IWC unveils new $43mn facility in Switzerland

The Switzerland-based firm, International Watch Company (IWC), has unveiled a new $43mn facility in Schaffhausen on Monday (27 August), Forbes reports.

The new Swiss building, which is thought to be 145,000 square-foot, will enable IWC’s movement component production, case production, watch assembly, movement manufacturing and quality control to be in one place.

Andreas Voll, IWC Schaffhausen Chief Operating Officer, said: “The new building has given us the opportunity to configure our production processes precisely as is best for ensuring that they run optimally and produce perfect quality.”

“For example, the entire process of creating value, from the raw material to the individual movement component and on to the finished manufacture movement, progresses in a logical order on a single story.”

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IWC opens the new building at the same time as the company commemorates 150 years as an entity and prioritises traditional watchmaking skills as a key component of the firm.

Christoph Grainger-Herr, IWC Schaffhausen CEO, added: “Back in 1868, our founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones, was already pairing traditional watchmaking with advanced production methods. Ever since he established this approach to engineering, we have been systematically developing it.”
“But the building has more to offer than just optimal conditions for production and excellent working conditions for our employees – it also embodies the spirit of the IWC brand and allows visitors from all over the world to see up close how our manufacture movements and cases are produced.”

It took just 21 months from the commencement of the project to the launch of the building.