Watch Talks with IWC's Grant Wilson

Last week we launched our newest show on our YouTube channel, Watch Talks. This is a series where Chisholm Hunter catches up with the biggest and most influential individuals in the luxury watch industry. For our first episode we sat down at our beautiful Edinburgh boutique with IWC's UK Brand Director Grant Wilson to discuss the new Big Pilot 43 and what lies ahead for IWC.

Sitting in our Champagne Bar above our Edinburgh Princes Street Chisholm Hunter store, we got the latest on everything IWC Schaffhausen with Grant Wilson. The first thing we wanted to know from Grant was what he thought made the Big Pilot such an iconic watch today. The features of the watch such as the iconic look and feel of the Big Pilot, the historic aviation background that IWC have as a company, and the ability for you to change the straps on the watch to give you diversity in how you can wear the watch are just some of the main reasons Grant spoke of when thinking about the Big Pilot and what makes it iconic.

When it comes to his own personal watch collection, Grant certainly has some incredible timepieces in his collection. Grant spoke about how he would mix and match styles to compliment how he dresses and on that particular day, the diverse Portugieser Chronograph was the style of choice due to its sporty casual feel. If Grant was having a casual dressed down weekend, his go to watch would be the Big Pilot or his well-loved AquaTimer with a durable vulcanised rubber case and rubber straps. The star of the collection certainly has to be Grant's hand-wound Rose Gold Portugieser with exhibition back showcasing the hand wound movement's beautiful intricacies. 

It has become even more apparent in the last few years just how important digital shopping experiences are becoming with so much of the high street closing down and a boom in online shopping. However with luxury retail, there is a customer experience that comes with the purchase. When asking Grant if he believed online shopping would replace that in-store experience in the long run, he said that he didn't think so, that there is room to have both exist harmoniously in an omni-channel approach. When talking of the in-store experience, Grant spoke of the attention to detail you receive in-store from the sales team who can help you find the perfect piece to fit with your lifestyle, and how nice is can be to take your time and get to know the team with a glass of champagne, placing particular focus on building long-lasting relationships and loyalty with the client base.

So why should you choose an IWC timepiece when looking for your next luxury watch? As Grant told us, IWC has over 150 years history where American founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones automated the industrial processes of watch making. The portfolio of designs at IWC is diverse. From the Top Gun Pilots range with darker cases, to the Portugieser which is a more casual and dressed down style, to the more formal Portofino, there is something for everyone.

We had a great time talking everything IWC, thank you so much to Grant for visiting us for a chat.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Grant Wilson on our YouTube.