14 posts tagged haute horology

Classic and timeless designs, reinterpreted with today’s technical innovations. That was the vision behind the IWC Vintage Collection – one piece from each of our six watch families, inspired by the original facets that made it famous.

Portofino photographed in vintage black and white beauty

The Vintage Collection Portofino Hand Wound is a member of this special class, produced in limited quantities for those fascinated by the original. In fact the idea for the first Portofino Hand Wound was born at an IWC company holiday dinner in the late 1970’s, driven by the discussion that there was still and would always be a place for exquisitely crafted hand wound timepieces. As with many now renowned design ideas, this one was sketched on a scrap of paper.

The re-imagined Vintage Collection Portofino Hand Wound, in Platinum

As they discussed and sketched, similarities to a pocket watch emerged. And in the end what was drawn on that paper birthed what was known as Reference 5251, or the wrist pocket watch. Configuring a traditional pocket watch design to a wrist watch required some maneuvering – the placement of the seconds hand, and the addition of a moon phase display. The result though was innovative and breathtaking and led Portofino to become one of the most popular of the IWC watch families.

One mainstay here at IWC Schaffhausen is to respect our heritage while looking forward. So when we created the Vintage Collection Portofino Hand Wound we used advances in technology and design to make a few changes.

The updated placement of the moon phase display, with increased accuracy

To start, the placement of the second and moon phase displays were moved to the traditional 12 and 6 o’clock positions (from their original placement at 9 and 3). The movement, while based on the original Jones calibre, has also been modified (with the use of the 98000 calibre family) to improve the accuracy of the moon phase display. It now deviates just one day per 122 years from the progress of the moon: a subtle change with incredible results.

Vintage Collection Portofino Hand Wound, showing the movement and engraved family name

Offered in platinum (limited quantities), white gold, rose gold, and stainless steel, there are options for any connoisseur to join the Portofino family and pay homage to the days (and holiday dinners) that began it all.

Inspiration: it is at the heart of the IWC Challenge series, which we first introduced a few months ago. In this series, we highlight the outstanding accomplishments and continued perseverance of some of the world’s top athletes; they share our focus on hard work, innovation, and being best in your field.

One of those featured is Swiss triathlete Ronnie Schildknecht, a six time winner of Ironman Switzerland. As part of the IWC Challenge series, Ronnie shared with us (and you) how he approaches each event, which of the three segments he feels is his strongest, and what he sees as a need for balance in the level of sacrifice world class athletes give to their sport.

Ronnie Schildknecht with his bike and swimming gear

This year alone he has won three events in Switzerland, and around the world in such places as the USA (Texas), Austria, and South Africa. All these have led him to this point- as he is about to embark upon the ultimate of the year’s races.

Today, we send our wishes to Ronnie as he prepares to compete on October 13 in the Ironman World Championship, in Hawaii. It is a grueling competition amongst the world’s top triathletes. As Ronnie described it, the focus of the event in Hawaii is different because of the winds encountered during the cycling portion, which makes the swimming leg more important than usual.

Just one of Ronnie’s Ironman trophies

When we spoke with Ronnie this week, he kindly took the time to answer a few questions for us about what is in his racing kit – and we thought you may be interested to know what a top athlete finds essential:

Goggles, a cap and a swim suit are essentials for the water

As he has three distinct events, each of them requires particular equipment. For cycling: a trial bike (packed in a box), two helmets, cycling shoes, and spare tubes & tires. For running, he brings two pairs of running shoes. And for swimming, there are a few pairs of goggles and a Sailfish (TM) swim suit.

Ronnie also packs ten water bottles for his bike, sunscreen to prevent burning, and salt tablets to maintain his levels of electrolytes. When training he told us he wears an IWC Aquatimer Chronograph – but that he needs a watch with time splits when racing. Here the Ingenieur Double Chronograph could be useful, with a split-seconds hand that allows you to record lap times while the chronograph seconds hand continues to run.

Ronnie after a recent triathlon win (Source)

Join us in wishing Ronnie the best of luck this weekend in Hawaii, and stay tuned for more exciting athlete profiles on IWC Challenge.

For the past few weeks, scaffolding surrounding the posh Zurich address Bahnhofstrasse 61 read: “Men, your time will come.” The building at this address was being renovated to become the newest IWC Boutique, and with the opening of its doors last week, the edict is now: “Men, your time has come!”

We are excited to announce the latest IWC branded store, in our home country of Switzerland. As we shared two weeks ago on the opening of our Miami location, the boutiques are a unique opportunity for us to bring our customers and fans exclusive product, events, and information about the brand. Situated at the heart of Zurich’s foremost shopping street - it is the place to go when you are in town.

The IWC Schaffhausen boutique at Bahnhofstrasse 61 as seen from the street

The building that houses the boutique was built in 1909, about forty years after IWC itself was founded. And while the site and its surroundings closely reflect our heritage, its design has been modernized to align with the masculinity and sophistication of our products and our customer.

Dark wood, glass, chrome, and leather evoke the rich texture one has come to associate with IWC, and are also elements and hues seen in our timepieces. These are present throughout the boutique.

Inside the store, the well appointed lounge area and presentation of each watch family

Also seen in the new environment is a display window concept, which creates a strong connection with the heritage and birth of each watch family. The history of aviation accompanies the Pilot’s Watch collection, and within this, a set of animated cockpit instruments surrounds our Top Gun line. In another corner, the Italian seaside town of Portofino shines around the collection of the same name. 

The IWC Boutique offers the complete line of timepieces

As with our other IWC Boutiques worldwide, visitors to the Zurich location can expect to find a unique offering of our handcrafted timepieces on display. For the man who finds himself on the Bahnhofstrasse, whether for business or pleasure, number 61 will be a destination replete with the comforts, exclusivity, and service he will be expecting.