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3 posts tagged craftmanship
The Evolution of the Volvo Ocean Race
We have been taking you around the world with the Volvo Ocean Race – from challenges to celebrations, high waves to high winds. After coming in first on the Miami to Lisbon route of Leg 7, Team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is currently resting before Leg 8 begins later this week. While we wait for them to start the next leg we thought we would share some background on the Race. As with anything rooted in craftsmanship, skill, and technology, there have been significant advancements since its inception in 1973.
Materials used in boat construction have progressed since the Whitbread began
Another example of how the construction process has evolved
Founded and sponsored by Colonel Bill Whitbread, the Race began as the Whitbread Round the World Race. Its first iteration included seventeen teams and four legs. One of the boatshad been built over 40 years earlier in 1936 and another was still being completed as the 27,500 nautical mile long race began. Not all of the crews on the inaugural event were professionals – many were “adventure driven novices” working under the stewardship of very experienced skippers.
Equipment and technology may have changed but the conditions at sea have not
Whitbread and VOR crews alike face perilous yet breathtaking conditions
It is fascinating to imagine how with those circumstances the participating teams would have fared in the Southern Ocean conditions faced by this year’s boats. The enormous waves and 30 knot winds that forced the Azzam to undergo emergency repairs would have had a much different impact on the craft sailing in 1973. In stark contrast this year’s Volvo Ocean Race hosts all professional crews with boats constructed of the most modern and advanced materials. Carbon and titanium are used to ensure the craft is both strong and lightweight – withstanding rough seas while making the most of strong winds.
A state of the art Azzam facing some rough seas
The evolution of materials and technology used on the boats is similar to the evolution in crafting our IWC watches. When the IWC Yacht Club Automatic was first presented in 1967 it included a spring-suspension to help withstand shocks and could be submerged to a depth of 10 bar.
Today’s Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph, incorporating evolution of technology & material
Jump forward 33 years to 2000 when the Portuguese Automatic was introduced with a newly developed movement for increased precision, as well as a 7 day reserve. This movement had been five years in the making – and as with material changes in the VOR boats, represented a huge leap in technology and functionality for the timepiece.
Seen here in front of the pack, Azzam is another example of technical evolution
History and heritage abound whether on the high seas or in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. The quest for excellence and precision never wavers, regardless of the craft or pursuit. We send our wishes to the crew from Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing as they prepare to board the state of the art Azzam for Leg 8.
A Tradition of Craftsmanship at Alfred Dunhill Leather Workshop
The gentleman who appreciates the craftsmanship and immense attention to detail of an IWC watch looks for this level of quality in other areas of his life. This week, we take you behind the scenes of the Leather Workshop at Alfred Dunhill®*, the storied menswear brand established in London in 1893. Founded a mere 25 years apart, Alfred Dunhill and IWC share a rich heritage that focuses on delivering the finest products and exacting service to their customers.
Alfred Dunhill define their leather goods as “designed to keep up with the demands and style of the modern, intelligent traveler”. Accordingly, items are made to last, and to be handed down through the generations. As a father passes his IWC watch on to his son, he entrusts him with his Alfred Dunhill leather pieces as well.
With highly skilled artisans crafting each item, and the use of exotic skins, dunhill leather goods are in a class of their own— and built exactly with the above- legacy, quality and endurance, in mind. At the East London workshop, vegetable and tanned leather is carefully selected, inspected for any imperfection, and cut on site, in a a manner consistent with production practices from the 1800s.
Preparing the leather by hand
At the workshop, customers get a choice of skin, finish, hardware and functionalities- all based on their needs and intended usage. Size, shape, color, lining and all other details are customized, creating a truly unique product to suit the most exacting taste.
Hand stitching to ensure the finest quality
Once selections are made, the craftsman hand edge dyes, brands, stitches, and creases every piece. It is a point of pride at the workshop that the same individual starts and finishes each item, with that person’s name inserted on a card into the finished product.
Placing the hardware selected by the customer
As noted in this video by Tomasz, Alfred Dunhill’s bespoke leather expert, it is the workmanship which Alfred Dunhill is truly proud of.
The finished product: the work of a single craftsman
Once the leather piece is finished and inspected, it may be retrieved at an Albert Dunhill Home, an exclusive retail destination that is similary steeped in tradition and history. In London, the brand’s home is Bourdon House, the former London residence of the Duke of Westminster. In Shanghai, the brand is found in a 1920’s villa in the city’s French Concession neighborhood.
In the end, a man can come to expect an unrivaled experience when he selects an Alfred Dunhill leather product, and can rest safe in the knowledge that over 115 years of experience has gone into its creation.
* This trademark is not owned by IWC
IWC Watch Making Master Class
Welcome!
We are proud to announce that today marks the launch of the official blog of IWC Schaffhausen. The IWC WATCH INTERNATIONAL BLOG is hosted here and at IWC.com. Each week, we will give you an exclusive look into our world: a world of technical excellence, masculinity, craftsmanship and adventure.
An introduction to the world of IWC Schaffhausen
To kick off your personal access to the world of IWC, we take you behind the scenes- into a series of events which most watch enthusiasts only dream about.
Around the globe, there are many who admire fine craftsmanship, scrupulous attention to detail, and beautiful design. Among these, there are very few who can say they learned first-hand how all of that comes together, straight from IWC Schaffhausen Master Watch Maker, Kurt Klaus.
Kurt Klaus at work examining an IWC caliber
Beginning with the question “How do you turn IWC customers into watchmakers?”we carefully developed a Watch Making Master Class, often taught by the one and only Klaus, who has spent over 50 years in the craft. A legend in the watch industry, Klaus is the inventor of the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar - a watch that keeps an accurate calendar for hundreds of years. Now retired, Klaus is also a legend at IWC Schaffhausen headquarters, where he still pops in to work. He has no airs about him, and loves to interact with IWC collectors all over the world. For this reason, Klaus is IWC’s senior ambassador.
Instructing guests on the intricacies of the caliber
A special Watch Making Master Class series recently took place across Scandinavia and Western Europe, with Mr. Klaus traveling to Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Luxembourg, and Belgium to delight IWC Schaffhausen’s special guests. Held at the homes of some of IWC’s most distinguished customers, select participants got an unparalleled experience.
To start, in their hands was placed an individual IWC caliber, representing over 140 years of technology and watch making intricacy. As soon as the caliber was given to the guests, it was dismantled by them, as they learned about the numerous components and the part each one played in the whole.
The setting for the IWC Watch Making Master Class
For many of the guests, the most enjoyable part of the evening was to see Klaus’ true passion and enthusiasm, whose commitment to his art is just one of the reasons that everyone present owned one of his watches.
To those of you who have not been lucky enough to be taken through the watch-making process by Kurt Klaus, we would like to dedicate this video. Enjoy it, and please check back in next week for more stories, news, and novelties by IWC watches.
A glimpse at the IWC manufacturing process
Best wishes from Schaffhausen
