SIHH 2018 – Christoph Grainger-Herr of IWC, On The New Collection

We always knew that IWC was going to be one of the stand-outs of SIHH 2018, ever since the brand began previewing the limited-edition timepieces from its 150^th Anniversary collection last month. Suffice to say, we have not been disappointed. In total, an impressive 28 new limited-edition references were introduced, along with two new calibres. It’s a welcome departure for the brand, which normally focuses on refreshing one collection per year (in 2017, it was the Da Vinci collection). In this short video, we speak to Christoph Grainger-Herr, global CEO of IWC, to learn more about the 150^th Anniversary collection and the significance of the new two calibres introduced.

As many people seem to agree, one of the main highlights from SIHH 2018 is the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition 150 years, with centralised digital hours and minutes display. A vintage re-edition of sorts, this unusual design is actually based on one of the most iconic pocket-watches ever manufactured by IWC, the Pallweber, a beautiful example of which Mr. Grainger-Herr shows us in the video. Developed in 1884 and based on the Pallweber system developed by a Salzburg-based watchmaker, Josef Pallweber, it showed the hours and minutes with large numerals on rotating discs, visible through 2 windows on the dial. The modern-day wrist watch version is no less impressive and you can read more about it in our hands-on review here.

In addition to the Tribute to Pallweber, there are a further 27 limited-edition models to discover from the Portugieser, Portofino, Pilot’s Watches and Da Vinci families. Of particular note is the Da Vinci Automatic Edition 150 Years, which features the new IWC-manufactured 82200 calibre and the Portugieser Chronograph Edition 150 Years Ref. 3716, which is powered by the new IWC calibre 69355. All in all a very impressive showing from IWC, including several models that will be sure to please collectors.