IWC

Invitation to IWC’s new watch museum

Schaffhausen, June 22, 2007 – IWC has combined modern architecture and a multimedia display concept in a refined, informal ambience to make its newly opened museum an experience for watch lovers. The museum is now ready for visitors from the general public in its new home on the ground floor of the main building. At the same time, the IWC boutique opens for business inside this new spatial concept.

In conjunction with the extension of its premises, IWC Schaffhausen is celebrating a further milestone. With a surprising museum concept, the watch manufacturer is housing its precious exhibits and its 139-year company history in a contemporary and luxurious surroundings. Watch enthusiasts will experience the past and present of the mechanical luxury watch in an authentic ambience, which reflects the corporate identity of this old-established company. The relaxed atmosphere of a gentlemen’s club makes the journey through time a special experience. A multimedia display cabinet, lounge furniture with audio listening stations and interactive screens permit an indepth examination of the exhibits and background information on various levels.

Fascinating museum world
In 1993, to mark the 125th anniversary of its founding, IWC was the first watch manufacturer to establish its own museum. Formerly contained in an intimate setting under the roof of the original listed building, the museum is now accommodated in an entirely new and highly contemporary venue, where it is also accessible to the public for the first time. The generous floor plan assures an exciting layout, which starts at the entrance with a presentation of traditional historical watch production and, in addition to comprehensive documentation, also affords a view of a modern horological workshop in the IWC Customer Service Department. The first 100 years of the history of IWC wait to be discovered in the west wing. The history of the company advances along a time line in an impressive multimedia display cabinet. Alongside this, exquisite exhibits emphasize the topics of the most significant epochs. The light-infused east wing is home to the period after 1970. The current watch families from IWC are displayed against the backdrop of their emotional theme worlds and make their uniqueness come alive in a special way. Around 230 choice exhibits are show-cased in the museum, which seeks to main-tain a lively dialogue through ever-changing special exhibitions. IWC will also use the attractive premises for customer events and receptions.

Exciting materials
The Institute for Cultural Exchange, Tübingen, is responsible for the display concept of the IWC museum. The architects Smolenicky & Partner, Zurich, stage-managed the ambitious project and combined traditional craft skills with industrial high-tech materials. On the one hand, the use of macassar ebony imparts a rather archaic note to the space, and on the other hand high-grade metals, glass fibre-reinforced plastic and high-gloss paint from the automobile industry emphasize the engineeringderived character of the IWC brand. Tinted glass and intricately stitched varnished leather alternate with a superior, lacquered parquet floor, which abuts a carpet with a metallic sheen. The IWC colour palette with its white and grey shades is enhanced by dark tones.

Refined lighting concept
Novel solutions for the presentation and lighting systems have been developed in conjunction with international planners. The very small, yet highly detailed exhibits require a special lighting strategy in order to show them off to their best advantage. The museum rooms are lit exclusively via the windows and display cabinets. The dimension of the light creates a spherical effect and provides a quite specific setting for the precious timepieces and objects. The artistic illumination of the suspended cabinets helps to make the watches on display appear to be floating.

Own boutique on-site
With the inauguration of the new museum, the IWC boutique inside the newly designed premises will also open for business and will make it possible to purchase these exclusive watches directly at the point of production for the very first time. Selected specialities will also be available in the boutique alongside familiar classics such as the Portofino, pilot’s watches and diver’s watches or the Grande Complication. The luxurious interior was conceived by the internal design team at IWC, which already takes credit for the furnishings of the existing IWC boutiques in Dubai, Las Vegas, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul, Moscow, Zurich and Geneva. The management of the boutique is in the hands of the established Schaffhausen concessionaire, Frank Hannibal.

 

(Click on any picture for a larger sized picture)

The spring cover of the exclusive Hunter pocket watch case from 1874 carries the relief embossing of a Mississippi steam boat. The founder of IWC gave the headquarters of the International Watch Company as New York, rather than Schaffhausen, in a series of watches.

 

On 17 June 1884, Johann Rauschenbach acquired the rights to the Pallweber system from the watchmaker Joseph Pallweber and assembled the first “digital watches” in the history of IWC: Open-face pocket watch with digital numerals and cyrillic inscription, 1886, Hunter pocket watch with windows for the digital display, 1887, Openface pocket watch with digital display, 1885.  

 

One of the oldest men’s wristwatches from IWC dating from 1899 was fitted with a ladies’ pocket watch movement, because the movement diameter of 12_’’’ (28.2 mm) was the correct size for a men’s wristwatch.

 

At the end of the 1930s, IWC was requested by two Portuguese businessmen to build the first Portuguese wristwatch, a large wristwatch with the accuracy of a pocket watch: however, this was not compatible with the spirit of the age, which demanded small watches in the Art déco style.

 

The first IWC pilot’s watch was produced in the mid-1930s for the civil aviation sector. It was particularly hard-wearing, resistant to fluctuations in temperature and antimagnetic. The “Special Pilot’s Watch” made its appearance in 1939.

 

 
The Big Pilot's Watch was supplied to the German Luftwaffe in 1940 in an edition of 1,000 watches.  With a case diameter of 55 mm, a height of 16.5 mm and a weight of 183 g, it was the most imposing IWC wristwatch ever built.

 

The history and the emotional worlds of the legendary IWC product families can be appreciated in the east wing. At the heart of the room is a mysteriously reflective monolith, which houses the horological highlights of IWC.  

 

In the west wing, exhibits from the first 100 years of the IWC company history are displayed in an artfully lit interior. From the intricately decorated pocket watch to the breakthrough of the IWC wristwatch and the breathtaking technological developments of the mid-20th century.  

 

In an area where cases and movement parts were once manufactured, light-infused rooms and display cabinets now make the fascinating exhibits sparkle and appear to float.  

 

In combination with the exhibits on display, the museum setting is at one modern, luxurious and functional, offering every comfort for visitors. The retrospective exhibition is enhanced with original documents from the IWC archive.

If your travels take you to Zurich, Schaffhausen is only half an hour away - and the museum is certainly worth a visit. It's impressive as it is and the curator has plans for developing it further.


Dirk

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Hi,

Thanks for putting up the post,will definately visit the meseum one day!

BHK9