Beginning with his arrival at the helm, Georges Kern started working on several fronts: restructuration of the manufacture; clarification of the product family division; expansion of distribution beyond the Ger-manic markets whose importance was too great; establishment of better communication, to provide more visibility.
It seems that these measures have paid off well. According to Kern, IWC is doing well, “very well” in fact. Even though the brand has undergone a rather profound transformation, it still fully takes into consideration its important heritage and its technical genes.
Kern has succeeded in erasing the somewhat cold and technocratic image that the brand used to have. The “new” IWC is warmer. Its collections are more clearly defined. Its approach is more “human.” Global distribution (about 1,000 retailers around the world) is now better balanced. Of course, the Germanic markets (the historical base of the brand) are still very important (currently representing 40% of sales instead of 60%), but major efforts in the USA and Asia have allowed a “quiet” reprieve from the depressed European markets of 2003. And, while more women are becoming attracted to IWC’s ever-increasing bold watches, it remains essentially a masculine product.

Launch of a new family
A brand made up of engineers, IWC is a pioneer in the aviator watch field and has a very long and highly publicized relationship with the “sky”. Yet, the brand has also had a long and productive affiliation, even if less known, with “water”.
Starting in the early 1960s, the company introduced its first diver’s watch, known as the Aquatimer. This line marked the beginning of a series of chronographs for divers. Among them is the ‘Ocean’, an anti-magnetic piece made of titanium, with water-resistance to 2,000 metres, which was developed for the West German navy by the designer Ferdinand Porsche. Another in this line is the ‘Deep One’, with a combined mechanical depth measure, and the ‘Aquatimer’ from the GST family of timekeepers, with their rotating bezels, and double protection providing water-resistance to 200 bars.
The launch of the new generation of Aquatimer models will not only afford greater visibility for the brand, but it will constitute an autonomous family specializing in divers’ timepieces.
The new Aquatimer line is very important as it positions IWC as a specialty brand. A quick look at the line-up confirms this. While new future developments are certainly expected, today’s Aquatimer line comprises the Aquatimer Automatic 2000, a new titanium diver’s watch in the professional category, the Aquatimer Automatic, a somewhat more refined steel version, and the Limited Edition ‘Cousteau Divers’ series, the Aquatimer Chrono-Automatic that combines the specifications of the preceding watches with the addition of a chronograph, and the masterpiece of the entire family, the Aquatimer Minute Memory.

Aquatimer Minute Memory
Let’s remain for a moment on this particular watch that sums up the specifications and performances of this whole new family. A holder of many patents, the Aquatimer Minute Memory combines a chronograph with automatic winding, and an additional 12-hour counter. Interestingly, the Minute Memory device is separate and independent of the chronograph. This totally unique extra function is a hand that measures minutes separately and can be activated or deactivated under the water by means of a slide.
Developed in collaboration with professional divers, this special minute hand is concealed under the minute hand. It allows the wearer to measure a second period of time independently, which may be vital in calculating resurfacing time or decompression time. The principle seems simple enough. When the mechanism is activated, the concealed minute hand stops while the other hand continues. The intermediate time is therefore indicated by the difference between these two hands. When deactivated, the Minute Memory hand goes back to its position under the regular hand. Although easy to read, this was a very complex system to develop, especially since the Minute Memory device is independent and has its own mechanism for returning to zero. It is also placed in an optimal position near the movement while the hands are not dependent on it.

Partnership with the Cousteau Society
Fifty years after the first Cousteau expedition to the Red Sea, from which came the famous film, The Silent World, winner of the Palmes d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953, IWC conducted an expedition to the same coral reefs filmed by the celebrated Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. In partnership with the Cousteau Society, IWC’s new adventure was directed by marine biologist Jean Jaubert of the University of Nice, and a documentary film on the expedition will be premiered during the SIHH 2004 in Geneva.
This partnership is both technical (Captain Cousteau developed the compressed air device called the ‘aqualung’ in 1943, which permitted divers to descend to the ocean depths) and environmental in nature (the coral reefs are vital for the health of our planet and are now threatened with extinction). It also offers IWC the opportunity to partner a worthwhile organization, while promoting its Aquatimer collection.

Photo: AQUATIMER MINUTE MEMORY
Titanium watch equipped with a Calibre 79470 automatic mechanical chronograph movement. Second minute hand for Minute Memory function, date display, small seconds with stop device, mechanical rotating inner bezel, 44-hour power reserve, sapphire crystal, screw-in crown, water-resistant to 12 bars (120 metres).

AQUATIMER AUTOMATIC 2000
Titanium watch equipped with a Calibre 30110 automatic mechanical movement.
Mechanical rotating inner bezel, date display, central seconds hand with stop device42-hour power reserve, convex sapphire crystal, screw-down crown, water-resistant to 200 bars (2000 m). Rubber strap.