The New IWC Ingenieur Tourbillon

IWC’s Ingenieur watch with a soft-iron inner cage was conceived as an antimagnetic tool watch for civilians working in magnetic environments. In 1974, IWC turned to designer Gerald Genta to revamp the watch, resulting in the Ingenieur SL luxury integrated sports watch of 1976. Sometimes, moving forward in the watch world means going back in time. This was the case with IWC’s Ingenieur, which was revisited in 2023 to reflect Genta’s bold aesthetic codes, leading to the Ingenieur Automatic 40, the blueprint for the collection going forward. A collection with just one complication – Perpetual Calendar – the incorporation of a flying tourbillon is welcome news for the family and makes its debut with confidence in a luxurious 18k 5N gold case, with an olive-coloured dial and a one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.

The 41.6mm case of the Ingenieur Tourbillon has a thickness of 12.1mm and is entirely crafted from 5N gold, an alloy of 75% pure gold and 25% copper. Capturing many of the original’s features, the gold 100m water-resistant Ingenieur case features a flat, round bezel with five functional screws, an integrated H-link bracelet attached via middle links, and a grid dial. Securing the bezel to the caseback ring, the screws are made of harder 18k Armor Gold. Decorated with a predominance of satin-brushed finishes, the bevels running down the side of the case, bracelet and bezel are highlighted with polished finishes.

The olive dial contrasts nicely with the sculptural gold case and features the characteristic grid pattern. The hand-applied solid gold indices are indicated by the gold-plated hour and minute hands, all treated with an inlay of Super-LumiNova. The large gold-framed aperture at 6 o’clock reveals the one-minute flying tourbillon, suspended by gold-coated bridges. Composed of 55 individual parts, the mechanism weighs just 0.635 grams.

Sharing a movement with IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Tourbillon, the calibre 82905, revealed on the caseback, has a highly efficient Pellaton winding system with an openworked gold-plated rotor, a 4Hz frequency and a robust power reserve of 80 hours. Equipped with a stop-seconds mechanism, the tourbillon can be stopped and calibrated to the second, and the escape wheel and pallet lever are treated with an innovative coating (Diamond Shell) that reduces friction and enhances energy flow.

The IWC Ingenieur Tourbillon 41 is a limited edition of 100 pieces. Price is CHF 125,000. More information at iwc.com.