IWC Schaffhausen’s Latest Timepiece Is an Ode to Gérald Genta

The Swiss watchmaker was responsible for some of horology’s most iconic and lasting designs.

Ashley Davis Ashley.Davis@nationaljeweler.com

IWC Schaffhausen’s new Ingenieur Automatic 40 is available with a black dial (pictured), silver-plated dial, aqua dial, and gray dial.

Geneva—In the 1970s, Swiss watchmaker Gérald Genta (1931-2011) created some of horology’s most iconic timepieces that are even more in demand today, like Audemars Piguet’s “Royal Oak” and Patek Philippe’s “Nautilus.”

Among them was the redesign of the “Ingenieur,” French for “engineer,” for IWC Schaffhausen in 1976, after its original debut in 1955.

Like the Royal Oak and Nautilus, the modern design of Genta’s Ingenieur has remained a staple element of IWC Schaffhausen’s brand DNA, as evidenced at this year’s Watches & Wonders Geneva.

The Swiss watchmaker debuted the Ingenieur Automatic 40, an ode to Genta’s original Ingenieur SL, Ref. 1832.

The new edition is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32111 caliber movement with a 120-hour power reserve and date window at 3 o’clock.

The Ingenieur Automatic 40 with stainless steel case and bracelet and aqua dial

Just as the original was intended for actual engineers and professionals working near magnetic fields, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 has a soft-iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic disruption.

It is water resistant to 100 meters.

“With the new Ingenieur Automatic 40, the steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet returns to our portfolio,” noted IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr.

“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.”

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The Ingenieur Automatic 40 has a refined aesthetic compared to the original, the company said. The lug-to-lug distance is 45.7 mm for an ergonomic fit on even slender wrists. The curved casing ring and replacement of nose-shaped horns with engineered middle-link attachments help streamline the design.

The Ingenieur SL of the 1970s had a distinctive look with its five screws on the bezel, though the design choice often left the bezel’s recesses in a different position. Now, the Ingenieur uses five screws to attach the bezel to the case. This technical function ensures positioning is the same in each model.

Pictured is the titanium reference with gray dial. It is priced at $14,600.

The Ingenieur Automatic 40 has a distinctive stamped grid dial that offers an entirely new attitude to the iconic piece.

There are three stainless steel references and one titanium.

The Ref. IW328901, Ref. IW328902, and Ref. IW328903 have stainless steel cases and bracelets and black, silver-plated, and aqua dials respectively. They are priced at $11,700.

The Ref. IW328904 has a Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet and gray dial. It costs $14,600.

Also new this year for IWC Schaffhausen is its first Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 in 18-karat gold.

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 in 18-karat 5N gold

First introduced in 2021, the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 pairs its yellow gold case with a green dial with sunray finishing and green rubber strap with 18-karat gold pin buckle. The strap can be easily interchanged without additional tools.

The dial features IWC’s easy-to-read cockpit instrument design. In addition to the chronograph function displayed at 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock, there is a day and date aperture at 3 o’clock and small hacking seconds visible at 6 o’clock.

The model uses the IWC-manufactured mechanical 69385 caliber movement visible through the sapphire case back. It is priced at $20,900.

Also new for the brand is the IWC Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar in stainless steel with racing green dial.

Former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus executed IWC Schaffhausen’s perpetual calendar complication, recognizing 30-day and 31-day months and leap years, in the 1980s. The complication won’t require a manual adjustment until the year 2100 when the leap year will be omitted based on an exemption rule in the Gregorian calendar.

The patented double moon phase display shows the moon from both Northern and Southern Hemisphere vantages.

IWC released its first Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar in 2006. Now, the new stainless steel and racing green dial version with sunray finish is on the market. It has a green rubber strap with stainless steel rivets, which can be interchanged as part of the IWC EasX-CHANGE system.

The date display and power reserve are visible at 3 o’clock and the month at 6 o’clock. The 9 o’clock subdial shows weekday and small seconds. The double moon phase is at 12 o’clock. There is also an indication for the four-digit year display.

The new model is priced at $33,000.

Finally, last year, IWC showcased a collection of Pilot’s watches in colored ceramics called “The Colors of Top Gun,” with new colors developed in conjunction with Pantone, like IWC Lake Tahoe White and IWC Woodland Green.

The range was an update to the IWC Top Gun line launched in 2007.

Now, two more colors join the mix, marking the first time the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 gets ceramic cases.

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun in Oceana blue ceramic

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun is now available in Oceana. The Oceana blue ceramic case is inspired by the blue of U.S. Navy overalls.

The watch has a matching blue dial and blue rubber strap with a denim finish textile inlay. It is priced at $11,700.

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun in Jet Black ceramic

The Pilot Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun is also now available with a Jet Black zirconium oxide ceramic case inspired by the technical components of supersonic jets. It is available for $8,750.

Both of the new chronographs utilize the IWC-manufactured 69380 caliber movement.