2006 TZ Tour, Installment 2, page 1

2006 TimeZone Tour

Installment 2: Visit to the IWC Manufacture

by Michael Sandler

July 2006
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Day 1 of the tour continues with our journey from Zurich to the IWC manufacture in Schaffhausen, a relatively small town in Switzerland located not far from the German border. Schaffhausen has an interesting political and architectural history dating back as far as the 11th century, and they formally joined the Swiss Confederation in 1501. There are quie a few resources on the web worth reading if you're interested.

During the surprisingly brief coach ride from Zurich, there was much conversation and excitement about what we had seen at Paul Gerber, and anticipation about what we were to see at IWC.

Patience, Ed.....patience....

Rollin Daniel and Bea Tirkanits pose in front of the building, making certain we notice Rollin's beautiful IWC Portofino Ref. 5251. This incredible watch is 46mm in diameter, and only a scant 6mm thick.

We were met outside the building by Mr. Hannes Pantli, a member of the company's Board of Directors and an icon in the Swiss watch industry. Mr. Pantli began his career with IWC in 1972 and has witnessed IWC's growth into the celebrated company it is today. Mr. Pantli accompanied us to an ultra-modern meeting room (projection systems hidden in the ceiling, computer controlled displays and lighting, etc.), where he formally welcomed our group. He spoke to us about IWC's history, its watches, and its people. Below, James Dowling looks on as Mr. Pantli addresses our group.

Here Jackson, Chris, Ed, David (all seated at table), Nick, Creighton and Rick look on.

The history of IWC in Schaffhausen begins in 1868, when an American named Florentine Ariosto Jones came to Switzerland with the goal of producing watch movements. In 1880, after a couple of management "issues", Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took over, and the company remained in the hands of his family for several generations. The 1970s was a critical time for IWC, as the Swiss watch industry dealt with both the advent of the quartz movement and the skyrocketing price of gold in 1974. Despite these challenges and multiple ownership changes (VDO, LMH, etc.), IWC persevered, and today it is thriving.

After the introductory session, we split into two groups for the tour of the manufacture and the IWC museum. Group 1 was lead by Mr. Kurt Klaus, longtime head of R&D, and Group 2 was lead by Gunther Grötchen, who has been with IWC for over 40 years.

Here we see Nick, Jackson and Creighton anxiously awaiting the tour. Notice the snappy IWC coats.

Below Mr. Grötchen tells us a little about himself, and explains the areas of the manufacture we will be visiting. He also explains that IWC has their own 4 year apprenticeship program/watchmaking school on the premises. Watchmakers are trained here, and if they complete their schooling, they are offered full-time jobs. Interestingly, watchmaking apprentices are paid a standardized salary equivalent to an apprentice in any other field. These salaries are standardized throughout Switzerland, regardless of industry.

Our first stop on the tour was one of the watchmaking workshops. There are more than one of these, all set up the same way. The watchmakers sit two-by two, twenty to a room. This minimizes background noise and distractions. The photo below should give you a rough idea of the size of the workshop.

In many cases, watchmakers here do not assemble an entire movement. Instead, they add one or more components to a movement, then the movement is moved to the next assembly step, where another watchmaker adds the next component(s).

In the photo below, you will notice a plastic shield covers several movements. These are all held in place on a belt which can be operated by the watchmaker. As the watchmaker finishes with one movement, he or she taps a button (usually with the knee) which activates the belt drive and brings forward the next movement. Everything is highly controlled and automated. The belt holds up to 50 movements, and when they are all complete, the entire assembly can be moved to another station. This is done for most of the standard production movements, but not for highly complicated watches such as repeaters or Grande Complications.

Here Mr. Grötchen explains more to Nick, Terry and David.

The next step on our tour took us to the area where the complicated watches are produced. Unlike the workshops previously described, here the watchmaker does much of the assembly of the movement alone. There is very little serial production. Below are some examples of some of the wonderful creations that are brought to life here.

First we see the new Portuguese Tourbillon Mystere, a limited edition of 250 pieces, all in white gold. This watch has a seven day power reserve.

...and a wonderful trio (right to left): the Grande Complication, the Il Destriero Scafusia, and a beautiful skeleton minute repeater. Please excuse the reflections on the crystals...the lighing was not ideal for photography.

...and for those curious about what makes that repeater tick....the Cal. 95290.

Here a watchmaker works on a tourbillon movement as Jackson and Ed observe.

The next tour stop took us to the inspection area, where cases and water resistance are checked.

....and then it was off to IWC's fabulous company museum....

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