In September, the company opened up a more immersive concept store in Zurich, aimed at highlighting its close history with motorsports as well as giving a glimpse into how it plans to shape its physical store experience in the future. The IWC Racing Works boutique features memorabilia, a virtual reality driving experience through the Swiss Alps and a live link to its manufacturing centre in Schaffhausen.

His wider goal is the ensure the company’s customer experience is as seamless as possible and ensure the brand is established as one of the top players in the luxury watch market. “My goal is to establish IWC as one of the top players in the luxury watch market,” he said. “I think the biggest challenge is to create a consistent and, above all, high-quality customer journey across all touch points with the brand.”

“Whether a customer is visiting a boutique or is being shown a new model by one of our retail partners, whether someone is inspired by Instagram or researching on our website, whether you are shopping on IWC.com or any other platform on the Internet such as Mr Porter or in our Tmall flagship boutique: we want our customers to ‘sense’ that they are at IWC every time they visit us - which is why it is so essential that we provide a consistent experience across all channels and touchpoints with the brand.”

The company continues to look towards its online channels and its key markets for growth, Grainger-Herr noted. “There are several drivers of growth. One is digital transformation,” he said. “The speed of change, which was accelerated even further by the pandemic, is incredibly high. The increasing importance of China also drives this transformation. While it is perhaps still somewhat unusual for European consumers to buy a luxury product on the Internet, it is perfectly normal to do so for Chinese customers.”

“One of the strengths of IWC is our well-balanced presence in key markets across the globe,” he added. “We have a dense network of IWC Boutiques and retail partners in Asia, in the Americas and Europe. We are pleased with the way all these markets are evolving.”

Sustainability will also play a key part of IWC’s strategy going forward. “I am convinced that sustainability is becoming increasingly important,” he said. “We are continually working to improve the sustainability of our sourcing, production and distribution - in many small steps, about which we inform transparently in our sustainability report every two years. I am convinced that this commitment to responsible manufacturing will be a growth driver for our brand in the future, as consumers have much higher expectations today when it comes to sustainability and a responsible production than before.”

The company has been manufacturing mechanical watches for the past 150 years at its base in Schaffhausen in the heart of Europe. "The river Rhine provided the original energy for this business, and we still draw our power from a hydropower plant." added Grainger-Herr. "The only energy that goes into our watches is the natural movement energy on the wearer's wrist. The mechanical watches we produce in Schaffhausen with centuries-old skills and cutting-edge technology are built to last for generations. All this makes them extremely durable and, therefore, intrinsically sustainable.”

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IWC's Christopher Grainger-Herr: “We Are Currently Experiencing Extraordinary Times.”

CEO | Interview | Luxury Watches

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