IWC Pocket Watches
One of Switzerland’s major luxury watch companies was started by an American who saw the potential of bringing Switzerland’s superb watchmaking into the modern age through industrialized manufacturing and high-precision interchangeable parts. The New Hampshire–born watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), who founded International Watch Company — known today as simply IWC — in 1868, was interested in “combining all the excellence of the American system of mechanism with the more skillful hand labor of the Swiss.”
Setting up the company with another American watchmaker, Charles Kidder, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Jones used hydropower from the River Rhine for his plant’s machinery. Rethinking watch design would lead to one of IWC’s early successes: the Pallweber pocket watch. Based on an 1883 patent by Austrian watchmaker Josef Pallweber, the watch employed numbered disks for jumping hour and minute displays, making it a pioneer in digital timekeeping.
After Johann Rauschenbach-Vogel took over the watch manufacturer in 1880, four generations of his family led IWC into the 20th century. In 1905, Ernst Jakob Homberger and his brother-in-law Carl Jung — the famed Swiss psychiatrist — acquired IWC. Homberger bought out Jung’s holdings in 1929, and in the 1930s, the company introduced pilot watches, which were particularly robust and aimed solely at the civil aviation industry. These durable wristwatches were designed specifically to remain operational during extreme temperature shifts. (As blue watch dials are particularly hot right now, IWC's blue-dial Big Pilot is having a moment.)
The company still operates alongside the river where it was founded, having gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. Vintage IWC watches are prized by collectors — of whom there are many these days — and while the company continues to guard its attention to detail and quality, it has pushed its classic designs forward with modern innovation intended to stand the test of time.
IWC’s 2013 Ingenieur watch collection, with its precision based on an inventive constant-force mechanism, looked back to a 1955 Ingenieur model that featured a durable soft-iron inner cage as well as a 1976 update by leading Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta that encased its mechanism in a sleek steel case. IWC has also had a recent push toward sustainability, designing watches that are made to last a lifetime and beyond and earning the highest environmental ranking of any Swiss watch company in a 2018 report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature Switzerland (WWF).
Find vintage IWC wristwatches, Art Deco–style pocket watches and more on 1stDibs.
1910s Swiss Edwardian Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Silver
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 14k Gold
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Artisan IWC Pocket Watches
Gold
20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1930s Swiss Art Deco Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Mid-20th Century Swiss Art Deco IWC Pocket Watches
Early 20th Century Swiss Art Deco IWC Pocket Watches
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
Silver
20th Century Swiss Artisan IWC Pocket Watches
18k Gold
19th Century Antique IWC Pocket Watches
Diamond, Gold, Silver, Enamel
Early 20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
1930s Swiss Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s Unknown Art Deco Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Silver
2010s American IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque IWC Pocket Watches
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
1960s Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 14k Gold
1980s Artisan Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century American IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold
20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold
1950s Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Yellow Gold
1890s Antique IWC Pocket Watches
Silver
20th Century Swiss Artisan IWC Pocket Watches
Steel
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1890s Antique IWC Pocket Watches
Stainless Steel
1890s Antique IWC Pocket Watches
Silver
1910s Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Yellow Gold
20th Century Swiss IWC Pocket Watches
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 1900s Swiss Antique IWC Pocket Watches
Sterling Silver
Early 1900s Swiss Antique IWC Pocket Watches
14k Gold
20th Century IWC Pocket Watches
Diamond, Platinum
1910s Swiss Art Deco Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
1920s Swiss Art Deco Vintage IWC Pocket Watches
Platinum
Iwc pocket watches for sale on 1stDibs.
Creators Similar to IWC
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022No, IWC no longer makes pocket watches as of December 2021. The watchmaker does use some of the movements developed for their pocket watches in their wristwatch designs. Examples include the Reference 5001, the Portuguese Automatic, and Big Pilot watches. Shop a collection of IWC pocket watches on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022Yes, pocket watches can be a good investment. However, many factors can influence the value of a pocket watch, including the brand, the style and the mechanism that powers it. Also, how well you maintain and care for the watch impacts what it is worth. You'll find a collection of antique and vintage pocket watches on 1stDibs.
- How do I know if my IWC is real?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022To tell if your IWC watch is real, first examine the dial. All of the pieces and numbers should be sharp, clear and precise. IWC manufactures their watches to an extremely high standard and any sign of sloppy workmanship is a dead giveaway. Counterfeiters will often use the wrong fonts and colors, so compare your watch against reference pictures of the genuine article. IWC is known for its slim design on their bezels and crowns, and all the pieces should be sleek and fit perfectly together. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of expertly-vetted IWC watches from some of the world’s top sellers.
- Where does IWC rank in watches?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024Where IWC ranks in watches is within the realm of high-end timepieces. IWC is one of Switzerland's major luxury watch companies. The maker has gained an international reputation over the past 150 years for its elegant designs and expert craftsmanship. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of IWC watches.
- What is IWC 5N gold?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022IWC 5N gold is a type of material used by the company IWC Schaffhausen to produce luxury watches. Specifically, it is an alloy that is 75 percent pure gold and 25 percent copper. People commonly refer to it as 18-karat red gold. On 1stDibs, find a large collection of IWC watches.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022IWC Watches stands for “International Watch Co.” Founded in 1868 by an American watchmaker in Switzerland, IWC is one of the most respected luxury Swiss watchmakers today. They’re particularly well-known for their aviation watches. Shop a collection of IWC Watches from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- Is an IWC watch worth buying?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertJune 15, 2023Whether an IWC watch is worth buying depends on a few factors, such as how well it has been cared for and the piece itself. IWC, one of Switzerland’s major luxury watch companies, was started by an American who saw the potential of bringing Switzerland’s superb watchmaking into the modern age through industrialized manufacturing and high-precision interchangeable parts. The New Hampshire–born watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones (1841–1916), who founded International Watch Company, known today as simply IWC, in 1868, was interested in “combining all the excellence of the American system of mechanism with the more skillful hand labor of the Swiss.” Pre-owned IWC watches are known to hold their value if extremely well-cared for and some may even increase in value over time. Because it can be difficult to predict how the value of items will change over time, though, choose timepieces that appeal to you. On 1stDibs, shop an assortment of IWC watches from some of the world’s top sellers.