IWC Schaffhausen

Who are IWC Schaffhausen?

IWC Schaffhausen is a Swiss watchmaker based in Schaffhausen, in the north of Switzerland, founded in 1868 as the International Watch Company by an American, Florentine Ariosto Jones (Wikipedia; Richemont). It has been owned by the Swiss luxury group Richemont since 2000. This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a pre-owned IWC in the UK.

IWC makes mechanical wristwatches across five main families: Pilot’s Watches, Portugieser, Portofino, Ingenieur and Aquatimer (Watches of Switzerland). Richemont describes it as known for engineering, and for chronographs, calendars and advanced case materials (Richemont). Unlike most Swiss watchmakers of its age, it is not in the French-speaking Jura but on the Rhine, close to the German border.

The history of IWC Schaffhausen

IWC’s history runs from an American-run factory on the Rhine in 1868, through more than a century of ownership by one Schaffhausen family and its heirs, to German and then Swiss group ownership. The dates that matter most to buyers are the pilot’s watches (from 1936), the Portugieser (1939), the Ingenieur (1955) and Richemont’s purchase in 2000.

An American in Schaffhausen. Florentine Ariosto Jones founded the company in 1868. In 1869 he rented his first premises in a building on the Rheinstrasse owned by the industrialist J. H. Moser, and a new factory was finished in spring 1875 (Wikipedia). The business ran into financial trouble, Jones lost control, and on 17 February 1880 Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took it over (Wikipedia).

The Rauschenbach and Homberger years. After Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk died on 2 March 1905, his widow and heirs took over the factory. They included his sons-in-law Ernst Jakob Homberger and the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung (Wikipedia). Ernst Jakob Homberger ran the company until his death in 1955, when his son Hans Homberger took control (Wikipedia). In 1885 IWC made Pallweber pocket watches, which showed the hours and minutes as numbers in windows, and began keeping detailed production records for each watch (Wikipedia).

Pilot’s watches and the Portugieser. IWC’s Special Pilot’s Watch (reference 436) dates from 1936, and the Big Pilot’s Watch (reference 52 T.S.C.) from 1940 (Wikipedia). In 1939 two Portuguese businessmen asked IWC for a large wristwatch; IWC used its calibre 74 pocket-watch movement in a wristwatch case, and the result became the Portugieser (Watches of Switzerland). The Mark 11, a navigator’s watch made for the Royal Air Force, followed in 1948 (Watches of Switzerland).

Pellaton and the Ingenieur. In 1950 IWC patented an automatic winding system designed by its technical director Albert Pellaton (Phillips). The first Ingenieur, reference 666, appeared in 1955. Aimed at engineers and others working near strong magnetic fields, it had a soft-iron inner case to shield the movement (Time+Tide). IWC’s first dive watch, the Aquatimer, came in 1967 (Phillips).

New owners. In 1978 the German firm VDO Adolf Schindling AG took a majority interest. Günter Blümlein became director in 1981 and in 1991 formed the LMH group, which owned all of IWC (Wikipedia). The Portofino reference 5251, a large moon-phase wristwatch based on a pocket watch, came out in 1984 (IWC journal). In 1990 IWC released reference 3770, a Grande Complication with a chronograph, minute repeater and perpetual calendar (Wikipedia).

Richemont. In 2000 Richemont bought the three watchmakers then in LMH: IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne (Richemont). IWC opened a new production centre, the Manufakturzentrum, in Schaffhausen in 2018 (Wikipedia). In 2019 it launched My IWC, which extends the warranty on registered watches (WristReview).

What is IWC known for?

IWC is known for pilot’s watches, the large Portugieser, magnetism-resistant watches such as the Ingenieur, the Pellaton automatic winding system, and work with case materials such as titanium and ceramic. Each point below is sourced.

Pilot’s watches. IWC has made pilot’s watches since 1936, and the Mark name, begun with the 1948 Mark 11 supplied to the RAF, continues in the current range, for example the Mark XVIII of 2016 (Wikipedia; Watches of Switzerland). For many buyers the plain black dial of these watches is what they picture when they think of IWC.

Large watches from pocket-watch movements. Both the Portugieser (1939) and the Portofino (1984) began with pocket-watch movements or designs put into wristwatch cases (Watches of Switzerland; IWC journal). That is why both families tend to run large.

Resistance to magnetism. The soft-iron inner case used in the Mark 11 and the first Ingenieur works like a shield around the movement (Time+Tide). Magnetism can make a mechanical watch run fast, so this mattered to pilots and engineers. If magnetism matters to you, check the specification of the exact reference for a soft-iron inner case rather than assuming every Ingenieur or Pilot’s Watch has one.

Pellaton winding. IWC patented Albert Pellaton’s automatic winding system in 1950, and it was used in movements such as the calibre 8541 of the first Aquatimer (Phillips). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why buyers ask who made a movement.

Case materials. IWC developed titanium bracelets for Porsche Design watches in 1980 and made ceramic versions of its reference 3750 in 1986 (Wikipedia). It introduced a titanium-based material it calls Ceratanium in 2017 (Wikipedia).

Which IWC collections are there?

IWC’s current range is built on five families: Pilot’s Watches, Portugieser, Portofino, Ingenieur and Aquatimer (Watches of Switzerland). Second-hand listings also include models from earlier ranges, so check the full model name and reference.

The collections table on this page gives the year each family began and a one-line description. A few points help when you read listings:

• Pilot’s Watches cover a lot of ground. The family runs from simple three-hand Mark-series watches to chronographs and perpetual calendars, with sub-lines such as Spitfire and Top Gun (CW Sellors). Check the full model name, not just “IWC Pilot”.
• Ingenieur generations differ. The 1955 Ingenieur was round; the 1976 Ingenieur SL had a Gérald Genta case with an integrated bracelet (Time+Tide). The 2023 Ingenieur Automatic 40 was launched in four dial colours (Wikipedia).
• Aquatimer and water. The Aquatimer is IWC’s dive watch family, begun in 1967 (Phillips). A second-hand watch’s water resistance depends on its seals and when it was last pressure-tested, so read our guide to water resistance before you swim in one.
• Reference numbers. The reference, for example 666 for the first Ingenieur or 5251 for the first Portofino (Time+Tide; IWC journal), identifies the model; the serial number identifies the individual watch.

Who owns IWC?

IWC is owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont, the Swiss luxury group founded by Johann Rupert in 1988 and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (Richemont; Wikipedia). Richemont bought IWC in 2000, with Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne, from the LMH group (Richemont).

Before that, IWC was owned by the Rauschenbach family and its heirs from 1880, then from 1978 by VDO Adolf Schindling AG, and from 1991 by LMH, a group formed in Schaffhausen by Günter Blümlein (Wikipedia). Richemont lists IWC among its “specialist watchmakers”, alongside Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, A. Lange & Söhne, Piaget and Roger Dubuis (Richemont). Its chief executive is Chris Grainger-Herr (Richemont).

Richemont also owns Watchfinder & Co., which it describes as a UK pre-owned premium watch specialist, bought in 2018 (Richemont). Watchfinder’s UK company, Watchfinder.co.uk Limited, was incorporated on 3 September 2002 (Companies House). Because Richemont is listed, it publishes annual reports.

Buying a pre-owned IWC in the UK: what to check

Check that the serial and reference numbers on the watch match its papers, that the papers and any service records are genuine, and that the watch is not recorded as stolen. Then check what guarantee you get: IWC’s own warranty and My IWC extension, IWC. Curated. for vintage pieces, or a dealer’s own terms.

1. Papers and the full set. Ask exactly what comes with the watch: box, warranty card or certificate, instructions, extra links and receipts, and whether each is original. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves and what it does not.

2. Serial and reference numbers. The numbers on the case and movement should match the papers. IWC has kept detailed production records for each watch since 1885 (Wikipedia), which is useful for older pieces. Whether IWC will issue an archive extract to an owner, and on what terms, is something to ask IWC directly.

3. Authenticity. Fake IWC watches are sold online, sometimes with forged papers. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

4. Stolen-watch check. Before you pay, check the serial number against a stolen-watch register and ask the seller to confirm the watch is not reported lost or stolen. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

5. Servicing and condition. Ask when the watch was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. On older pilot’s watches and Ingenieurs, ask whether the dial and hands are original, as replacement parts change what you are buying. Our guide to condition grades explains the terms dealers use.

6. Warranty. A new IWC comes with a two-year warranty, and registering with My IWC within that period extends it to eight years (WristReview). Whether an extended warranty passes to a later owner depends on IWC’s terms. A dealer’s own warranty is a promise from the dealer, not from IWC. See watch warranties explained.

7. Who you buy from. There are three main routes in the UK:

Sources: Oracle of Time, IWC. Curated. (1 September 2025); WristReview (checked 29 October 2026).

The length of the warranty on IWC. Curated. watches was not stated in the coverage we found. For how independent dealers compare with appointed retailers, read grey market versus authorised dealer.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

What does IWC stand for?

International Watch Company, the name under which Florentine Ariosto Jones founded it in 1868 (Wikipedia).

Is IWC a Swiss company?

Yes. It was founded by an American, but it has always been based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland (Richemont; Wikipedia).

Who owns IWC?

Richemont, the Swiss luxury group, since 2000 (Richemont).

Does IWC make its own movements?

IWC makes many of its own calibres, such as the 52000 family introduced in 2015 (Wikipedia), but not every model uses one. Check the calibre named for the exact reference you are looking at.

Why is it called the Portugieser?

Because it began with a 1939 order from two Portuguese businessmen for a large wristwatch (Watches of Switzerland).

What was the Mark 11?

A pilot’s watch IWC supplied to the Royal Air Force from 1948. The Mark name continues in IWC’s current pilot’s watches, such as the Mark XVIII (Watches of Switzerland).

How long is the IWC warranty?

Two years on a new watch, extendable to eight years by registering with My IWC within the first two years (WristReview).

Does IWC sell pre-owned watches?

IWC sells selected vintage watches through IWC. Curated., available in the UK through its Battersea Power Station boutique (Oracle of Time). Richemont, IWC’s owner, also owns the UK pre-owned dealer Watchfinder & Co. (Richemont).

Can I buy a pre-owned IWC without papers?

You can, but without papers you rely more heavily on the seller’s written guarantee, an independent watchmaker’s check and a stolen-watch check. Agree in writing that you get a full refund if the watch is later found not to be genuine.

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with IWC Schaffhausen, Richemont or Watchfinder & Co.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.