IWC Schaffhausen watches will go on sale at Mr Porter and Net-A-Porter from next week.
Both Mr Porter and Net-A-Porter are owned by Yoox Net-A-Porter Group, which bought the sites from Richemont Group, by coincidence the owner of IWC, in 2015 for around £950 million.
IWC has never before partnered with an online-only luxury retailer, but on November 18, Net-A-Porter will launch with a curated selection of timepieces across the Pilot’s Watches and Portofino families.
The following day, Mr Porter will put a selection of core timepieces on sale from across the Pilot’s Watches, Ingenieur, Aquatimer, Portugieser and Portofino families, including the signature Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde model.
“We are very pleased to announce our partnership with the leading Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen which will further strengthen Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter’s unparalleled luxury shopping experience. This step forward will propel our Fine Watches and Jewellery category to the next level,” said Federico Marchetti, CEO of Yoox Net-A-Porter Group.
Toby Bateman (pictured above collecting the WatchPro Award for Innovative Watch Retailer of the Year), managing director of Mr Porter, added: “We are extremely proud to launch such a prestigious brand as IWC Schaffhausen on Mr Porter. Synonymous with true craftsmanship, innovation and iconic style, our customers will be able to shop a curated selection of the IWC range – from the famous Pilot’s Watches Collection all the way up to the highly complicated Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde. As a global online launch partner with IWC, we are sure this is just the beginning of a fruitful relationship.”
IWC sees the partnership with the world’s biggest luxury online retailer as an important move to secure a new generation of customers. “This is a great opportunity for us to make our products more easily accessible for a younger generation of watch lovers who are used to shopping online,” said Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
