Lots of pickies and lots of pithy commentary is to be had over at TimeZone where they document their trip to IWC in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. I like IWC’s style and value – I’m not a huge fan of the Portuguese line but everyone seems to be. It’s great to see them close up and personal.
The history of IWC in Schaffhausen begins in 1868, when an American named Florentine Ariosto Jones came to Switzerland with the goal of producing watch movements. In 1880, after a couple of management “issues”, Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took over, and the company remained in the hands of his family for several generations. The 1970s was a critical time for IWC, as the Swiss watch industry dealt with both the advent of the quartz movement and the skyrocketing price of gold in 1974. Despite these challenges and multiple ownership changes (VDO, LMH, etc.), IWC persevered, and today it is thriving.
