Few people are likely to associate IWC watches—or their equivalent replica Panerai watch and Breitling replica watches—with the Tuareg tribe of Saharan Africa, recently made known to the world for producing the great desert blues band Tinariwen. What could they possibly have in common? Well, read on.
It turns out that, every year since 1997, IWC watches have been donating the proceeds from an annual rarity auction to benefit the Antoine de Saint Exupery school in Mali. This institution, which educates children of Tuareg families placed in hardship by the encroachment on their traditional nomadic way of life, has thus benefited greatly both directly and indirectly from Swiss watchmaking skill. Small world, isn’t it?
There’s more to Swiss watches than just the household names. The country that has made craftsmanship a byword can boast a deep and varied assortment of watches that benefit from their unstinting craftsmanship, that classic indefinable quality that instantly says Swiss to the world. IWC watches (International Watch Company), while perhaps less famous than Rolex, are known to connoisseurs as second to none in quality. (Their Portuguese Chrono-Automatic model, for instance, will set you back a tidy $12,516 US.) Replica versions of these, as well as replica Panerai and Breitling replica watches, hold similar prestige among the budget-conscious.