Keeper of a Legacy

One of the most defining moments in the history of Switzerland’s watch industry was the quartz crisis in the ’70s. But while many manufacturers collapsed, others would rise to the challenge and not only survive, but thrive. IWC Schaffhausen did just that, with one of the most defining moments in its survival story being the brand’s expansion to the Middle East. And the most defining element of this story is Hannes A. Pantli. Saying that he saved the company during its hour of need is certainly no exaggeration.

While he was instrumental in ensuring that IWC would weather the quartz crisis that shook Switzerland’s watch industry to its core, he also plays a huge part in safeguarding the brand’s legacy—and he does so from the outside, as a collector. In fact, Pantli has an unrivalled collection including hundreds of IWC watches. Or rather, he had such a collection, as now, more than 300 of those has been sold to the brand and reside in the IWC Museum.

Today, Pantli