International Watch Co., also known as IWC, is a Swiss watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.IWC’s motto is Probus Scafusia (Lat.), meaning “good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen” and was established in 1903 as the “Official Motto”.In 1868, an American engineer and watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916) who had been a director of E. Howard & Co., in Boston, then America’s leading watchmaking company, founded the International Watch Company with the intention of combining the craftsmanship of the Swiss with the modern engineering technology from the U.S. to manufacture movements and watch parts for the American market.” At the time, wages in Switzerland were relatively low although there was a ready supply of skilled watchmaking labor” mainly carried out by people in their homes. Jones encountered opposition to his plans in French-speaking Switzerland because people feared for their jobs” and the work they did at home because Jones wanted to open a factory.In 1850 the town of Schaffhausen was in danger of being left behind in the Industrial Age. It was at this stage that watch manufacturer and industrialist Johann Heinrich Moser stepped in and did the region a huge service. As a pioneer of hydropower, he built Schaffhausen’s first hydroelectric plant and laid the cornerstone for future industrialization.” He probably met F.A. Jones in Le Locle and showed great interest in his plans. Together, they laid the foundations for the only watch manufacturers in north-eastern Switzerland: The International Watch Company in Schaffhausen.

The company began keeping detailed records for every watch that has left the factory since 1885. Since 1885, details of the caliber, materials used and cases have been entered into the records. In the case of later models, these also include the reference number, delivery date and the name of the authorized dealer. For a small fee, the owner can obtain precise information about their watch, as long as the watch is at least ten years old.

The company claims that its service department has the parts and is capable of repairing and maintaining watches from every era since IWC’s foundation in 1868.

Movements in the bulk of IWC’s lower range watches and chronographs (including the Portuguese Chronograph) use movements delivered directly from Swatch-owned ETA, previously in line with industry practice IWC purchased ebauche kits from ETA and its subsidiary Valjoux which it heavily modified but due to ETA’s decision to stop selling ebauche kits to its competitors it now delivers the movements fully completed. Despite ETA/Swatch’s decision to stop selling ebauche kits to its competitors beginning in 2007, significant modifications are made to the completed ETA 2892 by IWC at the manufacture to create the Caliber 30110, as is the case with Calibers 79230/79320/79350 which are modified ETA/Valjoux 7750 movements.

Movements not based on ETA movements include the Caliber 5000 and the Caliber 8000, which use the Pellaton winding system, and the pocket watch movements used in the Portuguese F.A. Jones and other IWC pocket watches. IWC also used a JLC meca-quartz movement in their older Portofino chronographs.

Source: wikipedia.org

Watch condition (please refer to photos)
All images are from the actual watch for sale (WE NEVER USE INTERNET BASED PICTURES). To avoid any misunderstanding regarding scratches etc., please view carefully all images of the watch you’re interested in. The condition can be seen and judged on the picture.

Case: excellent condition, with slight traces of use

Clock face: excellent condition

Glass: excellent condition

Back face: excellent condition

Bracelet: excellent condition

Movement: fully operational / checked for performance, authenticity and functionality

Water resistance: the watch has been successfully tested for water resistance.

Evaluation
The recent comparable model IWC Portuguese Chronograph in steel with automatic movement and leather original IWC strap has a retail price of 7,650.- Euros.

Please take into consideration the class and elegant design of this watch.

Payment
We accept payments by wire transfer to our company’s bank account. Please note that goods will only be sent after agreed payment is visible on our account.

Shipping
We ship our watches also internationally using insured shipping and only the most reliable shipping service such as: DHL. The shipping cost is supported by the customer and will be added on the invoice.

Sales processing
Immediate after your purchase, you will receive all payment information by e-mail. Your order will be dispatched with DHL within the next working day or within 36 hours after your payment has been received respectively. Incoming payments are checked several times daily via online banking and are forwarded to be shipped immediately.

Item and accessories will be delivered as pictured. Manuals, papers, certificate cards, booklets and boxes are only included in the delivery if mentioned in the description and/or shown in the pictures. The pictures show the actual watch you are buying. All pictures were taken by MD Watches.