|
The
TimeZone Tour Visits IWC
by
James Dowling
Page 2
Then it was on to the highlight of
the visit, the master watchmakers’ studio on the top floor, here the most
highly qualified watchmakers worked on the most complicated pieces such as
the tourbillons and repeaters.
Above, Mr. Klaus looks down at one
of the watchmakers assembling a tourbillon cage, then, perhaps realizing
that the effect his gaze is having looks away & resumes talking to the
group.
Whilst in this studio, where only
high value watches are assembled, I saw this huge revolving plastic parts
cabinet, which contained all of the parts which might be needed to build
any of the complicated watches made by the company.
The eagle eyed amongst you will
have noticed that it is standing next to a safe which is a little taller
than the cabinet, as the cabinet was on wheels I assumed that it was
placed in the safe, along with all the uncompleted watches each evening.
On our trip through the factory,
the thing that most impressed me was the almost obsessive sense of order &
detail; here are some examples. In the casemaking shop...
In the testing room (above), the cruciform
objects are test jigs for sliding between the lugs, which is much quicker
than measuring them.
One of the watchmaker’s desks
after he had left for the day.
Then both groups met up again in
the conference room, where we got to see and handle all the current and
new models, leaving here was the hardest job of the day but soon we were
back on the coach, but not before we realized just what a beautiful part
of Switzerland Schaffhausen really is.
On our way we stopped at the Rhein
falls, (the largest in Europe) just outside Schaffhausen to view the
natural phenomenon where almost 2 million gallons of water flow past per
second.
TimeZone Home
TimeZone Public Forum
TimeZone IWC Forum
Return to page 1
© James
Dowling and A Bid of Time, Inc. 2006, All rights reserved
|
