IWC is launching the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 reflecting Gerald Genta's design from 1976. IW328901 IW328902 IW328903 IW328904 . Price €13,000
Reflecting the unmistakeable aesthetic codes of Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur SL, Reference 1832, from the 1970s, the new model brings a contemporary interpretation of the original design updating it to the highest standards for ergonomics, finishing, and technology.
IWC first introduced the Ingenieur in 1955. With the first automatic movement developed in Schaffhausen and a soft-iron inner case for magnetic field protection, this watch marked a technical milestone for IWC as remarked by the name Ingenieur, the word used in German and French for Engineer. In the 1970s, IWC commissioned the redesign of this model to renowned Geneva watch designer Gérald Genta which succeeded in giving the Ingenieur a new, highly distinctive visual identity.
Gerald Genta's sketch
His Ingenieur SL, launched in 1976 as the talking piece of IWC’s SL collection of steel luxury watches, featured bold aesthetic codes such as a screw-on bezel with five recesses, a dial with a unique pattern, and an integrated H-link bracelet.
The Ingenieur SL 1832 - 1976
Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC, explains: “With the new Ingenieur Automatic 40, the steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet returns to our portfolio. While taking inspiration from Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur SL from the 1970s, we invested a lot of time and effort into engineering a new automatic model with perfect case proportions and ergonomics, a high level of detail and finishing, and equipped with modern movement technology.”
A versatile luxury sports watch for the 21st century, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 comes in a 40 mm x 10.8 mm case whose case, bezel, and bracelet are elaborately finished using a combination of polished and satin-finished surfaces.
One notable change of the new model is the use of functional, polygonal screws on the bezel, which is a departure from the previous Ingenieur SL model where a bezel with five recesses was screwed onto the case ring resulting in the recesses being positioned differently on each watch. In contrast, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 secures the bezel to the case with five screws that have a technical function and are consistently positioned.
While still retaining the aesthetic similarities to the nose-shaped horns of the 1970s Ingenieur SL, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 features an updated middle-link attachment that improves its ergonomics. This new solution provides a better fit on the wrist and enhances the watch's overall wearability.
The integrated bracelet of the Ingenieur Automatic 40 boasts closed links without pins and polished center links. The elaborately finished butterfly folding clasp perfectly complements the refined H-link bracelet, highlighting its thinness and beauty.
Protected by a slightly curved sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sides, the dial is characterised by a distinctive "Grid" structure with small lines that are offset by 90 degrees to each other. This structure is stamped into the soft iron blank before being galvanized and encircled by a snailed minute chapter ring. The rhodium-plated hands and applied indices are all filled with Super-LumiNova for better readability in the dark.
At launch the new model has been presented in three stainless steel variations - black (ref. IW328901), silver-plated (ref. IW328902) and aqua, a shade between green and blue (ref IW328903) as well as in a full titanium version featuring case and bracelet in Grade 5 titanium, a grey dial with black hands and appliques (ref. IW328904).
The Ingenieur Automatic 40 driven by the IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre, featuring an automatic pawl winding system and boasting an impressive power reserve of 120 hours. Additionally, all models come equipped with soft-iron inner cases that protect the movement from the effects of magnetic fields on its accuracy, as well as being water-resistant up to 10 bar (approximately 100 metres / 330 feet).
A versatile and reliable sports watch that caters to the needs of the modern era, the IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel - with black (IW328901), silver-plated (IW328902) or aqua dial - has a price of Euro 13,000 while the titanium version (IW328904) retails at Euro 16,000. iwc.com
Wow that blue dial! Love it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a green blue called Aqua. Our favourite too.
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