IWC Ingenieur

a brief exploration on the Ingenieur collection, and a note on re-interpreting old icons.

In the world of tennis, players have a preferred hunting ground. Some like grass courts which are fast and unpredictable. Others like clay which has slower speed but high spin. Hard courts have the highest bounce but most consistent. To win titles on all three courts take something special. Watching Carlos Alcaraz perform that feat recently was perhaps what watch collectors felt witnessing Mr Gerald Genta in the 1970s. Except in the latter, it wasn’t a racquet he was holding but a pencil. In a short span of years between 1972 to 1976, Mr Genta created not one, not two but three iconic watch designs - Royal Oak, Ingenieur and Nautilus.

Unlike the other two watches which mainly attracted yachting Italian playboys, IWC Ingenieur was for the working man, Mr Genta’s words as told through his wife, Evelyne: “He always liked IWC for their seriousness, for doing their own thing, and for being true watchmakers”.

Let’s take a look at the very first Ingenieur from IWC.

1955 - Ref. 666

Where’s the bracelet and screws on bezel? The very first Ingenieur released by IWC was this 36mm gold watch on strap, ref. 666. Genta’s Ingenieur was created much later in 1974. For ease of description, let’s call it pre-genta Ingenieur.

What looked like a normal dress watch from the outset is actually a proper workhorse thanks to the movement: IWC’s in-house Cal. 8531 created by their then technical director, Albert Pellaton which was housed in a soft-iron cage. With a anti-magnetic rating of up to 1000 Gauss means one thing - baddies cannot steal your watch with a magnet 🧲.

1967 - Ref. 866

Jokes aside, the next Ingenieur, ref 866 also features a familiar 36mm case and the iconic Ingenieur ⚡️ logo. There are some minor differences on the dial. Indices are now straight batons with a lume sandwich. The most interesting visual update has to be the central seconds hand, with a paddle-like tip filled with lume.

The biggest pity here is not using a magnet 🧲 logo for the end tip. Again, I kid.
Moving into the 70s, the Swiss watch industry saw a sudden interest in integrated bracelet watches in steel. To answer that demand, IWC sought out a certain designer - Gerald Genta.

1976 - Ingenieur SL ‘Jumbo’

It was said that Genta designed the Ingenieur SL in 1974, and IWC only released it in 1976. In case you’re wondering, SL here means ‘Steel Line’. It was perhaps to differentiate from the pre-Genta Ingenieur(666/866).

At 40mm x 12 mm thick, this ref. 1832 quickly earned its nickname ‘Jumbo’.

*ref. 1832, nickname ‘jumbo’, pic credit: IWC*

Inside the watch, ref. 1832 features IWC’s in-house self-winding calibre: 8541ES, where E meant antimagnetic, while S stood for stop second/hacking. Produced until 1984, less than 600 pieces of first generation steel ‘Jumbos’ were said to be made. There were some examples in two-tone steel/gold combo, and even lesser in full gold. IWC should’ve called it GL line then?

*old advertisement featuring Ingenieur in full gold, pic credit: arbitro*

For a detailed breakdown of all the Ingenieur SL made, I highly recommend Marcus Siems’ reference guide: https://goldammer.me/blogs/articles/reference-guide-iwc-ingenieur-sl#ref.

2005 - Ref. 3227

After a long break since Genta’s SL, IWC revived the Ingenieur line with ref. 3227. At 42mm and 14.5mm thick, this was very much a watch made for its time, where large chunky watches were en vogue.

What’s more important was the movement beating within. IWC launched their in-house Calibre 80110 with this collection, which became a cornerstone for more advanced movements to come.

2013 - Ref. 3239

40mm x 10mm thick. On paper, this Ingenieur (ref. 3239) sounds like IWC is adapting quickly to a renewed interest in modestly-sized watches.

I didn’t even mind that they added crown guards here. But swapping an in-house movement for an ETA-based one? Not that there’s anything wrong in making watches more affordable, but it felt like they were taking one step forward and two steps back. Change is good, right? In 2017, IWC did exactly that, and more.

2017 - ref. 357002

Away with bracelet and back with strap. Remove rivets, and make a clean polished bezel. In fact, make it dressy altogether. From a design standpoint, 2017’s Ingenieur was a great watch all around, classic yet contemporary.

Scroll back up to see the original ref. 666 from 1955 and you’ll see quite a bit of similarities. While there’s nothing wrong per se for swinging back to old roots, it’s a little jarring to pivot a product range entirely, especially after replanting new roots for the integrated SL back in 2005.

What they could have done, was already done in 2008. IWC re-imagined six iconic vintage designs to celebrate their 140th anniversary. One such watch was an homage to the original Ingenieur from 1955. And yes, with the lightning bolt, of course.

*IWC ref. 3233-03 Vintage Ingenieur, pic credit: authenticwatches.com*

Although a tad large-ish at 42.5mm x 14.5mm thick, this vintage inspired collection had the right design cues. If IWC used the original full spelling of International Watch Co (italicised, of course), I would’ve jumped on it.

If it’s broken, fix it. Well, in 2023 IWC did just that, and more.

2023 - Ingenieur

No micro-adjustment? No quick release bracelet? We watch geeks and arm chair experts are standing by with our pitchforks decrying this blasphemy. I could make it worse by talking about the closed caseback and dare I say it - price. Despite all the negatives I’ve heard about IWC’s newest Ingenieur, I can’t stop smiling as I roll it around on my wrist. See for yourself.

As you have seen earlier, since Genta’s SL in 1976, there have been many variations of Ingenieur. In 2005, it was a chunky 42mm x 14.5mm ref. 3227. Then in 2013, ref. 3239 returned to a svelte 40mm x 10mm. Rejoice? Sadly they used an ETA-based movement. Then in 2017, IWC even attempted to return to the original ref. 666 version on strap. I’ve been a keen observer of the Ingenieur’s development, and remained to be so until 2023.

This latest Ingenieur came closest to my own taste. Is it any surprise that it’s also the one most similar to Genta’s original design? Barring crown guards, everything else is very faithful to the original Ingenieur SL (ref. 1832). For starters, they kept the iconic lightning bolt.

I like that the latest Ingenieur brought back the date window frame. And of course, a colour-matched date disc. As someone with OCD, I like that the five screws are fixed with one always at 12. Go check out the original SL ref. 1832 and you probably can’t unseen it. Not a dealbreaker, just my preference.

The movement is IWC’s in-house Cal. 32111 which features an upgraded and whopping 120 hours power reserve. The final clinch is a bonus from actually wearing and field-testing it for a week straight. It is by far one of the most accurate watch I own; losing +2/-2 seconds per day. And it’s not even superlative chronometer certified. I guess the antimagnetic iron-cage really works.

*screw at 12, and a color-matched date wheel*

Some criticisms of Ingenieur are actually quite valid, to which IWC responded, albeit quietly. Let’s start with the most touchy point - Price. Upon launch, a fair number mentioned how the newest Ingenieur was too expensive. IWC actually reduced price later in the year. Now, name me another major watch brand that backtracked on pricing. You can’t? Because it takes courage to admit one’s mistake. Bravo to CEO Chris Grainger and team.

Some griped about lack of quick-release and micro-adjustment. My guess is IWC wants to preserve the overall aesthetics of Ingenieur, incidentally the same for Royal Oak Jumbo; bracelet is a (big) part of the look.

If you really wanted micro-adjustment, IWC offers the optional purchase of a clasp. But it’s not a perfect fit, literally. The clasp is clunkier and disrupts overall slimness of the bracelet. Why not use an intra-bracelet micro-adjustment system as seen in Vacheron’s Overseas Gen III? After all, they’re both brothers of Richemont.

My Thoughts

Writing this in 2024 gives me benefit of hindsight to say this: it’s not easy to do homage. Cartier and Vacheron Constantin has mastered the art of dipping in archives. From their CPCP in late 90s to now the now very successful Privé collection, and then Vacheron with their Historiques collection. Then we look at Audemars Piguet and their [Re]Master series. While I applaud AP’s effort to think outside of the octagonal box (bezel), I find their take on [Re]Master02 slightly contrived.

Incidentally Piaget, a master of innovation (thinness) also slightly missed the mark with their Polo79, partially due to market timing. It goes to show that innovation really isn’t the same as re-creating old icons. For me, the latter needs a solid foundation of story telling, with a faithful re-interpretation of the original icon.

*Piaget Polo, old vs new, pic credit: time&tidewatches*

That for me, is something the Ingenieur has done very well, starting with how they launched the watch. IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr invited Evelyne Genta, spouse of the late Gerald Genta to co-present the new Ingenieur. To me, IWC wasn’t just borrowing a name, but relaunching a watch that wouldn’t make the late Mr Genta climb out of his grave. Just search what he had to say about the Royal Oak Offshore when it was first released in 1993.

*Evelyne Genta co-presenting the 2023 Ingenieur*

Given the deluge of information today, anyone can pass an opinion easily, or worse - pass off someone else’s opinion as their own. After all, talk is cheap. What’s not cheap is R&D. IWC is at the forefront of material innovation circa 1986 with their Da Vinci. The same passion is still evident today with their latest Ceralume prototype. I know that the current iteration of Ingenieur is here to stay, and its future is most certainly bright.

Speaking about future, I could have waited for IWC to update the Ingenieur with a micro-adjust, quick-release bracelet. I could also wait for them to release one in Ceratanium or maybe even with their ingenious (pun intended) crown-operated perpetual calendar. But nah, I’m not that patient. Besides, valiant effort needs to be validated. Thank you IWC Singapore team for always taking care of us.
As always, I hope you had a happy time reading. H60Mins out.