TWO NEWCOMERS JOIN THE INGENIEUR WATCH LINE
IWC Schaffhausen unveils two magnificent new additions to the Ingenieur watch family. In its role as Official Engineering Partner of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, the Swiss watch manufacturer has been inspired to create new works of haute horlogerie. Limited to an edition of just 1,000, the Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic, for example, features materials typically found in motor racing. The Ingenieur Dual Time has a second display that enables the wearer to retain his orientation despite the constant changes of time zone during the racing season.
The new models take to the grid in two different designs: theIngenieur Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic (Ref. IW322404) is a thoroughbred sports watch with a case inspired by the materials used in FORMULA ONE motor racing, while theIngenieur Dual Time (Ref. IW324402/IW324404), a powerful-looking timepiece in a stainless-steel case, has a rather more classic appearance. Quintessentially purist, functional and technically sophisticated, the two new watches embody the best of the IWC Ingenieur line’s 60-year history.
READY FOR THE TRACK
As is well known, carbon fibre is ideally suited for use in motor racing. IWC Schaffhausen has utilized the unique properties of this material, which is twice as strong as steel but only a fifth of the weight, and integrated it into the construction of its watch cases. The Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance Ceramic is a piece of high-tech engineering with a carbon-fibre case and, as a new feature in this model, also has a mirror-finished ceramic bezel. The middle section of the case, which is held together by five screws, is manufactured according to the same principle as the core features of a racing car. The watch’s dial is also made of carbon fibre. It fits perfectly with the authentic motorsport look and gives the watch a visual sense of depth. For other parts of the case, IWC designers likewise took their inspiration from the materials used in motor racing. Ceramic for the bezel, screw heads, crown and crown protection, titanium for the screws and case-back ring, and rubber for the underside of the strap with its calfskin inlay. The strap is sewn with green thread as an allusion to the stripes on the outer walls of the tyres fitted to the cars for racing in wet conditions. The IWC-manufactured 80110-calibre movement is one of the company’s most rugged and thoroughly tested movements and, thanks to its integrated shock-absorption system, is unaffected by extreme acceleration or sharp braking manoeuvres and vibrations, making it the ideal watch for racing drivers. Perfectly in keeping with the design is the rotor, which is shaped like the pistons found in a FORMULA ONE racing car. The Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance is available in a limited edition of 1,000.
AT HOME THE WORLD OVER
In the Ingenieur Dual Time, a classic – but no less robust – timepiece makes its entrance into the world of motorsport. With a diameter of only 43 millimetres, it seems rather understated when compared with the larger Ingenieur models, and its stainless-steel case radiates a certain elegance. But the feature that puts the Ingenieur Dual Time at the front of the pack is its ability to display a second local time of the wearer’s choice. This means the MERCEDESAMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team and other globetrotters have a reliable form of orientation when constantly changing time zones. Current local time is shown by the hour and minute hands on a dial available either silver-plated or in black. The time can be advanced or turned back in one-hour steps via the crown, even when crossing the International Date Line. While the seconds hand with its pointed red tip goes around, the second time – the time at home, for example – is indicated by another hand with an arrowhead tip on the outer 24-hour ring. To make it easier to differentiate between day and night, the top half of the ring, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., is darker than the lower half. The striking bores in the bezel were the brainchild of watch designer Gérald Genta. In the case of the legendary Ingenieur SL (Ref. 1832) from IWC Schaffhausen, unveiled in 1976, he placed the five functional holes directly on the rim itself, where they originally served to hold it firmly in position. These bores and the entire case architecture rapidly established themselves as the hallmark of the entire Ingenieur family.
