In commemorating its 150 year history, Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen has opened its doors to its latest Manufakturzentrum — designed partly by its multihyphenate CEO.
This year marks a momentous time in Swiss luxury watchmaker’s IWC Schaffhausen’s long-standing history as it counts its 150th year in the industry. In light of this important milestone, IWC inaugurated the IWC Manufakturzentrum, located on the outskirts of its birthplace Schaffhuasen and a ten-minute drive away from where its historic headquarters stand.
The formidable structure (constructed in just 21 months), distinguished by its contemporary floor-to-ceiling glass façade flanked by black frames and contrasting white roof, speaks of an impeccable design acumen way ahead of the times. Beyond its modern front, the IWC Manufakturzentrum moves the house forward in its fundamental manufacturing process.
Here, for the first time in IWC’s history, the production of in-house base watch movements, movement parts and watch cases come together under one roof — a shift that has been a long time coming. Prior to the launch of the IWC Manufakturzentrum, production was dispersed in six different locations across Schaffhuasen, essentially, translating to a less efficient use of human resources and time.
“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. So, 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 storey,” says Andrea Voll, chief operating officer of IWC. “I have been dreaming of this ever since I started at IWC back in 2007,” he continues.
This story is from the December 2018 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2018 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Look At Us
As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.
She For She
We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.
Over The Rainbow
How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.
What Is Love?
The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
Who Gets To Eat?
As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.
A Holiday At Home
Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.
