We’ve a uncommon deal with this challenge – an prolonged dialogue with longtime IWC Affiliate Director of Analysis & Growth Stefan Ihnen. In reality, this challenge of Legacy has the excellence of that includes some comparatively new voices for our readers – however you may uncover that in your individual time. In conventional watchmaking, we are inclined to rethread the identical topics repeatedly and thus it’d really feel like the identical previous story. Assembly individuals on the forefront of innovation in watchmaking modifications that dynamic. So far as IWC goes, you’re more likely to listen to from the likes of Christoph Grainger-Herr and Christiaan Knoop and we may have gone that route too however once I noticed Ihnen’s title on the interview record, I needed to have him. Why? The reply is one other title: Ronan Keating.
That’s lots of names to dish out within the introduction to a narrative about one man. And the point out of a pop star from a current however bygone period may have a few of you balking. Since this interview seems in print first, maybe you have been tempted to drop the journal or possibly even throw it throughout the room. Nonetheless right here? Let me clarify. IWC collectors of a sure age will recall that Ronan Keating was as soon as a buddy of the model, and he stays a collector of IWC watches – the official relationship is a bit nebulous however you may nonetheless see the Irish singer carrying IWC watches.
Someday in 2007, a great a part of the IWC administration staff descended on KL, Malaysia, for the opening of the model’s flagship retailer in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. On that event, I interviewed then-CEO Georges Kern however I paid heed to a younger watchmaker and engineer who was with the staff. Sure, I used to be a technical man proper from the beginning. Anyway, that man was Ihnen and but we might not have an opportunity at a correct sit down till this 12 months. After I completed amusing Ihnen mildly with some Keating references, we bought all the way down to enterprise.
This being the 12 months of the Everlasting Calendar, we did talk about this however we’ve got written about that extensively so this dialog begins, because it ought to, with Ihnen himself. A uncommon instance of an engineer and watchmaker who skilled formally in each, Ihnen truly got here up via the IWC apprenticeship programme (see under). He started his watchmaking coaching in Germany, changing into a grasp watchmaker in 1997 so he was actually part of the good wave of hopeful change that broke over conventional watchmaking on the finish of the twentieth century, and the beginning of the twenty first.
For everybody who loves IWC’s in-house actions and the cool supplies the model makes use of, Ihnen is the person you need to meet as a result of he constructed up the analysis and improvement unit, nearly actually from scratch. His insights into manufacturing additionally reveal a sensible aspect to even model assertion items such because the aforementioned Everlasting Calendar. Stick round until the tip for Ihnen’s ideas on that, and a short reminder of how the entire calendar system works.
Allow us to start with you, and your lengthy historical past with IWC. After such a protracted tenure, what retains you going?
Once I began, analysis and improvement was only one small group. 4 or 5 years after I joined, we divided this group into actions and instances, and I managed to take over the motion improvement half. There was nonetheless quite a bit to do in these days to construct up extra in-house actions, functionalities… So, I needed to develop and construction (the technical division) and that stored me busy, in addition to all of the (particular motion) initiatives. You recognize, to start with, we have been eight or 9 individuals in analysis and improvement and now, greater than 20 years later, we’re nearly 50. It was by no means boring! I preserve going with IWC as a result of there may be at all times a brand new venture…some cool new factor; a brand new step in my profession; and new tasks.
What’s your favorite a part of your job?
I nonetheless actually like motion improvement though I shouldn’t have a lot time as did in my early years once I was devoted to this. Now I’m not so deep into it however as Technical Director, in fact I can cherry choose a bit bit and when there’s a actually cool venture I can (focus my attentions there). I’m within the steering committees so (I’ve some autonomy in what I need to be extra personally concerned in) and naturally I nonetheless do that. In addition to this, it’s actually the deal with (watchmaking) approach and the deal with individuals as nicely. I additionally actually like working with and creating my individuals. You recognize, there was a younger man with me 20 years in the past who was an apprentice and he’s now a staff lead, working straight with me, so that is very nice…
You’re each a watchmaker and an engineer, which is uncommon as a result of most watchmakers aren’t additionally engineers! How do you deal with the conflicts between these views, and between individuals in these totally different roles as nicely?
You’re completely proper (close to the rarity of this mix however not essentially to the cut up between watchmaking and engineering, in addition to the arising conflicts). In any improvement space, or in any enterprise if you give you new stuff and also you need to carry it into manufacturing, there are (naturally) some doubts. There are the standard questions on whether or not the brand new factor is nice, if it would work… You at all times have to beat these obstacles, I’d say, and persuade individuals…and I imply this isn’t nearly watchmakers and engineers. The individuals concerned in manufacturing of elements are in a great state once they can simply produce elements seamlessly. Whenever you include a brand new product, know-how, materials, the primary response is at all times “will it work?” There shall be reactions like, “Oh I attempted it and it took me half an hour longer than earlier than.” You need to overcome this; it’s a part of the enterprise, to place it merely.
For me there isn’t any battle; I’m a watchmaker and I’m an engineer. Each facets need to coexist completely for the job I’m doing and I’m additionally looking for individuals like this (watchmakers who’re additionally engineers) to workers my division. (They aren’t frequent) so fairly often we go for younger watchmakers who’ve the potential (and curiosity) to go research (engineering). This mixture – this profile of watchmaker and engineer – it’s good. It’s good for improvement; it’s good for coverage administration; it’s good for industrialisation; and it’s good for work within the laboratory. For me, it’s actually a profit to have either side…when you have got each (watchmaking and engineering) views.
With regards to innovation and manufacturing, how do you determine the place to direct your energies? Supplies and calendars? Chronographs?
Sure, we’ve got to focus a bit bit; it’s not potential to do all the things. In reality, we’ve got (what we name) the innovation roadmap, which is strategic. You talked about being restricted (a part of the dialog edited out, this was about IWC’s popularity and standing as a maker of sturdy watches, with extra to do with engineering than fantastic artwork) however actually it’s being true to who we (IWC) are, what we stand for and what we’re profitable with. I imply, our founder (Florentine Ariosto Jones, of the aforementioned Jones calibre) got here to Switzerland in quest of sources to make watches on an industrial scale. So, we make advanced watches like perpetual calendars and chronographs with fewer elements as a result of that makes them extra strong. This isn’t a limitation however extra like a path.
To be sincere, you’re additionally asking about one thing that includes different components, like advertising and marketing and gross sales. These choices are made based mostly on numbers (gross sales figures and so forth) however what I’m speaking about is the strategic view on (the watches we work on), therefore the innovation roadmap. So on the supplies aspect, it’s titanium, ceramic and now Ceratanium. On actions, it’s (additionally precisely as you mentioned) calendars and chronographs. IWC is (one of many solely ones) with a digital show for years on the perpetual calendar; we’ve got a number of sorts of moon part (mechanisms and shows); and we’ve got every kind of calendars, from full calendars and annual calendars to perpetual calendars and now the Everlasting Calendar.
For the Everlasting Calendar, all the things follows from what (IWC legend) Kurt Klaus did within the Eighties with the perpetual calendar and the moon part perform <see elsewhere this challenge – Ed>. For the moon part, again then we had it correct to a one-day deviation in 122 years. Later, we get this to a one-day deviation in 577 years! And now, with the Everlasting Calendar, we’re at one thing like a one-day deviation in 45 million years!
You recognize, 2100 could appear distant for us, however there are individuals born now who will see it. Perhaps our children too (or their youngsters). So yeah, the Gregorian calendar itself might change at 4,000CE and we simply don’t know but, even once we discuss with physicists (Astrophysicist and science communicator Professor Brian Cox was talking on this topic at WWG this 12 months). The Everlasting Calendar is right up until that 12 months, which is one of the best anybody can do (even computer systems can do no higher) and possibly that may be a bit too far off for a sensible profit. However 2100? If you concentrate on it, that’s not so distant. Watchmakers must contemplate, by 2080 maybe, in the event that they need to promote a perpetual calendar that may solely be perpetual for 20 years or much less. At that time, I feel we at IWC shall be glad to have one thing just like the Everlasting Calendar as a result of perpetual calendars are going to fail then for the primary time!
Perpetual calendars are made to keep in mind the type of the Gregorian calendar. Whereas we get into this in- depth final challenge, right here is the quick story, which is required to make this closing level make sense. Leap years add a day in February and yearly divisible by 4 is such a 12 months. However this over-corrects the issue. So, the calendar has extra mathematical divisions as a repair. All years divisible by 4 and 100 aren’t leap years; if a 12 months is divisible by 4, 100 and 400, it’s a bissextile year. Successfully, which means that 2100 shouldn’t be a bissextile year and explains why 2000 was. With secular calendars corresponding to IWC’s Everlasting Calendar, that is now not a problem. Ihnen’s level in regards to the 12 months 4,000 CE is reference to a proposed change to the calendar that may happen then however has not been agreed upon.
This text first appeared on WOW’s Legacy 2025 Difficulty.
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