IWC is quietly making a big move today with the announcement of IWC. Curated., a program dedicated to bringing a curated selection of restored timepieces to the market via select boutiques throughout the world. The goal here is to preserve and celebrate their history in a way that allows the public to be a part of the process. Brands like Zenith and Vacheron Constantine have similar programs, which bring selected historical timepieces to market, giving them a second lease on life, and a chance for enthusiasts to experience the watches as they would have been when new. IWC. Curated. will work hand in hand with IWC museum curator, David Seyffer to select watches for the curation which will, at least initially, be available to purchase at select boutiques located in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Dubai and Japan.
Preserving the best part of a brand’s history is no small feat, but it’s one that many of the legacy Swiss watch brands dedicate vast resources to. Omega and Patek Philippe, for instance, have stunning museum experiences that display the breadth of their horological contributions, while others are beginning to take steps toward restoration of their past collections with the goal of extending their useful life with collectors and enthusiasts. This is a goal that should resonate with any vintage watch enthusiast, and should live hand in hand with formal service channels in operation.
What’s different with a program such as this, is that it can act as something of a foundation for building new collections with a deeper sense of context and historical reverence. One look at the watches initially on offer through the curation reveals complications and collections highly relevant to how IWC is attempting to position themselves today. The Genta era Ingeniuers are of course a big part of this, but so too are watches like the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (Ref. 3750), and the Mark 11 (Ref. 6B/346), each of which tell a story about the watches currently being produced by IWC. These are important watches to understand, and are just as relevant today as when they were initially produced.
I do hope to see these watches get a broader level of distribution, or minimally a feature on their website so that their stories can be properly told in the context of their modern counterparts. Slick marketing videos are all well and good, but there’s no substitute for seeing the real thing being restored and put to use. Looking at Zenith’s Icons, programs such as this can turn into valuable tools of discovery to both newcomers to the brand, as well as even seasoned enthusiasts.
This is a small first step, but one with hopefully much larger ambitions. IWC is a brand that only benefits from creating a direct connection to their history, as well as displaying a deeper understanding of their own identity. Seems like a simple thing, but I’m always amazed at how easy it is for brands to lose sight of themselves in searching for bigger market share. IWC