The International Watch Co. from 1875 to 1890

Die englischsprachige Publikation beschreibt die bisher kaum erforschte Geschichte des Schweizer Luxusuhrenherstellers IWC Schaffhausen der Jahre 1875-1890. Die hochwertig verarbeitete Publikation basiert auf intensiven Studien historischer Quellen.

Die englischsprachige Publikation erzählt die Geschichte der schweizerischen Uhrenmanufaktur "International Watch Company" (IWC) der Jahre 1875 bis 1890. Den Autoren ist es in jahrelanger Forschungsarbeit gelungen, die Geschichte von unbekannten IWC-Uhrwerken aus dieser Zeit zu dokumentieren. Die passionierten Forscher beschreiben mit Liebe zum Detail den damaligen Stand der Technik und das Umfeld, in dem sich die IWC-Uhrenmanufaktur behaupten musste. Die Zeit ist besonders interessant, da IWC viele verschiedene Uhrwerke lancierte und zur Marktreife brachte. Nach turbulenten Anfangsjahren gelang es dem 1868 gegründeten Unternehmen, sich am Markt zu behaupten und zu einem führenden Hersteller von Luxusuhren aufzusteigen. Mit dem hochwertig verarbeiteten Bildband wird die Geschichte des Uhrmacherhandwerks im 19. Jahrhundert erfahrbar und Sammler:innen historischer Uhren können sich über das umfangreiche Quellenmaterial freuen. This English-language publication tells the story of the Swiss watch manufacturer "International Watch Company" (IWC) from the years 1875 to 1890. The authors have succeeded in documenting the history of unknown IWC movements from this period through years of research work. The passionate researchers describe with attention to detail the state of the art of IWC at the time and the business environment in which the Schaffhausen based company had to perform. The period is particularly interesting because IWC launched many different movements and brought them to market. After challenging early years, the company, founded in 1868, managed to hold its own in the market and rise to become a leading manufacturer of luxury watches. With this high-quality illustrated book, the history of the watchmaking trade in the 19th century can be experienced and collectors of historical watches can enjoy the extensive source material.

Autorentext

Die Autoren sind passionierte Uhrensammler und forschen seit vielen Jahren zu Uhren sowie zu deren technischem und kommerziellem Hintergrund. Sie sind Verfasser zahlreicher einschlägiger Fachveröffentlichungen.

Klappentext

• How the watch industry came to Switzerland from America: The early history of the International Watch Company (IWC) - When a watchmaker from Boston set off for Schaffhausen by the Rhine in Switzerland 150 years ago, he did so with one clear purpose: To combine American watch manufacturing know-how with Swiss craftsmanship for profit. Florentine Ariosto Jones realised his idea with the establishment of the International Watch Company (IWC) in Schaffhausen in 1868. The English language publication "The International Watch Co. from 1875 to 1890" is an account of the early history of the Swiss watchmaking company, and documents the history behind the creation of previously unknown IWC movements from the founding years with the aid of new sources. With love and attention to detail, the authors, themselves passionate technology historians and watch collectors, describe the level of technical knowledge at the time and the IWC's competitive environment, as the Swiss were not particularly enamoured with the idea of commercial watch production. After a few tempestuous years at the beginning, during which the IWC developed many different movements up to the point of a potential launch, the company finally managed to conquer the market, initially with pocket watches. Later on, it rose to become one of the leading manufacturers of luxury watches. This elaborately illustrated volume brings the founding years of the Swiss watchmaking company to life, and thereby also some of the history of the watchmaking trade in the 19th century. For historic watch collectors, the extensive and wellordered source material offers interesting new insights into the history of the technical aspects of watch development. - Authors - Ralph Ehrismann, Thomas König, Giovanni Luchetti, Áron Máthe and Alan Myers are passionate watch collectors and have spent many years researching watches as well as their technical aspects and commercial background for many years. They have written numerous specialist publications on the subject. ----------------------------------------- Ralph Ehrismann, Thomas König, Giovanni Luchetti, Áron Máthe, Alan Myers The International Watch Co. from 1875 to 1890 A Company Confronting its Technical and Commercial Challenges 200 pages, Bielefeld 2022, ATHENA by wbv 39.90 euros ISBN 978-3-7639-7036-0 Order no. I70360

Inhalt
Preface Thomas König: The History Of IWC In The Transitional Period 1876-1886 The Seeland Period 1876 to 1879 The Rauschenbach Period Alan Myers: The Full-Plate Calibres from Seeland through to Tschopp The Seeland Period The Rauschenbach-Vogel Period The Pfister-Droz Period The Tschopp Period Alan Myers: The 1876-1882 Three-Quarter & Two-Thirds-Plate À Bas Watches Introduction The Seeland Period The Pfister-Droz Period Ralph Ehrismann: The Elgin Calibres Elgin I Elgin II Elgin III Decoration of the Elgin Movements Áron Máthe and Giovanni Luchetti: The Pallweber Calibres Pallweber Prototypes & Pallweber I & II (Cal. 40 & 41) Production of Pallweber I & II The Pallweber Disc System to Show the Time Pallweber IIIa & IIIb (Cal. 42) Cylinder Gents Pallwebers (Cal. 45) and ladies Pallweber (Cal. 43 & 44) Some Examples of the Typical Sources of Faults in Pallweber Movements Pallweber Time-Setting Mechanism Thomas König: The Numbering of Movements between 1869 and 1890