Iwc manufacture

BAD CRISIS: IWC

IWC’s 2020 watches are undeniably gorgeous, but picking the brand’s most expensive and opulent range may not work out well in a post-Covid era when ostentatious displays of wealth may not be welcome.

It has been three years since Christoph Grainger-Herr was promoted to become CEO of IWC after the departure of Georges Kern to Breitling.

The athletic and energetic boss is one of a new breed of younger heads at the Richemont maisons and might have been expected to harness modern technology and communication tools during the pandemic to get a fresh and vibrant message out to the troops.

But, while we have seen some CEOs embracing social media and chatting easily in public forums over Zoom, Mr Grainger-Herr has gone to ground since appearing in a rather stilted promotional video for the launch of a wide ranging collection of Portugieser watches.

Focusing on a single family appears to be a set strategy for IWC. Last year it was all Pilot watches, this year it is all Portugiesers.

Iwc portugieser yacht club moon tide chronograph iw390701 1 e1587986278858
IWC Portugieser Yacht Club chronograph.

The 2020 models are undeniably gorgeous, but picking the brand’s most expensive and opulent range may not work out well in a post-Covid era when ostentatious displays of wealth may not be welcome.

That said, the steel on steel Yacht Club chronographs are sporty enough to do well.

IWC has poured huge amounts of time and resources updating its manufacturing facilities over recent years.

That will hopefully provide a platform for an energetic return once we settle into whatever new normal looks like.

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