IWC dials.. Outsourced?

I recall reading recently that IWC dials were not actually built by IWC, but, outsourced.. Can anyone confirm this for me? Not saying this is good or bad, just trying to get insight into the manufacturing process!

Thanks..

Hi Slashdot,
I don't know the answer to your question in respect to IWC but this may help..
Historically in the Swiss watchmaking industry the manufacture of dials along with hands, crystals and straps has been outsourced to companies specialising in these products with the watch companies concentrating on the manufacture of the movements/cases and finished products.
These days, with the consolidation of the industry, most high-end watch companies either own themselves or are part of a group that owns several manufacturers of these diverse components. They are usually still run as separate entities and not under the watch brand name.
Leo

Thanks Leo.. Yeah, I figured the least.. I've just noticed lately a few watch companies putting YouTube videos out showing how they build their dials.. It got me thinking that I've never seen anything from IWC talking about how they manufacture their dials - the very thing we look at most!

I do see a lot on cases and movements, literally nothing on dials :)

Thanks!

It's Stern Group isn't it Michael?

Advertisment from 1939.

Cheers from the cellar

Thx for the insight, Mike!
One of the most beautiful dials I've ever seen is that of my AT Cousteau ref. 376706...
I'd be happy to see more often monochrome "cold blue" IWC dials, e. g. on the new 3768, something like the "Laureus-blue"...
Regards,
Robert

Celler Yes. Since 2000 when the group aquired the Stern Holding.

See: Stern Group Aquisition

Quiet some process there too.

A vist to Stern Dial Manufacturing

Very interesting, thanks.

Now we can continue this topic with the outsourced CASES !

Regards

HEBE

This thread has been very informing! Thanks all!

Quite informative. Thank you all.

Fluckiger were one company that we know supplied dials to IWC and did advertise they were the largest dial manufacturing company in Switzerland.

The following image from a 1980's catalogue has always made me wonder whether they also supplied the pilot watch dials.

Cheers from the cellar

Interesting topic indeed. It made me wonder what I like about a watch and its identity. The first general statement is: I want a watch to be as good and as beautiful as practically possible, within a certain cost range, where the quality level should be at or near the top.

The manufacturer or brand should be responsible for the total design of the watch, the way a watch looks, like shape and finish. It is quite OK to have external partners to realise some of the parts needed, certainly if the production of these parts is highly specialised, like dials, hands, straps, maybe even cases. But quality control on these parts must be ruthless, only the best is good enough. This quality control process must be one of the most important ones of the brand.

Movements are the heart and soul of the watches, also here the manufacturer or brand must be responsible for its design, it technical specifications, that should meet the highest standards. Preferably the manufacturing of the movement should be done in-house too. As for the parts of the movement, I can imagine that specialised external parties manufacture some of them like maybe wheels, balance springs, winding springs. Also here, quality control on all these parts, whether internal or external, must be ruthless, rigorous, by the brand.

The manufacturer or brand must be responsible for the total assembly of the watch, that must be in-house, and, again, subjected to the highest standards of quality control. This whole delivers then the best watches possible.

But to me there is more. That has to do with the continuity of the brand image imposed into the watch families, the way the watches look like being a natural part of the brand.

I hope the above makes a bit of sense, it is the way I look at watches from certain brands. I believe it to be true that IWC adheres to all or most that I stated, and as I like what I see and experience, I feel proud to own some very nice watches manufactured by IWC.

Kind regards,
Paul

Good point Sunflower..

Not sure how I feel about a watch where the strap, movement, dial, hands, crystals are all made by external parties and only really assembled and "designed" by a high end watch manufacturer ... In this case, what does the watchmaker make beside the case?

You described the reality, SLASHD0T !

It seems that IWC produces some cases "in house".

Click ....

But why should they "Reinventing the wheel" ???

So many specialised external brands with very long experience on the market !!!

Regards

HEBE

I don't really take too much issue with it as the quality really is top notch .. However, a bit more put out by the "marketing" that would lead unsuspecting buyers into thinking that every portion of your watch is created by the manufacturer that you choose...

I get that this is common practice in the watch manufacturing world, but, there are still some brands where everything is created start to finish by the watch company.. This is very appealing to me for some reason.. Something special about a company having a skill set and ability to create a product from start to finish and in some cases even creating their own precious metals.. Unique in such a globalized mass machine manufactured world ..