IWCopened its new production plant on Monday. The watch manufacturer invested 42 million Swiss francs into the new building, located on the outskirts of Schaffhausen. The modern building stands out with its massive glass facade.
“We didn’t want to simply build a functionary factory, but rather a building with a high aesthetic value,” said IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr, who is also an architect and personally designed the building.
The new production plant spans an area of 13,500 square metres. In addition to watch manufacturing, the building also offers space for a visitor centre.
The new manufacturing centre – or Manufakturzentrum, as it is called in German – combines traditional watchmaking with modern production methods. For example, watch parts are produced in an automated manner in a workshop by means of computer-controlled machining and milling centres. A jointed-arm-robot feeds the raw materials and removes the finished parts. Watch parts are then assembled by hand in a separate hall.
“No machine would be able to assemble the complex mechanism and bring it to life,” according to a company statement.
Even tiny amounts of dust or dirt could impair a watch’s function, which is why assembly takes place in a clean room atmosphere under conditions similar to how computer chips are produced. Overpressure ensures that as few dust particles as possible enter.
The new building also marks IWC’s 150th anniversary. Founded in 1868, the traditional company was acquired by Swiss luxury goods group Richemont in 2000.
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