IWC Celebrates 50 Years Of The Genta-Designed Ingenieur SL With Two Ingenieur Automatic Limited Editions

Birthdays are to be celebrated, so it’s no surprise IWC Schaffhausen honours the 50th anniversary of one of its most pivotal watches, the Ingenieur SL. Introduced in 1976 and penned by Gérald Genta, the Ingenieur SL was one of the early adopters of the integrated sports watch ethos. Lasting until the late 1990s, the Ingenieur made its first comeback in 2005 with the Ingenieur 3227. This took a slightly liberal approach to the Ingenieur SL roots and was revamped once more in 2013 before eventually being discontinued in 2017. Making yet another return in 2023, by popular demand and closely inspired by the 1976 model, the Ingenieur now looks better than ever. And thus, 50 years on, IWC pays a fitting tribute to the original Genta-Ingenieur with the Ingenieur Automatic 40 IW328910 and Ingenieur Automatic 35 IW324909 limited editions.

Although the Ingenieur itself didn’t start its life in 1976 but in 1954-1955, it was the Ingenieur SL Jumbo Ref. 1832 that turned it into the integrated watch we mostly think of when hearing the name. It was Gérald Genta’s third foray into this segment, which he virtually created single-handedly with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in 1972 and followed up on with the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 1976. But where the Royal Oak and Nautilus relied on octagonal and square-ish shapes, the Ingenieur softened things a touch with its predominantly round profile. Throughout its life and multiple generations, it would welcome a range of complications, including a mechanical chronograph in 2005. For the full rundown on the Ingenieur’s history, I highly recommend the detailed story we published upon the return of the Ingenieur in 2023.

This latest generation of the IWC Ingenieur now welcomes two celebratory models on the occasion of the collection’s 50th anniversary. Using the Ingenieur Automatic 40 and Ingenieur Automatic 35 as the reference point, we get the same stainless steel case shape, with the signature bezel and functional screws. Out of the two, only the 40mm variant gets a soft-iron inner case and a closed caseback to help combat magnetic forces, a nod to the Ingenieur’s origins. The 35mm edition comes with a sapphire crystal caseback, yet both are rated at a water resistance of 100m.

For the dial, IWC shifts away from the grid-like pattern of the current Ingenieur line-up and instead goes for a vertically brushed silver-plated finish. Inspired by a rare variant of the Ingenieur SL Jumbo from the late 1970s, both are complemented by rhodium-plated applied hour markers and hands with Super-LumiNova inserts. Also shared between the two is the position of the date, revealed through a framed window at 3′. On the 40mm edition, this window only partially cuts into the 3 o’clock marker, instead of removing it altogether in the 35mm size.

Movement-wise, the two are split between the Calibre 32111 automatic for the 40mm size and the Calibre 47110 automatic for the 35mm size. The first runs at a rate of 28,800vph and delivers a rather impressive 120-hour (or 5 days) power reserve, something you don’t see too much in this category of watches. It has a pawl-winding system for increased efficiency and is covered by a solid caseback, as mentioned. The Calibre 47110 runs at the same frequency yet has a power reserve of 42 hours only. A view through the caseback reveals a gold-coloured central rotor and detailed finishing, including circular graining, blued screws and so on.

The IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 IW328910 and Ingenieur Automatic 35 IW324909 both come on the integrated three-link steel bracelet that we know from the standard collection. The pair is limited to 1,150 pieces each, and they retail for EUR 12,800 in 35mm or EUR 14,700 in 40mm.

For more information, please visit IWC.com.