Making History

IWC Schaffhausen will mark its 150th anniversary with a retrospective exhibition that opens from May 1. Visitors can trace the horological adventures of brand founder Florentine Ariosto Jones (F.A. Jones), an ambitious young Boston watchmaker who sailed across the Atlantic from America to Switzerland to establish his watch manufacture on the banks of the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen in 1868. Combining the expertise of home-based Swiss craftsmen with state-of-the-art American technology, the 27-year-old churned out more than 10,000 high-quality mechanical movements per year. To mark that feat, the exhibition is designed in the industrial style of IWC's factory in its early days.

On display are also 10 of the most iconic watches - including the Special Watch for Pilots Ref. 436 (1936), the Yacht Club Automatic Ref. 811 (1967), and the Lepine Pallweber III pocket watch (1886) that featured breakthrough jumping numerals - the luxury brand has ever designed and manufactured.

Also available to view are novelties from IWC's Jubilee collection that were unveiled at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie earlier this year like the Tribute to Pallweber pieces, the diamond encrusted Da Vinci Automatic Moon Phase 36 Edition "150 Years", and the Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition "150 Years".