Who Owns IWC?
IWC, a leading Swiss luxury watch brand particularly known for their pilot’s watches, has been owned by Richemont since 2000. As with many high-end watch companies, ownership changed hands amidst the “quartz crisis” and the brand was forced to reinvent itself while also trying to maintain an identity. Here’s a quick guide to who owns IWC now, and who owned them in the past.
Who Owns IWC: A Timeline
1868: IWC (International Watch Company) is founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Jones started his career in Boston, arguably the birthplace of the mass production of watches, and he wanted to bring ideas like interchangeable parts to Switzerland.
1876: Jones returns to the United States and goes bankrupt within a few years.
1880: The company is officially transferred to Johannes Rauschenbach-Vogel.
1881: Following the death of Johannes Rauschenbach-Vogel, his son Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk begins running IWC at the age of 25.
1905: Ernst Jakob Homberger, who married into the Rauschenbach family, takes over the company following the death of Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk. IWC makes their first pilot’s watches during the Ernst Homberger era.
1929: Ernst Homberger buys out all of the shares owned by his brother-in-law, Carl Jung, becoming sole owner.
1955: Hans Ernst Homberger becomes the last private owner of IWC, taking over for his father.
1978: IWC is acquired by German instrument manufacturer VDO Adolf Schindling AG during the quartz crisis. VDO also buys a majority stake in Jaeger-LeCoultre.
1991: Director Günter Blümlein helps restructure VDO’s watch brands into the LMH Group, which includes IWC (100% stake), Jaeger-LeCoultre (60% stake), and the recently-revived A. Lange & Söhne (90% stake).
2000: The Richemont Group, who owns Cartier already, acquires the LMH Group, including IWC, for CHF 2.8 billion.
2000-Present: IWC continues to operate as a subsidiary of Richemont.
Other Richemont Brands: How They Stack Up
IWC is very important to Richemont, ranking #11 in sales among Swiss watch brands according to the 2023 LuxeConsult/Morgan Stanley industry report. But Vacheron Constantin outsells them, and Cartier is second only to Rolex. Here’s how all the Richemont watch brands stack up:
| Brand | 2023 Rank |
|---|---|
| Cartier | 2 |
| Vacheron Constantin | 8 |
| IWC Schaffhausen | 11 |
| Jaeger-LeCoultre | 14 |
| Panerai | 18 |
| Van Cleef & Arpels | 21 |
| Piaget | 24 |
| A. Lange & Söhne | 25 |
| Montblanc | 29 |
| Baume & Mercier | 42 |
| Roger Dubuis | 45 |
Is Richemont Publicly Traded?
Yes, the company who owns IWC, Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A, is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the stock ticker “CFR.”
Who Owns IWC: No Changes Anticipated
Richemont owns a wide variety of luxury goods brands, and they’ve closed and sold a few over the years. But, notably, they’ve never divested a watch brand. Given the manufacturing synergies between their entities (like ValFleurier movements being used by several of their brands), it’s likely that Richemont will continue to be the company who owns IWC for the foreseeable future.
An investment in Richemont by LVMH founder Bernard Arnault in June 2024 sparked rumors of an LVMH takeover of Richemont, but it was not a huge stake and it was only a personal investment. And no matter who owns Richemont, IWC will likely be around for many decades to come.
More on Richemont Brands:
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Panerai’s Submersible Elux LAB-ID: 160 Micro LED’s and No Battery
Is Cartier Leading the Return of Small Watches for Men?
Do Cartier Watches Hold Value?
5 Entry-Level A. Lange & Söhne Watches
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