Kurt Klaus, Legend

Kurt Klaus, Legend

A remarkable half-century career at IWC

Kurt Klaus is the brilliant watchmaker behind many of IWC’s most important technical developments. His 50 years of vision and contribution to IWC parallel the modern history of the company.

In this exclusive interview, Kurt Klaus tells us about his important career. His modesty is overshadowed by his accomplishments.

KK: Kurt Klaus, IWC watchmaker and resident genius

MF: Michael Friedberg, Moderator,

IWC Collectors Forum

MF: As a child, did you grow up near Schaffhausen?

KK: I grew up in St. Gallen, which is about one hour by car from Schaffhausen. It's in the German-speaking part of Switzerland

I'll share with you here a picture of me from 1939.

MF: Great photo!

When did you first become interested in watches?

KK: First I became interested in small mechanisms (and I am still interested in them today). My interest in watches came later, during watchmaker training.

I first studied watchmaking from 1951 until 1955 in Solothurn, at a government school. Solothurn is near the border between the German and French speaking parts of Switzerland. From the first day until graduation from the school, I was fascinated working on all the small parts of watch movements.

I always tried to do my best in high precision. From the very beginning, I loved my profession.

MF: What brought you to IWC?

KK: For a short time, after school I got a job at the Eterna factory. The next two years I spent most of my time in military service, until the end of 1956. Then I decided to go back to my home region, in eastern Switzerland. The only watch factory in this part was IWC Schaffhausen, and that was the reason I went to IWC to ask for a job.

MF: Who hired you? What did you do when you first started at IWC?

KK: I was invited to come to Schaffhausen for an interview. It was Albert Pellaton who asked me many questions and who finally said "Yes, you can start work immediately, but do not forget: IWC is a class higher than Eterna. You have to do your best."

I started on the 2^nd of January in 1957. My first task was to partially assemble a calibre 89 movement.

MF: What was working at IWC like back then?

KK: I was really delighted with how quiet and friendly the atmosphere was in the factory and I was very happy to work there. Albert Pellaton visited our workshop almost every day, observing me often.

Albert Pellaton was almost like a “Godfather”. Later, when I worked with him on new prototypes and I showed him what I did, he would say “Yes, this is very good, but it could be a little bit better!” That was Albert Pellaton.

MF: You’ve also told me that you got married two months after starting at IWC.

KK: Yes. This time, I will show you a photograph of Mrs. Klaus and me from 1957 on our wedding day.

MF: That’s wonderful. Thank you –it’s another 50th anniversary!

Congratulations to you and Mrs. Klaus.

Also, when did you design your first movement development? I heard it occurred during the 1970s, when quartz watches severely curtailed production of mechanical watches.

KK: My first own development was made during what we called the “short time”, when the factory was only open four days per week, It was a calendar on a pocket watch movement, with indicating the date, days, months and the moon phase, It was the calibre 9721 and, when shown at the Basel watch fair of1977, it is was a huge success.

Later, I made the moon phase calibre 9521, which was used in the Reference 5250 and later the giant Portofino, Reference 5251. That calibre was presented in April 1979.

MF: How did that project come about?

KK: It was at the IWC Christmas dinner. I was sitting with our designer Hano Burtscher. He picked up a pencil and sketched something on the tablecloth. It looked like a pocket-watch with moon phase display. He asked me “Could you create a moon phase so flat as to set it in an existing flat case?”

The calibre 9521 was born!

MF: What was the “design department” of IWC like in the late-1970s? How many people were involved in movement design then?

KK: I was the “development department”.

Helmut Güntert was the designer for production-drawings and Hano Burtscher was the case- designer. That was all.

And that was the same until the Da Vinci was on the market.

You might be able to spot me in this photograph.

MF: Speaking of the Da Vinci, when did you first meet Günter Blümlein? What did you think of him?

KK: My first real contact with Günter Blümlein was on the 2^nd of January in 1982, when he gave me a jubilee watch for working 25 years at IWC. What did I think of him? From the moment that he accepted my idea for a perpetual calendar, we became friends.

MF: Whose idea was it to develop a perpetual calendar module for IWC?

KK: I was given the task of changing my developments from pocket watches to wristwatches. And I said “ok, but it must be a “perpetual”.

MF: Given the state of industry in the 1980s, wasn’t a mechanical perpetual calendar a radical idea back then?

KK: Yes, it was! I wanted to really distinguish IWC from other brands. I wanted to develop a calendar module that could be used on different movements, to make resetting the whole calendar easy, and to make production and assembly easy.

MF: How did you create the idea of having a totally integrated calendar module?

KK: The basic idea was to use the existing date indicator to power the calendar module. With that solution, the rapid corrector could be used in the same way as the 24-hour wheel functions every night, but fast. That’s all.

MF: I hear you developed this with a slide rule – no computers and no CAD design. True?

KK: During the development period (1981 to 1985) I did not know what a computer or what CAD was. I changed to CAD in1988.

MF: How was the new movement received? Do you recall any specific reactions?

KK: During the development phase nobody, except Günter Blümlein, believed that this mechanism would work! It was the first real complication made by IWC.

And after the presentation at Basel in1985, you know all the reactions!

MF: I’ve read about it, and also you’ve told me that the Da Vinci movement “changed the culture”. Could you elaborate?

KK: It took the perpetual calendar from a status symbol to a basic consumer good.

MF: Moving forward, you were head of the design team for the calibre 5000 in the late 1990s. Could you tell us a little about IWC when you started and more recently?

KK: When I observe watchmakers working in our assembly or repair departments, I can see that they work the same way as I did 50 years ago!

The watchmaker’s craftsmanship has not changed at all. But the production of parts, the development and construction, and the administration have changed completely due to computer technology.

MF: What work are you doing for IWC today?

KK: Actually I have three main tasks:

- I am working together with our young engineers to combine my old experience with their new technologies.

- I am working on my own new projects for the next years (top secret!)

- I travel around the world as a technical ambassador for IWC and give technical presentations to customers.

MF: No more movement design?

KK: Yes I do!

MF: On the personal side, because you own whippets, it might be interesting to tell us about them and why you like them so much.

KK: The whippet is a combination of elegance and power. It is very wild outdoors and very gentle indoors.

Most important: to be successful in racing, the whippet needs a daily training of about two hours --- and this is not only good for the dogs, but also for my own health!

MF: So that’s why you’ve had a 50-year career! Did you ever envision a half century at IWC?

KK: No, I never did.

I work and work and work, and all the successful products provide me with satisfaction and give me the power to continue.

MF: Collectors throughout the world applaud you, and you’ve been a true friend to them. Do you have any special words for watch collectors?

KK: The friendly contact with collectors is also a reason why I cannot stop working. I would like to continue this friendship for a long time.

MF: Thank you. We applaud you for an incredible career. I must say that my association with you has been a true privilege. I would like for that to continue a long time.