IWC :: Manufacturers :: Essence of Time, Inc.

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Essence of Time, Inc. :: Manufacturers :: IWC

Founder: Florentine Jones was born in 1841. He was originally a watchmaker from Boston and in 1868 he decided to open up a company in Eastern Switzerland to create high-quality watches for Americans.

Country: Schaffhausen, Switzerland

History: The company was founded in 1868 in Schauffhausen. In 1885, the company used the Pallweber system to create the first non-electrical “digital display” watches. One of the worlds first wristwatches leaves the factory for distribution in 1899. 1905 saw new ownership when Ernst Jakob Homberger took over IWC. The Tonneau shaped case was designed in 1931 and contained the tonneau-87 caliber. In 1936, the Pilot's watch was created and it featured a rotating bezel and was anti-magnetic. Three years later the Portuguese watch models were introduced. Albert Pellaton takes over the company in 1944 and began providing the British military with watches. 1969 saw the revolution of quartz watches with the Beta 21 quartz movement. The Da Vinci models featured this quartz movement. In 1977, the company began creating skeletonized pocket and wrist watches. The first wristwatch with a compass was created in 1978 after the partnership with Porsche. In 1980, the worlds first chronograph with a titanium case was created. Astonishingly the worlds first chronograph with a perpetual calendar that was programmed for the next 500 years and featured a four digit display. IWC started using a nearly unbreakable and scratch resistant ceramic for their cases in 1986. One year later, IWC introduces the first rectangular shaped case, water-resistant and automatic IWC watch featuring a perpetual calendar. The company was taken over by Richemont in 2000 and has continued to revise certain lines of watches and pay homage to its past watchmakers.

Ambassadors: Zinedine Zidane, Tony Parker

Timeline & Accomplishments:

• 1868 Company was founded in Switzerland

• 1885 Use of Pallweber system to create the worlds first non-electrical “digital display”

• 1899 One of the worlds first wristwatches left the company for distribution

• 1931 Tonneau shaped case was created

• 1936 The anti-magnetic, with rotating bezel Pilot's watch was created

• 1939 The company launched the Portuguese watch models

• 1944 Company began providing the British military with watches

• 1978 IWC created the first wristwatch with a compass

• 1980 Worlds first wristwatch with a titanium case was created

• 1986 IWC used a very durable and anti-scratch ceramic to their watch cases