“The IWC Diamond Hand Club is the first NFT-based membership programme ever created in the luxury industry”

On Wednesday, IWC announced the release of a first series of 1,868 drops of NFTs, in homage to its founding year (1868), produced in collaboration with the NFT management platform Arianee. Available to anyone on a first-come, first-served basis, customers, watch enthusiasts and the public at large will be able to find them through various channels, including the Watches & Wonders exhibition booth. After the launch, every customer who purchases one of IWC's new coloured ceramic aviator watches from the 2022 collection will also receive an NFT.

What's the point of owning an IWC NFT? To become a member of the IWC Diamond Hand Club, and to enter 3D virtual space on Spatial, a digital platform that allows for VR experiences. This first IWC virtual world building by architect Hani Rashid is just the beginning of a new world according to the brand, which will develop and grow with the addition of new experiences and features, as well as new NFT drops over time. But IWC wanted to couple these experiences on the metaverse with the ability for club members to attend physical events and thus blend the two worlds. "The IWC Diamond Hand Club is the first NFT-based membership programme ever created in the luxury and watch industry," explained Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, co-founder and CEO of Arianee at the conference.

This new digital strategy is also a way to onboard customers into Web3.0, explains Katharina Doepke-Schelling, Associate Director of IWC: "The IWC Diamond Hand Club is also a good way to educate our members about what metavers or NFTs are. They discover a whole ecosystem and many exclusive activations, such as being invited to the Sounds of Colours concert that takes place in Geneva during Watches & Wonders for example. We like to create unique environments, we want a very exclusive Web3.0 and very interactive with our users.

It remains to be seen whether the holders of these NFTs will make use of them and understand their potential. For Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, who developed the concept with IWC, there is no doubt about it and the answer is immediate: "The holders of these NFTs are very active on the platform, they talk to each other on the internal messaging system. We are witnessing the beginning of a new era. The possibility of owning a digital object without depending on Google or Facebook, thanks to a decentralised structure, is totally revolutionary. Because you no longer have to entrust your data, or enter an email and a password. All you have to do is scan the QR code, download the app, and the blockchain wallet becomes the key to accessing your property titles and above all the key, thanks to the token, to being your gateway to the worlds of Web3.0.

But how does this platform differ from other "tokenisation" developments seen in other brands? "IWC has not only developed a token, but a site that allows you to use the wallet to log in and get personalised services. Putting this interface online so quickly is a first. With this development, the brand is making a strong statement by demonstrating that it believes in an internet of the future that opens up personalised spaces based on the tokens one has."