From Schaffhausen To The World

We journeyed to Schaffhausen, into the heart of the IWC Manufakturzentrum, to discover IWC Schaffhausen's endeavours.

- by Asaph Low

The Rhine, Western and Central Europe's longest river, flows like a lifeblood through IWC Schaffhausen. Earlier however, Its founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones had crossed another body of water, the Atlantic, with an idea that was as ambitious as it was unconventional. After rising in the ranks at E. Howard Watch & Clock in Boston, USA, Jones witnessed America's industrial watchmaking and sought to fuse its efficiency with the artisanal skill of Swiss watchmakers. His vision was to produce high-quality watches meant for the American export market instead of Switzerland.

Instead of setting up shop in the more established watchmaking regions of Switzerland, Jones had his eyes set on Schaffhausen. His logic was industrial to say the least; artisans and craftspeople could be recruited, but forgoing the infinite power of the River Rhine was foolish. And so he went about to seek the acquaintance of local industrialist Heinrich Moser who built the first Swiss dam featuring hydromechanical turbines to produce energy. In Moser, Jones found a kindred spirit. With Moser's invaluable support, Jones established the International Watch Co. in 1868, initially named with foresight and a declaration of global intent rooted in Schaffhausen, by the banks of the River Rhine.

While the manufacture is just shy of its 160th anniversary, the same spirit animates IWC's presence across its two Schaffhausen addresses. Baumgartenstrasse 15, where the original headquarters was built in the orchard of Allerheiligen Monastery, remains operational. It sits at the intersection of past and present, housing the IWC Museum while remaining the heartbeat of the manufacture. A short drive away lies the sleek Manufakturzentrum manufacturing facility inaugurated in 2018 to house state-of-the-art engineering and rigours of hand-assembly.