On March 26, 2023, IWC's Ingenieur underwent a model change. Gérald Genta's design was revived, and anti-magnetic features, which were omitted from the previous model, were also restored. Furthermore, the exterior finish is of high quality, as befits the current IWC brand. This is an Ingenieur, a new generation of multi-purpose watch suitable for everyone, rather than just engineers.
Automatic movement (Cal. 32111). 21 jewels. 28,800 vph. Power reserve approximately 120 hours. Stainless steel case (diameter 40mm, thickness 10.7mm). Water resistant to 10 bar. Price: 1,061,500 yen (tax included).
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Article published on December 27, 2023
The unveiling of the new Ingenieur in London
At the end of February 2023, IWC unveiled the new Ingenieur at the Science Museum in London. The first speaker was CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr, who opened with the message "IWC Ingenieur: Design and Technique." He then used old-fashioned retro slides to talk about the history of design in the 1970s, including Dieter Rams, Bruno Sacco, and Gerald Genta. He described Genta designs as having strong design codes and that would last for decades.
Once you reach the upper floor, you'll find the venue, where retro-futuristic items symbolizing the 1960s and 70s are displayed everywhere, including the Commodore computer PET, Charles Eames' ES104, and Dieter Rams' FS 8 TV.
The message behind this series of messages is clear: a return to the Ingenieur SL, which was released in 1976. Four posters hang on the wall. You might think they are from the 1970s or 1980s, but they also cover the new Ingenieur.
"Von Nerds für Nerds. Die IWC Ingenieur (Watches by Nerds, for Nerds, IWC Ingenieur)," "Return from the Future," and "Gentleman's Choice." All of these are deliberately presented in a retro style. Next to them is a summary of Dieter Rams' "10 Principles of Good Design."
In other words, the new Ingenieur is not simply a revival of Gerald Genta's design, but rather an evolution of it in the style of Rams, or, to put it another way, IWC. In fact, IWC has successfully incorporated the Genta design, which is Latin in its very essence, into a restrained design.
When I asked designer Christian Knoop if it was difficult to reconcile Genta and Rams, he replied:
"Genta's designs are unique, but their spirit is common to designs from the 1970s," he said. The reason he changed the design was because "he didn't like the same design, just like Picasso kept changing."
The new "Ingenieur" combines the best features of previous models
The new Ingenieur, released in 2023, can be said to combine the best of the 1976 Ingenieur SL (Ref. 1832) and the 2013 Ingenieur Automatic (Ref. IW3239).
The grid pattern on the dial is the same as the 1832, and the case with crown guards is inherited from the IW3239. The size, 40mm in diameter and 10.8mm thick, is also similar to the IW3239.
CEO Gertrude Herr cited three essential elements for the Ingenieur: "A case integrated with the bracelet, five holes on the bezel, and anti-magnetic performance." Knoop explained, "Compared to the previous Ingenieur (author's note IW3239), this model has a simpler design and a thinner middle case. We also made the entire case slightly curved and shorter in length."
He said that ergonomics was a priority when designing the watch, and as he said, the new Ingenieur is quite comfortable to wear. The IW3239 was also excellent, but with the refined bracelet, this model is probably slightly better. The weight balance between the watch and bracelet is excellent.
The way the design was tweaked is also typical of IWC today: "In the old Ingenieur, the five holes for screwing in the bezel were misaligned. As a designer, even the slightest misalignment is completely intolerable.
So we completely redesigned the way the bezel is fixed, and now it's fixed with screws. The bezel is fixed with five screws built into the case." Also, perhaps in keeping with current trends, the bezel has been made thinner.
A distinctive feature of Knoop is the grid finish on the dial, which is exactly the same as the 1976 SL, but has been fine-tuned to fit the logo in the correct position. To block out magnetism, the dial is made of soft iron instead of brass.
After pressing the grid, strong grain was added to the surface to give it a modern look. Indeed, the edgy grid dial matches well with the angular shape of the new Ingenieur. Available in four colors: black, white (silver to be exact), aqua blue, and titanium.
The aqua blue color is not what you would expect to see painted, but it is actually a plating process. It seems like it would be difficult to achieve that color, but the prototype's finish was quite good.
The contrast with the diamond-cut indices is also good, and as far as I could tell from indoor testing, the visibility was not bad. However, as with the IW3239, it is unclear why the diamond-cut finish on the hands was omitted from the indices.
If the indexes had been given the same finish as the hands, the overall unity of the watch would have been emphasized.
