IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN OPENS A NEW FLAGSHIP BOUTIQUE IN THE HEART OF AMSTERDAM
Schaffhausen/Amsterdam, 30th November 2023: IWC Schaffhausen is opening a new flagship boutique in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Located on P.C. Hoofstraat in the centre of this progressive and cosmopolitan city, the boutique is designed as an open and welcoming space where clients can discover IWC’s watches and learn more about its unique engineering approach and materials expertise. For the official unveiling of the boutique, IWC is focusing on its founding story through the prism of water with a temporary installation.
With its intricate system of canals and waterways, Amsterdam is also known as the “Venice of the North”. The classical element of water also connects the city with Schaffhausen, where the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones established the “International Watch Company” on the banks of the Rhine river more than 150 years ago. IWC is excited to return to Amsterdam with its fifth global flagship boutique after Zurich, Dubai, Shanghai and Beverly Hills. Like the previous boutique in Amsterdam but larger and with more amenities and services, the new flagship is located on P.C. Hoofstraat. Named after the Dutch poet and historian Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, this street is known for its chic ambiance and international allure and is one of Amsterdam’s most exclusive shopping destinations.
Functional engineering and pure design are at the heart of IWC Schaffhausen. The Amsterdam boutique is among the first locations worldwide to feature our new interior design concept, creating a unique experience around the bold and distinctive spirit of the brand. We invite customers to discover our collections hands-on and deep-dive into our unique engineering expertise in watch movements, complications and advanced materials
The new flagship boutique is designed as an open and welcoming space. IWC’s collections take centre stage in open displays, allowing clients to experience the watches hands-on in a much more tactile way. All watch displays feature touchscreen technology, giving visitors access to a broad range of information about the timepieces on display at the touch of a button, including product history, technical specifications and customisation possibilities. The boutique seamlessly blends different textures and materials in a colour palette that is reminiscent of “Mojave Desert”, “Lake Tahoe” and “Woodland” – the eye-catching ceramic colours IWC developed in collaboration with Pantone®.
IWC’S ENGINEERING APPROACH EXPLAINED
The “Engineering Wall” allows visitors to learn more about IWC’s engineering heritage and expertise. For example, it details the sequential steps from raw material to finished watch case for materials such as stainless steel, titanium and Ceratanium®. Clients can also discover how many parts go into an IWC-manufactured movement and in which order they are assembled. Ingenious mechanisms like the Pellaton automatic winding system or the IWC-typical double moon phase display are explained with large working models. The wall also exhibits watches developed in IWC’s engineering division “XPL”.
In the “Strap Studio”, clients can explore various strap options, ranging from water-resistant rubber straps in fashionable colours to leather alternatives like TimberTex® and MiraTex®. Selected watches can be fitted with new straps on-site to customise them to one’s individual tastes and needs. The new boutique also houses a permanently installed watchmaker atelier on the first floor. This allows clients to see their watches get repaired and cleaned, giving visitors a unique insight into the brand’s craftsmanship.
Complementing the experience are two comfortable lounge areas, one with a fireplace for the cool winter days and a large screen that enables clients to take a virtual tour of IWC’s Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen. A separate boardroom offers a perfect space for watchmaking classes and meetings. After exploring the IWC universe, clients can enjoy a beverage at the boutique’s very own BIG PILOT BAR.
A CELEBRATION OF SHARED FOUNDATIONS
In celebration of IWC and Amsterdam’s mutual legacy of engineering and water, IWC officially unveiled its new flagship boutique with an interactive installation “The Origins of Time” featuring a water simulation. It allows visitors to interact with digital versions of the sea, Rhine Falls, and Amsterdam canals as they explore the brand’s history and key achievements through immersive storytelling.
The new IWC flagship boutique is located on P.C. Hoofstraat 132-134, 1071 Amsterdam.
IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.
Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.
A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.