IWC has an interesting story to tell, so let’s get into details right away. Founded in 1868, in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, the founder Florentine Ariosto Jones was determined to produce top quality pocket watches for the American market.

International Watch Company (IWC) has six collections in their family of watches: 1) Portugieser 2) Pilot 3) Portofino 4) Ingenieur 5) Aquatimer 6) Da Vinci.

Let’s first take a quick look at the Portugieser which was launched in the 1930s. This model was the first wristwatch from IWC, originally commissioned by two Portuguese businessmen whom wanted a pocket watch to be fitted on their wrist for quicker timekeeping. Thus, this model has been created and is now among IWC’s finest watches with the deepest of heritage.

Now let’s talk about the Pilot. Obviously created for Pilots, this model was intended to provide accurate time for pilots and was launched in 1936. However, pilots were not the only people wearing these watches but many people from different professions nowadays are seen wearing this watch.

Named as such in 1984, the Portofino was inspired by a beautiful fishing village in Italy. Portofino is a lovely village in my opinion, with a romantic atmosphere, which led to this model’s name. However, this model can be traced back in the 1970s, before it got the name.

Next we look at IWC’s Ingenieur, German for Engineer. This professional watch is built to survive harsh magnetic fields and shocks. It was invented in the era of technical advances and parallel economy, so it had to be resistant to shocks! (And magnetic fields). It was launched in 1954.

The Aquatimer, the diving watch of IWC was released in 1967. It is meant to handle the harsh pressure of the deep sea and have done so successfully. Back when it was first released, it could only handle 200 meters of depth in water, but the models from the time I’m writing this article, it could handle 2000 meters (200 bars) depending on the model.

Finally, we’ll talk about the Da Vinci model. Inspired by the polymath, artist and overall inspiring human being, Mr. Leonardo Da Vinci, this model was inspired by his great work and in 1969 IWC has introduced this watch under his name. It is my personal favorite watch from IWC. It is available with many complications in an elegant styling.

Now that we discussed the models of IWC, what is your personal favorite watch from this brand?