IWC TAKES THE INGENIEUR BACK TO ITS ROOTS
Schaffhausen, 20 March 2017 – IWC Schaffhausen unveiled a completely overhauled line of Ingenieur watches at the 75th Goodwood Members’ Meeting. This historic motorsport event in the south of England was the perfect place to showcase the new collection, the design of which is starkly reminiscent of the first generations of this watch family from the 1950s and the 1960s. Another highlight came in the form of a demonstration of the Mercedes 300 SL from 1955 – the year the Ingenieur was born.
A simple watch with three hands, the first Ingenieur (Ref. 666) raised the bar with its minimalist design, which IWC continued to refine from 1967 with the Reference 866. “The new collection is very much inspired by these early Ingenieur models, so the watch family is definitely going back to its roots. The influence is clear to see in the simple round case as well as in the dial with its striking hands and indices with luminescent elements,” explains Christoph Grainger-Herr, the new CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. The Ingenieur family now has a striking vintage character and is lighter and more elegant in its overall appearance. The new collection covers a lot of bases with three automatic models, four IWC-manufactured chronographs and a limited-edition reference with perpetual calendar.
The Ingenieur Automatic (Ref. IW357001/IW357002/IW357003) is a simple watch with three hands, a date window at “3 o’clock” and a case measuring 40 millimetres in diameter. Three versions are available. Two of the models feature a stainless-steel case and rhodium-plated hands and indices. The first (Ref. IW357001) has a silver-plated dial and a black alligator leather strap, and the second (Ref. IW357002) has a black dial and a stainless-steel strap. The third version is the Reference IW357003, which has an 18-carat red gold case, a silver-plated dial, gold-plated hands and a black alligator leather strap.
The Ingenieur Chronograph (Ref. IW380801/IW380802/IW380803) is driven by the new IWC-manufactured 69375 calibre with a bidirectional pawl-winding system and a power reserve of 46 hours. Two of the versions are available with a stainless-steel case and strap: one features a silver-plated dial and gold-plated hands (Ref. IW380801), while the other has a blue dial and rhodium-plated hands (Ref. IW380802). The stainless steel strap has been newly developed especially for the Ingenieur. It is exceptionally comfortable to wear and has a fine-adjustment clasp integrated into the buckle. The third version comes in 18-carat red gold with a slate-coloured dial, gold-plated handsand a black alligator leather strap (Ref. IW380803). All the watches feature a see-through sapphire-glass back that provides a view of the 69375 calibre.
The Ingenieur Chronograph Sport (Ref. IW380901) is driven by the IWC-manufactured 89361-calibre movement and is limited to just 500 watches. The 44-millimetre titanium case, black dial and black calfskin strap create an overall impression of sporty elegance. The small seconds hand in the shape of a lightning bolt at “6 o’clock” is a reminder that a soft-iron cage protects the movement against the negative influence of magnetic fields.
The top-of-the-range model is the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (Ref. IW381701). The perpetual calendar automatically recognizes the different lengths of the months, including the leap day occurring every four years; it is extremely easy and convenient to adjust using the crown. The IWC-manufactured 89801 calibre also features a chronograph function. The timepiece with a 45-millimetre 18-carat red gold case, silver-plated dial, black hands and black alligator leather strap is limited to just 100 watches.
The Goodwood Members’ Meetingas the setting
Over a dozen races featuring historic racing cars and touring cars were held on the 3.8 km Goodwood Motor Circuit in the south of England. One of the highlights was the IWC Track Moment with the new CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, Christoph Grainger-Herr, who sat at the wheel of a Mercedes 300 SL from 1955 – the year the Ingenieur was born. IWC also presented the first ever Scott Brown Trophy and sponsored the main prize. This race honoured the British racing driver Archie Scott Brown, who drove the legendary “Lister Knobbly” sports car back in the 1950s.
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GOODWOOD MEMBERS’ MEETING
The Members’ Meeting was established by the Goodwood Road Racing Club in 2014. It evokes the atmosphere and camaraderie of the 71 Members’ Meetings held by the British Automobile Racing Club between 1949 and 1966. The Members’ Meeting is an exclusive members-only event where guests have access to all areas in an intimate, relaxed environment. The event offers a unique setting in which to celebrate the historic motorsport season. It is the perfect accompaniment to the renowned Goodwood Festival of Speed in June and the Revival Meeting in September.
IWC Schaffhausen is the Engineer of Watchmaking. In 1868, the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones established the ‘International Watch Company’ in Schaffhausen in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. By combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge industrial technology and processes, he laid the foundation for IWC’s unique engineering approach to watchmaking.
IWC’s distinctive and pure design is brought to life through collections ranging from elegant dress watches to sports and luxury sports watches, notably the Portugieser, Portofino, Pilot’s Watches and Ingenieur. Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust and easy to use.
A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramic, IWC specializes in performance materials such as Ceratanium®. IWC’s advanced engineering division XPL develops technologies that enhance the durability of mechanical watches and extend their applications to environments with extreme conditions such as jet aviation and human spaceflight.
IWC is a leader in luxury watchmaking, crafting timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improving every aspect of how it manufactures, distributes and services its watches responsibly. Empowering the next generation of engineers, the brand also partners with organizations that work globally to support children and young people. IWC. EngineeredTM.