1. J E T T A L E
28 JET ASIA-PACIFIC 尊翔
P
erhaps only few people could truly capture the spirit of
IWC Schaffhausen as comprehensively as Goris Verburg.
Born in ’s-Gravenhage, Netherlands, Verburg spent most
of his early years in Switzerland, the US and the UK
before carving out an international career at the watch label as
regional manager of Asia, Middle East & Africa, leading the brand
into up-and-coming markets. He then moved continenents to
Singapore to take on the roles of managing director of South East
Asia in 2009, and currently, the managing director of North East
Asia in Hong Kong since two years ago.
During Verburg’s decade-long tenure at the label, he has
witnessed the quartz revolution and a few financial crises so for
him, change is never a threat. As IWC’s Pilot Watch collection
celebrates its 80th birthday this year—in an era where the multi-
functional smartphone can satisfy the bulk of our daily needs—
Verburg says watches have long surpassed its intrinsic function as
a timetelling tool but have evolved into an accessory for self-
expression. This paradigm shift, he says, has become pivitol in
shaping his brand.
Part of Verburg’s attempt to spread IWC’s gosepl is through
partnerships with esteemed artists – a strategy he has adopted
since 2014 when he was then director of marketing &
communications at the IWC headquarters in Switzerland and a
move he believes could help “put the brand on the map for a
wider audience”.
“In China, where IWC’s penetration is still low, getting our
brand known is important. Having our watches on the wrists of
celebrities is a cost-effective way of advertising to make us wider-
known.”
In 2014, he recruited Chinese actress Zhou Xun as one
of IWC’s brand ambassador alongside Hollywood stars like
Rosamund Pike, Hiliary Swank, Scott Eastwood, Chis Evans and
UP, UP AND AWAYWith a wealth of international experience under his belt, IWC Schaffhausen Managing
DirectorofNorthEastAsia,GorisVerburg,isdeterminedtobringthebrandfurtherafield.
国 IWC Schaffhausen 国
Text by Gabriel Yiu
飞

2. 29JET ASIA-PACIFIC 尊翔
Dev Patel. Since then, Zhou has been involved in a number of
the watchmaker’s campaigns as well as various collaborations
with popular cultural events in the region, including the “For
the Love of Cinema” gala dinner at Beijing International Film
Festival. Aside from leveraging on her fame, the actress’s self-
confessed boyishness highlights a feminine edge to the brand’s
traditionally masculine attributes, which are increasingly
embraced by women worldwide.
“We try to capture the contemporary rules so [our watches]
are always relevant to the audience.” Verburg says. “Since we
launched the Portofino Midsize a watch tailored to the female
physiognmy of which Zhou was one of the spokeswomen—
every fifth watch in the collection is sold to a woman. This is a
very strong increase.”
Though IWC grows with its audience, it doesn’t forget
its heritage and core values. The Pilot Watch collection, for
example, has always been a symbol for freedom, adventure,
pioneering, masculinity and survival—characteristics that are
still embodied today through features like easy readability and
an anti-magnetic soft-iron inner casing.
“The cockpit back then was not a full cockpit. It was only
equipped with a fuel meter, a speedometer and a compass.
A pilot s watch was a vital instrument to ight and navigation
because it kept people safe by telling you how long you should
go in one direction, make a turn and get to the point where you
need to be.”
To offer a more intuitive way for its audience to connect with
IWC’s timepieces and its brand mantra, the watchmaker has held
exhibitions both in Hong Kong and China this year. “Advertising
always has a limited context. But with an exhibition, you can
enter the space to hear, feel, see and understand the world of
IWC’s watches and identify with it. It is a very good way of
communication, especially in new markets,” Verburg says.
Looking into the future, Verburg is very optimisitic about
the North East Asian market, particularly as China’s economy
continues to boom. Despite the myriad of challenges that lie in a
fast-changing global economy, erburg is calm and un uttered,
for as a businessperson he always sees things in cycles: troughs
and peaks always alternate. Waves and uctuations are a
constant.” he says.
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牌 ， 品牌越来越受 地的 性 。
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读性和 内 等特 来体现其特 。
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指 ，飞行员手表是一个 的飞行和 ，可以指 一个
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一个 人， 为，高 是一个不 的 。 “ 和 是
一个 不 的 。”