18ct yellow gold open face chronometer pocket watch. Circa 1920

IWC (International Watch Company) was born from a fusion of American engineering and the long-standing skill of Swiss watch makers. It was founded in 1868 by the American, Florentine Ariosto Jones.

Jones was already director of the successful American watchmaking company, E. Howard & Co and wished to establish a watchmaking business in Switzerland to combine the craftsmanship of the Swiss with the modern engineering technology from the U.S. to manufacture movements and watch parts for the American market.

However, he was at first met with opposition by the Swiss French. The local community believed Jones would steal jobs from the people but instead, Jones managed to establish a thriving watchmaking workshop in the town of Schaffhausen that has come to bring both careers and acclaim to the local community and put this humble town on the map.

IWC’s official motto is ‘Probus Scafusia’ meaning "good, solid craftsmanship from Schaffhausen", a testament to the success of such a marriage of cultures and ideas.