In the 1970s, Swiss watchmaker Gérald Genta (1931-2011) created some of the most iconic watches in watchmaking. These watches are even more in demand today. Such as Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak and Patek Philippe's Nautilus.
Among these was the redesign of “Ingenieur”, which means “engineer” in French. It was made for IWC Schaffhausen in 1976, after its original debut in 1955.
Like the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, the modern design of the Genta Ingenieur remained a key element of the IWC Schaffhausen brand DNA. This was demonstrated at this year's Watches & Wonders exhibition in Geneva.
The Swiss watchmaker first introduced the Ingenieur Automatic 40, an ode to Genta's original Ingenieur SL, Ref. 1832.
The new version is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32111 movement. With a power reserve of 120 hours and a date display at 3 o'clock.
The prototype was intended for real engineers and professionals working near magnetic fields. Thus the Ingenieur Automatic 40 also features an internal soft iron case to protect the movement from magnetic disturbances.
It is waterproof up to 100 meters.
“With the new Ingenieur Automatic 40, the steel sports watch with integrated bracelet returns to our portfolio.” This was noted by IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr.
“We took inspiration from Gérald Genta's Ingenieur SL from the 1970s. We invested a lot of time and effort in designing a new automatic model with perfect case proportions and ergonomics. Also a high level of detail and finish and equipped with modern mechanism technology. The new Ingenieur Automatic 40 is a versatile luxury sports watch for the 21st century.”.
The Ingenieur Automatic 40 has a refined aesthetic compared to the original, the company said. The end-to-end distance is 45.7 mm for an ergonomic fit even on thin wrists. The convex casing ring and the replacement of the nose-shaped horns with mechanical middle link components help streamline the design.
The Ingenieur SL of the 1970s had a distinctive look with the five screws in the rim. Although the design choice often left the rim recesses in a different position. Now, the Ingenieur uses five screws to secure the bezel to the case. This technical feature ensures that the fit is the same on every model.
The Ingenieur Automatic 40 features a distinctive stamped dial with a grid that offers a whole new attitude to the iconic piece.
There are three stainless steel versions and one titanium version.
Ref. IW328901, Ref. IW328902 and Ref. IW328903 have stainless steel cases and bracelets and black, silvered and aqua dials respectively. They are priced at $11,700.
Ref. IW328904 has a Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet and a grey dial. It costs $14,600.
Also new this year for IWC Schaffhausen is the first Pilot's Chronograph 41 watch in 18-carat gold.
The new Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 was first introduced in 2021. It combines its yellow gold case with a green dial with a sunray finish. It even has a green rubber strap with an 18-carat gold buckle. The strap can be easily changed without additional tools.
The dial features IWC's easy-to-read cockpit instrument design.
In addition to the chronograph function at 12 and 9 o'clock, there is a day and date display at 3 o'clock and small hacking seconds visible at 6 o'clock.
The model uses the mechanical movement caliber 69385 manufactured by IWC. This is visible through the back of the sapphire case. It is priced at $20,900.
Also new for the brand is the IWC Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar in stainless steel with a racing green dial.
Former chief watchmaker Kurt Klaus implemented IWC Schaffhausen's perpetual calendar complexity, recognizing 30-day and 31-day months and leap years in the 1980s. The complexity will not require manual adjustment until the year 2100, when the leap year will be omitted under an exception rule in the Gregorian calendar.
The patented dual-phase moon indicator shows the moon from both northern and southern hemisphere perspectives.
IWC released its first Big Pilot's Watch Perpetual Calendar in 2006. Now, the new version in stainless steel and racing green dial with sunray finish is on the market. It features a green rubber strap with stainless steel rivets, which can be interchanged within the IWC EasX-CHANGE system.
The date and the power reserve are visible at 3 o'clock and the month at 6 o'clock. The auxiliary display at 9 o'clock shows the day of the week and the small seconds. Also the double phase of the moon e at 12 o'clock. There is even an indication for the four-digit year.
The new model is priced at $33,000.
Finally, last year, IWC introduced a collection of Pilot's watches in coloured ceramics called “The Colors of Top Gun”. A collection of new colors in collaboration with Pantone, including IWC Lake Tahoe White and IWC Woodland Green.
The series was an update of the IWC Top Gun series launched in 2007.
Now, two more colours have joined the range, marking the first time that the Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 gets ceramic cases.
The Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun is now also available in Oceana ceramic. The blue ceramic Oceana case is inspired by the blue colour of the US Navy uniform.
The watch features a matching blue dial and a blue rubber strap with a denim-finished fabric insert. It is priced at $11,700.
The Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun is also now available with a Jet Black zirconium oxide ceramic case. It is inspired by the technical components of supersonic aircraft. It is available at a price of $8,750.
Both new chronographs use the 69380 calibre movement manufactured by IWC.
Source: nationaljeweler.com
