Tribune News Network
Doha
IWC Schaffhausen has introduced the Ingenieur Automatic 40 at the Watches and Wonders exhibition in Geneva.
This newly engineered automatic model reflects the bold aesthetic codes of Gérald Genta’s Ingenieur SL, Reference 1832, from the 1970s while meeting the highest standards regarding ergonomics, finishing and technology.
The collection encompasses three references in stainless steel and one in titanium. The Ingenieur Automatic 40 is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre with a power reserve of 120 hours. All new models feature soft-iron inner cases to protect the movements from magnetic fields and are water-resistant to 10 bar, making them fully versatile sports watches for the 21st century.
In the 1970s, IWC Schaffhausen commissioned the renowned Geneva watch designer Gérald Genta to redesign the Ingenieur. The Ingenieur had originally been introduced 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 – also evident in the name Ingenieur, the word used in German and French for engineer.
With his unique artistic signature, Genta succeeded in giving the Ingenieur a new, highly distinctive visual identity.
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. With its innovative and disruptive design, the Ingenieur SL was ahead of its time. Today, Gérald Genta’s creation is a collector’s favourite and one of the most sought-after models from the history of IWC.
“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. The new Ingenieur Automatic 40 is a versatile luxury sports watch for the 21st century,” said Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
“It is not every day that a designer gets the chance to work on an icon like the Ingenieur SL. We were aware of the enormous responsibility this task entailed and proceeded very cautiously. Nevertheless, we believe we succeeded in creating a new and contemporary interpretation, perfected down to the smallest detail. While keeping faithful to the original design signature, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 is a perfect embodiment of IWC’s engineering excellence,” said Christian Knoop, chief design officer of IWC Schaffhausen.
The overall dimensions of the case have been carefully reworked and improved down to the smallest detail.
The lug-to-lug distance of 45.7 millimetres ensures perfect ergonomics and excellent wearability, even on a slender wrist. While the Ingenieur SL from the 1970s had nose-shaped horns, the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 features a newly engineered middle-link attachment.Aesthetically similar to the Ingenieur SL, this new solution enhances the ergonomics and provides an even better fit on the wrist. The curved casing ring further improves the ergonomics of the case.
One of the most striking changes of the new model is the introduction of functional, polygonal screws on its bezel. For the Ingenieur SL, a bezel with five recesses was screwed onto the case ring. As a result, the recesses ended up in a different position on each watch. With the Ingenieur Automatic 40, five screws secure the bezel to the case.
The screws now have a technical function and, as a result, are always in the same position. In addition, the dial features a distinctive “Grid” structure, creating a balance to the technical and very sculptural case design. Consisting of small lines offset by 90 degrees to each other, it is stamped into the soft iron blank before it is galvanised. Finally, appliques with luminescence add additional depth and ensure easy legibility, even at night.
