The International Watch Company (IWC) is a Swiss-based watch manufacturing company based in Schaffhausen. The company is one of the few watch making companies located on the Eastern side of Switzerland – the rest are based on the Western side. The company was founded in 1868 and since then have gone onto manufacture some of the highest quality wristwatches in the world. Some of the IWC watch collections include the IWC vintage collection, IWC Portuguese collection and IWC Da Vinci collection.
|
Very Rare IWC 14 Kt Yellow Gold Mens Manual Wind Wrist Watch No ReserveUS $750.00 |
Vintage IWC International Watch Co 50mm 900 Silver Case Gold Hands 1906US $750.00 |
Very Rare Watch Table IWC International Watch Company 17 JewelsUS $775.00 |
History of IWC Watches
The IWC was originally founded in 1968 by an American engineer known as Florentine Ariosto Jones. He had previously been on the board of one of America’s top watchmakers and hence had extensive knowledge of the industry as well as the type of watch he wanted to manufacture.
During the Second World War the factory of the IWC was mistakenly bombed by the US air force although fortunately the bomb didn’t explode and damage was minimal. The company has kept records of every watch it has manufactured since the late 1800s and hence buying used IWC watches is much easier – especially if you want to buy a model which includes a model number. Using this reference number the owner can pay to find out information about the watch which helps the pre owned market.
IWC Portuguese
The IWC Portuguese collection is probably the most well known. This is partly due to the fact that the Portuguese is one of the most sought after models for collectors who are looking to buy watches with high quality movements. The Portuguese watch was originally manufactured as an accurate watch for sailors and was the closest thing to a Maritime Chronometer at the time. Aside from the reliability and accuracy of the watch the distinctive style of the IWC Portuguese is what makes it really stand out from other similar watches. Some of the design features of the Portuguese collection include sword handles and Arabic numbering. The bezel is also very thin compared to other watches.
A limited edition of the IWC Portuguese watch was released in 2000 and then again in 2004. If you want to buy a watch with a high quality movement and elegant style then the Portuguese Automatic or Chronometer will be the perfect choice. You can find IWC Portuguese watches for sale at a number of places online.
IWC Aquatimer
The IWC Aquatimer is another of the company’s famous creations. The newer Aquatimer models come with a self winding movement. There are also Chrono-automatic versions available. For safety whilst diving a uni-directional bezel is included in the design and the watch can be used down to a depth of 120 metres. IWC Aquatimer prices depend on the exact model and specifications of the watch including the material used for the casing.
IWC Pilot Watch
The IWC Pilot watch is an example of a classic design by IWC which has been updated in recent years. Vintage IWC Pilot watches can cost tens of thousands of dollars while the newer Double Chronograph versions cost around $10,000. IWC Classic Pilot ChronoAutomatic watches are much cheaper at around $5000. If you intend to buy used or pre owned IWC Pilot watches then make sure you check the quality of the movement.