A brief history of IWC, International Watch Company

· In 1868, Florentine Ariosto Jones pursued the reverse American dream by leaving his watchmaking career in Boston to migrate to Switzerland. He took advantage of the tax benefits offered by the Swiss government to investors to boost the very nascent and rudimentary watchmaking industry scattered throughout Switzerland. His intention was to cater to the North American market.

· Jones incorporated his knowledge of American process engineering and production lines into a new company; IWC (International Watch Company) in the Swiss village of Schaffhausen on the banks of the Rhine River.

· In 1885, he launched the Pallweber; the first digital pocket watch with jumping hours developed by engineer Josef Pallweber.

· Due to his quest for perfection, he invested large amounts of resources in training, machinery, and high-quality materials, but this jeopardized the financial stability of the business. Johannes Rausenbach bought the company, and from 1905 it was managed by his son-in-law, engineer Ernst Jacob Homberger, who eventually acquired 100% of the business in 1929.

· Two important calibers in 1915: caliber 75 without a second hand, and caliber 76 with a small second hand. Both were important for the development of wristwatches.

· In 1936, the first special aviator watch was launched with an internal rotating bezel and antimagnetic escapement.

· In 1939, at the start of World War II, the Portugieser was launched in response to the request from two Portuguese importers for large, highly precise wristwatches.

· In 1940, the Big Pilot's Watch was launched in response to the demand for the initial model. It featured a central second hand.

· In 1944, IWC introduced the first W W W (watch, wrist, waterproof) watch, and Albert Pellaton assumed the presidency of IWC. He developed the ultra-precise caliber 89 in 1946.

· In 1948, the Mark XI watch was created with an antimagnetic soft iron case and the caliber 89 developed by Pellaton.

· In 1950, Pellaton developed IWC's first automatic winding watch with significant innovations in its caliber 85, such as the pawl winding system that replaced traditional gears and was patented by IWC.

· In 1955, Hans Ernst Homberger, grandson of Ernst Jacob, became the last private owner of IWC and launched the Ingenieur watch with automatic winding.

· In 1967, IWC launched its first diving watch, the Aquatimer, which continues to prevail to this day.

· In 1969, IWC participated in the development of the Beta 21 quartz movement, and the DaVinci became the brand's first quartz watch.

· In 1976, Gerald Genta improved the appearance of the Ingenieur and an additional inner case mounted on rubber shock absorbers was incorporated to protect the movement from magnetic fields.

· It was truly a business feat that, in the midst of the quartz crisis, IWC embarked on the design of highly complicated watches and materials such as titanium.

· In 1985, the first perpetual calendar developed by Kurt Klaus, the DaVinci, was introduced.

· In 1990, after seven years of development, the first Grande Complication with perpetual calendar, moon phases, and chronograph was born.

· In 2000, IWC was acquired by Richemont, and they developed the extra-large caliber 5000 with a 7-day power reserve and Pellaton winding system.

· In 2002, IWC unveiled the Big Pilot model 5002 or Grand Pilot's Watch with caliber 5000, a 46mm case, and a seven-day power reserve, reviving the tradition of the aviator watch.

· In 2003, they launched the Portugieser with perpetual calendar and moon phases for two hemispheres.

· In 2006, the Big Pilot was redesigned with caliber 51110, and the Big Pilot perpetual calendar was introduced, followed by 22 editions of this highly sought-after watch.

· In 2007, it was released with the 51111 movement, increasing vibrations per second.

· In 2008, there were multiple special editions, including one for the Japanese market.

· In 2012, the Top Gun with perpetual calendar and a 48mm case was produced. The basic model was also improved in 2012 with a new crown and better sealing on the stem.

· In 2016, the Big Pilot was once again improved with the new caliber 52110, and in the same year, the Big Pilot Heritage was launched with a titanium case and 55mm width, later reduced to 48mm in a second model.

· In 2018, the brand celebrated its 150 years with the Big Date and other commemorative models of the Big Pilot 5002, a watch first launched in 2002.

From 2002 to 2018, over 97 variations of the Big Pilot have been produced since its initial launch in 1940.