When the Ingenieur range was first developed in the 1950s, Swiss watchmaker IWC’s aim was to provide a timepiece that was technically sound resistance-wise. Designed for scientists and technicians in mind, the watch was meant to provide anti-magnetic properties – a growing field of study in timepieces at that time.
Aesthetically, however, it looked like a simple classic timepiece and kept that shape for some time until Gerald Genta redesigned the piece in the ’70s. In his signature sports luxe style, Genta gave the Ingenieur a tonneau shape with a round bezel that had five drilled holes.
Following that, the Ingenieur has been tweaked several times across the years, denoted by the technological advancements made in the field during each time period.
Sketches of the Ingenieur
This year, the collection just might be its best rendition yet. In line with the return of a vintage look, IWC Schffhausen chose the first series of the Ingenieur as the inspiration for this year’s collection. With round cases and a more minimalist feel to the pieces, the range is a step away from the multi-faceted tonneau-cased Ingenieurs that predate it.
So far, several new versions of the range have been introduced, including two classic three-hand automatics in 40mm stainless steel cases with varying white or black dials and one in a 40mm 18k red gold case.
It is the chronographs that shine for the Ingenieur, which is distilled into two ranges dubbed the Ingenieur Chronograph and the Ingenieur Chronograph Sport, and distinguished by the number of chronograph counters (three for the Chronograph and two for the Sport) as well as sizing (42mm and 44mm respectively). There are also a number of limited editons including the new Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition 50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG.
The IW 357001
The entire new range of Ingenieurs feel like a much needed revamp to a collection that have felt dated for a while. It’s ironic that IWC has gone back to the original as a revamp but sometimes you just can’t outdo the classics.