IWC Schaffhausen

The House

IWC Schaffhausen has spent more than 158 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Portugieser, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.

Florentine Ariosto Jones established IWC Schaffhausen in 1868, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every IWC Schaffhausen calibre produced today.

Milestones

• 1868Florentine Ariosto Jones founds IWC Schaffhausen in Switzerland.
• 1899IWC Schaffhausen earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
• 1969The quartz era forces IWC Schaffhausen to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
• 1990IWC Schaffhausen enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
• 2024IWC Schaffhausen continues to produce Portugieser, Pilot's Watch, Portofino and other icons in limited numbers.