IWC Schaffhausen

The International Watch Company was founded by an American in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Florentine Ariosto Jones had worked in Boston's watch industry before establishing IWC in Schaffhausen in 1868. He wanted to combine American factory methods with Swiss watchmaking skills and produce watches for the American market.

Schaffhausen offered premises, trained workers and power from the Rhine. It lay away from the better-known watchmaking towns of western Switzerland. The location was a practical choice for machinery and production, not merely an address to put on a dial.

Jones's own time at the company was short. Following disputes with its directors, he returned to the United States in 1876. The factory continued in Schaffhausen.

Later IWC watches addressed problems that often left little sign on the outside. A soft-iron enclosure could reduce the effect of magnetic fields on a movement. The Mark 11 navigation watch used that protection, and the civilian Ingenieur followed with a similar concern in 1955.

The Ingenieur also shows how the company's appearance could change. Gérald Genta's redesign, launched in 1976, gave it a broad bezel and an integrated steel bracelet. Magnetic protection had not suddenly become visible; a designer had given the engineering a much more conspicuous case.