Marking The Hours With Franziska Gsell, CMO At IWC Schaffhausen On Brand Evolution & Precision Marketing

Renowned for its precision engineering, innovative spirit, and timeless designs, IWC Schaffhausen has consistently pushed the boundaries of horological excellence. From its iconic Pilot's watches to the elegant Portugieser line, IWC has cultivated a reputation for creating timepieces that blend functionality with sophistication, appealing to watch enthusiasts and collectors worldwide.

We caught up with Franziska Gsell, Chief Marketing Officer at IWC Schaffhausen, who shared insights into the brand's approach to balancing tradition with innovation, marketing strategies, and future plans. With nearly a decade at the helm of IWC's marketing efforts, Franziska offered a unique perspective on the luxury watchmaker's journey.

The Portugieser line, one of IWC's most iconic collections, exemplifies the brand's commitment to honoring its roots while adapting to contemporary tastes. Originating in the 1930s and inspired by deck navigation watches, the Portugieser has maintained its essence over the years. Franziska emphasized the importance of treasuring heritage while introducing newness and said, “When you look at the first Portugieser watch and you compare it to today's collection, you see that it has been adjusted but it still looks a bit like the original one. This is very important so that you treasure the roots and heritage you have in a collection but that you bring newness into it." She highlighted recent updates in the collection, including a more open case design, double box glass, and an innovative color range that tells a story through the day's progression.

IWC's reputation for innovation is evident in its recent releases. The brand's perpetual calendar has been further refined to achieve a world record for moon phase accuracy. She explained, "We have even won the world record of the 45 million moon phase accuracy. And the astonishing part is that there are exceptions in the 400 years on a leap year, there are three exceptions, and this calendar can manage these three exceptions as well. So in theory, it runs forever, but the calendar actually goes to 3000."
Another groundbreaking innovation is Ceralume, a proprietary material that took over four years to develop. Gsell commented on its reception: "The audience responded very well because it has been a long journey to get there. It was more than four years of exploring together with the partner to get to this beautiful material."

She also revealed the interesting origin of the Cyber Loupe, a patented technology initially developed to assist watchmakers in complex repairs. "We developed it because sometimes you have complex issues to overcome in the reparation of a watch. And then you have watchmakers in Schaffhausen who might then support the watchmakers in the different markets”, she explained. 
Recognizing its potential, the marketing team repurposed the Cyber Loupe for broader audience engagement. "When we saw it from the marketing side, we felt like okay, we can use it for a broader audience to actually show what the watchmaker is looking at and what he or she sees," Gsell explained.

When discussing marketing strategies, she emphasized the importance of understanding different audiences and markets while staying true to the brand's DNA. She highlighted IWC's pioneering spirit. "We have been founded by an American, as you know, with a very pioneering spirit. At the age of 27, he had his vision and his dream... That's why we are not shy to try out new things. This spirit manifests in the brand's willingness to try new approaches. We were the first ones using the digital pop-out billboards... or the murals, the painted walls in our industry."

Collaborations and Partnerships
IWC's collaborations, particularly its decade-long partnership with Formula One, have been central to its marketing efforts. Gsell expressed excitement about the upcoming Formula One movie and said, "Now for us, the jewel is to come next year in June 2025 when there will be the release of the Formula One movie where we play a big part in it. We have delivered more than 100 watches to the movie shooting. And we have two hero pieces."

She also touched on IWC's focus on creating immersive boutique experiences, such as those in Tokyo and Shanghai. While not confirming specific plans for India, she hinted at the possibility: "Hopefully, yes... What we did over the past three years is sharpening even the position even further... then you have an entire journey in the boutique to discover the brand."

Addressing industry trends, she noted an interesting observation from Watches & Wonders. "I saw a different trend at the Watches and Wonders that more than 70% of all new releases across all the different brands have been unisex. And I think this is very striking, because you know that we built the brand coming from the tool watches, and the tool watches were a bit bigger in size, and we were quite male-dominant” she explained. 

She highlighted IWC's evolution towards a more gender-neutral approach: "We've became gender-neutral over the years, which I think is great... The thinking is that we keep our icons, but try to make them fit to slender wrists." 

As IWC Schaffhausen continues to navigate the delicate balance between honoring its heritage and embracing innovation, this is a brand that is not afraid to push boundaries while staying true to its core values.