learning, whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning your collection. Find IWC watches and other watches on 1stDibs.
- Is IWC a good brand of watch?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertDecember 17, 2024Many watch lovers believe that IWC is a good brand of watch. The company still operates alongside the river where it was founded in 1869, having gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Collectors prize vintage IWC watches and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time. IWC’s 2013 Ingenieur watch collection, with its precision based on an inventive constant-force mechanism, looked back to a 1955 Ingenieur model that featured a durable soft-iron inner cage as well as a 1976 update by leading Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta that encased its mechanism in a sleek steel case. IWC has also had a recent push toward sustainability, designing watches that are made to last a lifetime and beyond and earning the highest environmental ranking of any Swiss watch company in a 2018 report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature Switzerland. Explore a diverse assortment of IWC watches on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertDecember 17, 2024Many watch lovers believe that IWC watches are a good investment. IWC has gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Collectors prize vintage IWC watches and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time. However, whether or not it’s worth investing in IWC watches is totally subjective! At 1stDibs, we believe in buying what you love. Our shopping experience enables discovery and learning, whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning your collection. Find IWC watches and other watches on 1stDibs.
- Is an IWC watch worth buying?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertJune 15, 2023Whether an IWC watch is worth buying depends on a few factors, such as how well it has been cared for and the piece itself. IWC, one of Switzerland’s major luxury watch companies, was started by an American who saw the potential of bringing Switzerland’s superb watchmaking into the modern age through industrialized manufacturing and high-precision interchangeable parts. The New Hampshire–born watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), who founded International Watch Company, known today as simply IWC, in 1868, was interested in “combining all the excellence of the American system of mechanism with the more skillful hand labor of the Swiss.” Pre-owned IWC watches are known to hold their value if extremely well-cared for and some may even increase in value over time. Because it can be difficult to predict how the value of items will change over time, though, choose timepieces that appeal to you. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of IWC watches from some of the world’s top sellers.
- What is IWC 5N gold?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022IWC 5N gold is a type of material used by the company IWC Schaffhausen to produce luxury watches. Specifically, it is an alloy that is 75 percent pure gold and 25 percent copper. People commonly refer to it as 18-karat red gold. On 1stDibs, find a large collection of IWC watches.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022No, IWC no longer makes pocket watches as of December 2021. The watchmaker does use some of the movements developed for their pocket watches in their wristwatch designs. Examples include the Reference 5001, the Portuguese Automatic, and Big Pilot watches. Shop a collection of IWC pocket watches on 1stDibs.