IWC Drops the Ingenieur Automatic 40 With a Blue Dial
IWC Schaffhausen's Ingenieur is one of the most iconic and enduring collections in the world of luxury watches. First introduced in 1955, it was re-designed in the 1970s by renowned Swiss watchmaker Gerald Genta, who is also credited with creating the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Known for its distinctive design, technical innovation, and association with precision engineering, particularly the soft iron inner case that provided magnetic protection, the Ingenieur has evolved over the decades while maintaining a reputation for robustness and sophistication.
At last year's Watches and Wonders, the Schaffhausen-based brand unveiled a new generation of the Ingenieur Automatic 40 based on Genta’s original Ingenieur SL from the 1970s. It is distinguished by the characteristic bezel with five polygonal screws, the integrated bracelet with H-links, also a brainchild of Genta, and the special "grid" pattern on the dial. After initially presenting an Ingenieur Automatic 40 in titanium and three stainless steel versions with a black, a silver-plated and an aqua-hued dial, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer now adds a new steel iteration with blue a new dial color to the collection.
The dial remains the aesthetic highlight. The characteristic “grid” structure, consisting of small lines and squares, is stamped into the soft iron base using high pressure. Afterwards, the blue color is applied by PVD-coating. The rhodium-plated baton hands and the applied metal markers are coated with Superluminova to ensure perfect legibility in all lighting conditions.
The stainless steel case has a diameter of 40mm and is water-resistant to 100 meters. All of its parts and all the components of the bracelet are elaborately finished with a combination of polished and satin-finished surfaces. The latter is equipped with a butterfly folding clasp.
Behind the closed case back of the Ref. IW328907 is the genuine 32111 caliber, a self-winding automatic movement with an efficient double pawl winding system and a power reserve of 120 hours or five days. In keeping with the technical heritage of the Ingenieur, a soft-iron inner case shields the movement from the effects of magnetic fields on the watch’s rate.
Like its stainless steel cousins, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 retails for $11,700.
To learn more, visit IWC Schaffhausen, here.
