Johannes Rauschenbach-Vogel bought IWC in 1880. Four generations of the Rauschenbach family owned IWC, with varying names. Only a year after the sale, Johannes Rauschenbach died. His son, Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk, was 25 years old when he took over the IWC company and ran it successfully until his own death on March 2 of 1905.

The manufacture showed IWC's spirit of innovation already in 1885 with the first pocket watches with digital indication according to Mr. Pallweber patent. Soon, IWC developed pocket watch mechanisms that even today and once revised would reach the precision of a chronometer. Nowadays these IWC watches are extremely rare and sought after collector's items.

During the 1930's, IWC presented the first watch especially designed for aviators with antimagnetic mechanism. In 1940 the Big Pilot's watch marked another important milestone for IWC. Towards 1948, the Mark 11 appeared armored against magnetic fields. This protection would be later used by the Ingenieur and nowadays by many IWC watches.

Nearly the end of the forties, during the hard competition among Swiss manufacturers to create the first automatic mechanism that allowed to wind up the watch both sides, IWC was right ahead. IWC's patented automatic spring has not been improved to our days.

The IWC 1955 Ingenieur equipped with it was the most advanced of its time.The growing popularity of water sports made IWC launch the Aquatimer in 1967.1969 saw IWC present its first quartz wristwatch. In 1978, IWC introduced the world's first titanium watchcase and bracelet, which at the time was thought impossible because of the difficulty of working with titanium which required an oxygen-free environment.

 Today,it has become a classic object of desire for collectors.IWC manufacturers the world's most sophisticated bracelet system using a solid pin held in each bracelet link by a push-button lock on the underside of each bracelet link - allowing the pin to be totally locked in regardless of any damage. IWC is most famous for its Pilot line of watches whose design was inspired by World War 2 and the Portuguese line of watches.