Olympic Champion freestyle skier Eileen Gu - visits IWC Schaffhausen’s hometown

2023-03-30

IWC Schaffhausen’s Friend of the Brand and champion freestyle skier Eileen Gu visited the IWC Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, for the first time on Thursday. The Olympian, fashion model and full-time student joined the IWC family in August 2021.

During her trip to Schaffhausen, Gu had the opportunity to experience the watchmaking process firsthand during a tour of the manufacture and had lunch overlooking the world- famous Rhine Falls. IWC Chief Marketing Officer Franziska Gsell was on hand to accompany Gu during the visit, which followed the Olympic medallist’s debut appearance at the Watches and Wonders show on Wednesday.

“I am thrilled to join IWC Schaffhausen on home ground this week,” explained Gu. “It has been so interesting to experience the reality behind the legendary ‘Made in Schaffhausen’ pledge. Seeing the watchmakers’ passion and expertise as they carefully craft each watch has been amazing. I also enjoyed visiting the Rhine Falls and hearing how its waters powered the original factory, a fascinating foreshadowing of the sustainable ethos driving IWC today.”

IWC has produced mechanical watches in Schaffhausen since 1868 and opened a new manufacture in the Swiss city in 2018 to mark its 150th anniversary. A ground-breaking facility, the IWC Manufakturzentrum combines component production, case-making and movement assembly all under one roof. Organised in sequential steps, the process from raw materials to finished watch movements and cases can be experienced up close with transparency.

“I am so pleased Eileen found time in her very hectic schedule to visit the Manufakturzentrum,” added Gsell. “Nothing comes close to being here in person to fully experience the Swiss heart and rich heritage of the IWC Schaffhausen story. Speaking with our engineers and watchmakers and seeing the processes happening in front of your eyes gives you a real flavour of the sophistication of engineering and craftsmanship that goes into every IWC timepiece.”

At Schaffhausen, Gu wore the recently-released Portofino Perpetual Calendar (Ref. IW344602). Launched in November 2022, it is the first time a perpetual calendar has featured in the Portofino collection in decades. At just 40 millimetres, it is also the smallest version of the complication in IWC‘s portfolio. Gu‘s 5N Gold version has a silver-plated dial, gold-plated hands and appliques and a soft, blue calfskin leather strap. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 82650 calibre movement and will run without adjustment until 2100.

About Eileen Gu

Born in 2003, Eileen Gu is a champion freestyle skier, a successful fashion model and a student at the prestigious Stanford University. Gu started recreational skiing at age three before delving into freestyle skiing when she was eight. Freeski is an action-packed extreme sport that involves spectacular acrobatic skills like flips, spins and slides. She became the youngest Olympic champion in her category at Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics after winning two gold medals and a silver medal. Most recently, she participated in January’s Winter X Games in Aspen and the Freestyle Ski World Cup in Calgary.

IWC Schaffhausen

IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.

Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.

A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.