Darin Rabb has traded the Swoosh for the Swiss.

Rabb (pictured), a 21-year veteran of Nike, has become the North American brand president of IWC Schaffhausen, the Swiss luxury watchmaker.

He will lead the Richemont-owned Swiss watch manufacturer’s business in the United States and Canada.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Rabb began working at the watch company in January. His last position at Nike was vice president of global retail brand marketing, where he led the marketing and retail experience in 106 Nike doors and 7,500 partner doors in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, China, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

He takes over as North American brand president from Edouard d’Arbaumont, who left the company last September. According to d’Arbaumont’s LinkedIn profile, he now serves as Breitling’s managing director for France and Iberia.

Founded in 1868, IWC Schaffhausen is considered the only Swiss watch company founded by an American, former Bostonian Florentine Ariosto Jones. Luxury conglomerate Richemont acquired the brand in 2000, along with two other watch brands, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne. Last year, IWC Schaffhausen celebrated its 150^th anniversary.

Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, said in a statement: “North America is a strategic market for IWC and we have tremendous potential going forward. With his comprehensive professional experience and intimate knowledge of the market, Darin Rabb is the right person to lead our future growth in the U.S. and Canada.”

In the same statement, Rabb said, that “IWC has a strong product assortment, and beginning with our founder F.A. Jones, the American who founded the International Watch Company, we have a deep and rich story to tell. I am looking forward to helping the brand reach new heights in North America.”

In 2016, JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky devoted a blog post to 5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About IWC Schaffhausen..

(Image courtesy of IWC Schaffhausen)

Rob Bates

JCK News Director