During the Quartz Crisis, Gérald Genta designed a series of steel sports watches that included Ingenieur SL (Reference 1832).
Thought to have been lost, his original drawing of the timepiece was recently discovered by IWC Schaffhausen. Moreover, the Swiss brand has revisited Genta's iconic design for a new collection of contemporary Ingenieur Automatic 40.
"In the 1970s, Gérald Genta succeeded in creating an entirely new category of luxury watches. The rugged, water-resistant, yet elegant steel sports watches with integrated metal link bracelets were in keeping with the spirit of the times. The boundaries between work, leisure and sport became increasingly fluid -- a development that helped shape watch aesthetics," said IWC chief design officer Christian Knoop.
The original Ingenieur from the mid-1950s had a round and rather understated case. Genta redesigned it with a distinctive visual identity, resulting in the Ref 1832 launched in 1976.
"Thanks to Gérald Genta, the watch finally had a face. For the Ingenieur SL, he relied on bold aesthetic cues such as a screw-on bezel with five recesses, a checkerboard-pattern dial and an integrated bracelet with H-links. These gave the watch its distinctive character and made it instantly recognisable," Knoop said.
Over the decades, IWC has slightly tweaked the Ingenieur SL again and again without sacrificing Genta's artistic signature.
For the new reinterpretation, Knoop's team particularly worked on the bezel and enhancing ergonomics.
"On the Ingenieur SL, the bezel with the five recesses was simply screwed onto the case ring. The position of the recesses was purely random, and they were never in the same place. I'm a perfectionist, so that always bothered me," he noted. "The most obvious difference is that we have used genuine polygonal screws for the Ingenieur Automatic 40, with five screws now securing the bezel to the case ring. The screws have a technical function and, as a result, are always in the same position."
The Ingenieur SL also had a relatively wide bracelet and nose-shaped horns that increased the length of the case.
The overall dimensions of the case have been carefully reworked and improved down to the smallest detail for the Ingenieur Automatic 40.
IWC developed a new middle-link attachment, which is aesthetically comparable but more ergonomic. The curved casing ring and the lug-to-lug distance of 45.7mm further ensure ergonomics and wearability.
"It's not every day that a designer gets the chance to work on reinterpreting an icon like the Ingenieur SL. We discussed every visible change intensively and asked ourselves whether we could justify certain specific interventions," he said. "Our aim was to make a perfectly proportioned 40mm case that would ensure the watch fitted snugly even on a slim wrist. So, over the years, we have produced countless prototypes in steel, continually checking how they feel on the wrist and further improving the case proportions."
The case, bezel, and bracelet shine with a combination of polished and satin-finished surfaces. The integration of an elaborately finished butterfly folding clasp highlights the beauty and thinness of the H-link bracelet.
A newly designed crown protection further underscores the sporty character of the timepiece. Moreover, the case is water-resistant to 10 bar, making the Ingenieur Automatic 40 a versatile sports watch.
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.
The Ingenieur Automatic 40 is available in three stainless steel versions with a black, silver-plated or aqua dial.
The fourth variation is in grade 5 titanium, which is about one-third lighter than steel. The titanium case and bracelet boast sandblasted, satin-finished, and polished surfaces. The grey dial, as well as the black hands and appliques, accentuate the characteristic matte grey look of the titanium.
IWC originally developed the Ingenieur for professionals such as engineers, physicists and doctors, whose work exposed them to strong magnetic fields.
A soft-iron inner cage effectively shielded the movement from magnetic fields. This technology had originally been developed for IWC Pilot's Watch Mark 11, a professional navigation timepiece engineered in 1948 for the British Royal Air Force.
In keeping with tradition, the new models also feature a soft-iron inner case to protect the movement from the effects of magnetic fields on its accuracy.
"More than any other watch, the Ingenieur embodies IWC's engineering spirit and the brand's strictly technical and design-oriented approach. A technical milestone, the first Ingenieur was powered by the 8531 calibre, the first automatic movement developed in-house by IWC with the highly efficient Pellaton winding system," Knoop recalled.
The latest Ingenieur Automatic 40 is driven by the IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre with an automatic pawl winding system and a power reserve of 120 hours.
