In Partnership – UBS House of Craft Celebrates IWC Schaffhausen in Chicago

Designed as a platform for dialogue and discovery, UBS House of Craft invites guests to engage with true masters of craft through intimate events with the goal of fostering meaningful exchanges. At the most recent event, a small group of UBS guests joined IWC North America Brand President Stanislas Rambaud and Hodinkee Senior Editor Mark Kauzlarich in Chicago for an informative conversation about all things Ingenieur. The event took place at the brand’s Oak Street boutique, which opened in 2024 in partnership with respected Chicago retailer Burdeen’s Jewelry.

Many words have been written about the IWC Ingenieur since its much-anticipated relaunch in 2023, but IWC prefers to sum it up using just three: Form und Technik. German for “Form and Technology,” the phrase tells you everything you need to know about the design philosophy behind the brand’s famed integrated bracelet watch. The Ingenieur collection, which now includes a 35mm version and a stainless steel perpetual calendar, was center stage at the latest installment of UBS House of Craft, a global series celebrating excellence in craft across diverse disciplines.

The evening’s main event highlighted IWC’s unique approach to design and technological innovation and how this informs all of the brand’s creations, including the modern Ingenieur collection. Talking about Form un Technik is one thing, but seeing it in the metal is by far the best way to appreciate how these pillars underpin IWC’s creations. To that end, guests were treated to a private presentation of the newest Ingenieur models as well as historically important timepieces from the IWC archive flown in from Switzerland and not usually available in the US market.

From novelties like the Ingenieur Automatic 35 and Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 to rare pieces like the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère and Portugieser Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon, the timepieces on display represented the full scope of IWC’s capabilities as a 21st-century watchmaker. For anyone fortunate to experience the event in person, it demonstrated not only how IWC earned its reputation as a top-tier watch brand but also the importance of form, technology, and craftsmanship in creating some of the world’s most celebrated timepieces. As the Windy City’s first Hodinkee event in several years, and Hodinkee’s first time partnering with UBS on an event in Chicago, there was much excitement around this edition of UBS House of Craft. Given this energetic reception, we hope to return to Chicago very soon.

This event was produced  in partnership with UBS and IWC Schaffhausen