Tucked away in the historic town of Schaffhausen, where the Rhine’s current once powered watchmaking machines, the IWC Museum is no ordinary archive. It is a living reflection of one of the world’s most forward-thinking luxury watch brands – one that respects its past as much as it shapes its future. At its helm is curator David Seyffer, a man whose passion for design, history and horology makes him the perfect storyteller for IWC’s enduring legacy. I caught up with David at Watches and Wonders Geneva to explore the decades that defined the maison, the significance of icons like the Mark 11 and Ingenieur, and the cultural resonance of mechanical timekeeping today.
The Power of a Decade
Talking about defining moments, David pinpoints the 1970s for IWC. “It was a time of crisis – economically, politically – and yet, we made decisions that completely reshaped our identity.” While many brands played it safe during the Quartz Crisis, IWC took a bold leap, introducing a new collection of stainless-steel luxury watches, designed in collaboration with none other than Gérald Genta. “Those were crossroads moments,” David explains. “We updated the collection with an entirely new design language. It was transformative.”
Genta’s 1976 Ingenieur design marked a turning point – not just for IWC, but for the industry. “To think that in the middle of an economic downturn, we produced something that ultimately defined us – that’s the beauty of it. A crisis opens the door to new perspectives,” he says. “And that decision, in many ways, built the IWC that you experience today.”
Yet, the brilliance of the 1970s wasn’t immediately understood. “The Ingenieur SL 1832 was too large for the time, and commercially it struggled,” he admits. “But today, collectors see it differently. What was once a failure is now seen as a breakthrough.”
A Museum That Moves with Time
David’s role as curator is more dynamic than the term might suggest. From the outset, he has expanded the IWC Museum’s strategy, bringing depth, relevance, and international resonance to its programming. “The biggest growth has been in the background,” he says. “We’re constantly sourcing historical pieces – not just one, but duplicates – so we can organise exhibitions across different countries.”
That international presence has made the museum not just a destination, but a global storyteller. “We’ve done this in South Africa, Asia, the US – each market has its own emotional connection to certain models,” he says. “It’s about asking: what do collectors want to see? What stories will resonate here?”
Meanwhile, the team works behind the scenes to uncover rare prototypes, early concepts, and even abandoned projects that help piece together the brand’s legacy. “Sometimes these pieces were never produced,” David adds. “But they help us tell a fuller story.”
Spotlight on the Mark 11
This (European) summer, visitors to the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen will be greeted by a special focus on a watch close to David’s heart: the Mark 11. “It’s my favourite,” he says. “It was built as a tool watch for military navigators, developed in the late 1940s, and it introduced the concept of the soft iron inner cage for anti-magnetism. That was a game changer.”
For David, it’s not just the functionality of the Mark 11 that makes it iconic – it’s the way it shaped IWC’s identity in the decades that followed. “When you look at today’s Pilot watches – the Mark XX, the Lake Tahoe collection, even all the chronographs – you see that dial and you know exactly where it comes from. There’s a through line. That’s what makes it timeless.”
Among the exhibits are rare variations of the Mark 11, including a version from the South African Air Force. “That piece has its own story,” says David. “It connects history, place and purpose. That’s what I love.”
Design Legacy and Cultural Evolution
Of course, the museum doesn’t only look backwards. It works in tandem with IWC’s product strategy team to shape the future. “We’re now part of the development structure,” David says. “When teams are thinking two, three, four years ahead, we’re there to provide historical context. Will it fit the IWC DNA? That’s the question we always ask.”
This continuity between past and future is especially evident in the new Ingenieur launches. “The latest collection respects the proportions and design cues of the original 1976 version,” says David. “But it also reflects how the 1980s evolved that aesthetic – sleeker, more wearable, more in tune with cultural trends.”
His personal favourite? “The new perpetual calendar in stainless steel with a blue dial,” he says, without hesitation. “We did it in gold in the 1980s, but never in steel. Now, it feels just right – contemporary, but rooted in tradition.”
Heritage That Inspires Hollywood
The enduring appeal of IWC’s design language extends far beyond the collector’s circle. As part of its commitment to storytelling, IWC has placed its watches in film franchises like Top Gun – and more recently, F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt. “I organised the watch he wears in the film,” David says, grinning. “It’s a small moment in your career when you can sit in a cinema and say, ‘That was us.’ It’s just fun.”
What Collectors Want
So, what draws modern collectors to heritage pieces? For David, it’s a balancing act. “You have to launch new models that people love – but there must also be substance behind them. The past gives meaning to the present,” he says. “If a collector knows the history of a model, they’ll connect with its modern version even more. You only need to look at the rise in interest for vintage Ingenieurs or early Portugiesers to understand the value of continuity.”
When pressed to name the most timeless IWC piece, David says, “If someone walked into a boutique and said they wanted a watch to wear now and still be proud of in 20 years, I’d point them to the Portugieser. Its elegance is ageless.”
On Music and Memory
In a serendipitous aside, David mentions his love for electronic music, particularly Depeche Mode. “My wife’s a huge fan,” he laughs. “And I’ve always been fascinated by analogue synthesisers. When you think about it, there’s a connection between mechanical watches and synthesisers – both are tactile, both require precision, both age with character.”
Even Gérald Genta, David notes, shared a distaste for repetition. “His wife told us – once he finished a design, it bored him. He wanted the next thing. That mindset is something we hold onto.”
From the dial of a post-war pilot’s watch to a steel-cased perpetual calendar on Brad Pitt’s wrist, IWC’s story is as much about evolution as it is about preservation. Through David’s careful curation and the brand’s bold reinvention of classics, the past remains not only present but powerfully relevant.
“In the end,” says David, “we’re not just showing watches. We’re showing how time, design and culture move together.”
