The other new watch, the IWC Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic (Ref. IW322404), wears its Formula One pedigree on its sleeve. (IWC is the official engineering partner of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One racing team, a collaboration that inspired the recent revamp of the Ingenieur collection.) The watch combines two materials used in the construction of high-performance cars — lightweight-but-robust carbon fiber for the case and dial, and mirror-finished ceramic for the bezel. The middle section of the case, which is held together by five screws, is manufactured using the same principles as the core features of a racecar. Ceramic is also used for the screw heads, crown and crown protectors, and another lightweight and tough material from the racing world, titanium, is used for the screws and caseback as well as the strap’s pin buckle. The sporty strap is made of rubber with a calfskin inlay. The green elements on the watch — contrast stitching on the strap, numerals on the seconds scale — are also an allusion to racing: it is the color used for the stripes on the outer walls of tires fitted to cars for racing in wet conditions.
The IWC Ingeniuer Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic contains an IWC manufacture movement, Caliber 80110, with the brand’s hallmark Pellaton automatic winding, an integrated shock absorption system (which IWC says makes the watch ideal for racing, as it is shields the movement from the shocks of extreme acceleration and sharp braking), and a rapid-advance date display activated by the crown. Like the Ingenieur Dual Time, this watch also has a central hacking seconds hand. The movement’s winding rotor, shaped like the pistons found in the engine of an F1 race car, is a final nod to the timepiece’s racing-influenced design. The case is 46 mm in diameter — a more standard size for an Ingenieur — and water-resistant to 12o meters. The price of the watch is $24,600.
Both IWC watches are truly fabulous, the first watch is quite affordable but second one is quite expensive.