There are so many watches vying for the attention of those in attendance at Watches & Wonders every year that brands must find it incredibly difficult to stand out from the pack. As one of the biggest watch events on the calendar, the pressure is really on for brands to get their wares noticed, which would help to explain why firms must be tempted to launch something outrageous, ridiculous, or downright gimmicky in an attempt to draw eyeballs their way. Not to say there’s anything wrong with that – one man’s gimmick is another man’s novelty, after all – but it’s impressive when a brand manages to make a real splash with something that’s refined and timeless, yet exciting and fresh. Enter IWC with its stunning new range of Ingenieur Automatic 40 timepieces, flanked by some new Pilot watches, which are always deserving of our attention.
Check out more of the best from Watches & Wonders 2023 below:
Best Watch Releases of Watches & Wonders 2023
New IWC Line-up for 2023 at a Glance
Our list of all the new IWC watches for Watches & Wonders 2023 goes as follows:
- Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Stainless Steel) – from AUD$17,300
- Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Titanium) – from AUD$21,700
- Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN ‘Oceana’ – from AUD$17,300
- Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN – from AUD$13,500
- Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 – AUD$33,400
- Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar – from AUD$49,500
Now, let’s jump on in and take a closer look at every IWC watch on that list to see precisely what we’re dealing with.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 | Image: IWC
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Stainless Steel)
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Movement Type: 32111 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power Reserve: 120 hours
Material: Stainless steel
Water resistance: 10 bar
Price: AUD$17,300
IWC’s heritage-inspired stainless steel Ingenieur Automatic 40 timepieces – making up three quarters of the new Ingenieur range – are among the very best watches we’ve seen during our time at Watches & Wonders 2023 (see their inclusion in our Best Watch Releases of Watches & Wonders 2023 – Part 1 for proof of that). Taking their cue from Gérald Genta’s ‘70s Ingenieur SL, IWC has used that original watch as a foundation on which to build and meticulously refine, optimising wearability through enhanced ergonomics and elevating the finishing and detail, resulting in a wonderfully modern, yet undeniably timeless piece of watchcraft.
Having had the chance to hold these in our hands, the thing that stood out to us most was the checkerboard pattern that adorns the dial. It’s an astonishing feature that plays constantly with the light and is undeniably effective whether you’re admiring the black, silver, or aqua model. That last one happens to be our clear favourite, as much for the unique-within-the-range use of satin and polished links in the bracelet as for the incredible dial itself.
Powered by the IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre with an automatic pawl winding system, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 range offers up a power reserve of 120 hours, while a soft-iron inner case keeps accuracy at a premium by protecting the movement from the effects of magnetic fields. Not only that, water-resistance to 10 bar (approximately 100 metres) reassures wearers that as stunning and elegant as they are to look at, these Ingenieur Automatic 40 timepieces are highly proficient sports watches at their core. It just so happens they’ll turn heads as readily at a dressed-to-the-nines event as they will at the beach.
Check out the Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Stainless Steel)
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 | Image: IWC
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Titanium)
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Movement Type: 32111 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Power Reserve: 120 hours
Material: Titanium
Water resistance: 10 bar
Price: AUD$21,700
By taking everything that makes the stainless steel Ingenieur Automatic 40 models extraordinary and adding titanium into the mix, IWC has crafted another exceptional timepiece.
Deploying the titanium grade 5 alloy would have been quite an undertaking. While it’s approximately 45 per cent lighter than steel and both rubust and easy on the skin, it’s notoriously difficult to machine, which means making a watch out of it takes a level of expertise that exceeds even that required for the aforementioned stainless steel models. So while the craftsmanship looks equal across all four Ingenieur Automatic 40 models, just know that this titanium model required that extra push from an engineering point of view.
Picking the titanium timepiece up, the difference in weight is stark, while the darker shade of the metal along with the watch’s grey dial create a handsomely monochromatic look that we imagine will suit just about any circumstance or ensemble. While our heart will always belong to the aqua dial with its satin and polished bracelet links, we can absolutely see that many will view this as the stand out model from the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 range.
Check out the Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Titanum)
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Oceana” | Image: IWC
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Oceana”
Diameter: 41.90 mm
Movement Type: 69380 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power Reserve: 46 hours
Material: Ceramic
Water resistance: 10 bar
Price: AUD$17,300
While the Ingenieur Automatic 40 range dominated IWC’s Watches & Wonders keynote this year, if you ask anyone remotely familiar with the world of watches about the brand, the word “Pilot” is almost certain to be the first thing that comes out of their mouth. And so in a move that shouldn’t really surprise anyone, IWC has a few newly refreshed models representing that signature aviation-themed range at its booth in Geneva.
Kicking things off is one half of a pair of watches that account for the brand’s first 41 mm Pilot’s Chronographs in ceramic. Dubbed “Oceana” due to the blue ceramic used to construct its case, this timepiece was developed in collaboration with Pantone – those people who, for all intents and purposes, own the very concept of colour – and drew inspiration for its colour from the overalls worn by the hard-working men and women of the U.S. Navy.
As you might expect, this timepiece takes the baton from 2022’s “The Colors of TOP GUN” range but does so with a slightly more compact size. The watch is powered by IWC’s in-house 69380 calibre, which the brand claims has been designed with the kind of robustness, reliability, and durability a pilot might expect, a consideration mirrored by the placement of stopped minutes at 12 o’clock to enhance readability.
Like the Ingenieur Automatic 40, the watch features a soft-iron inner case to protect its movement from the effects of magnetic fields, along with water resistance to 10 bar. All in all, a very practical but remarkably handsome timepiece, and one that’s likely to be very tempting to anyone still getting over how truly outstanding Top Gun: Maverick really was.
Check out the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Oceana”
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN | Image: IWC
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN
Diameter: 41.90 mm
Movement Type: 69380 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power Reserve: 46 hours
Material: Ceramic
Water resistance: 10 bar
Price: AUD$13,500
Our description of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN will likely be very short as you can take everything we said about the “Oceana” model above and apply it here, with the exception of its impressive navy finish.
Saying that, the Jet Black ceramic colourway is nothing to sniff at and should be immediately familiar to anyone who’s encountered previous TOP GUN outings from IWC as it’s been the signature material of IWC’s TOP GUN line since it first appeared 16 years ago. IWC claims the colour is by the technical components of supersonic jets, and while you could argue that colouring a watch black is a fairly common impulse anyway, it’s a cool way to think about it nonetheless.
With a black dial and black rubber strap completing the job started by the black case, this is a no-nonsense piece of military-inspired kit that looks every bit the part and then some.
Check out the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 | Image: IWC
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41
Diameter: 41.10 mm
Movement Type: 69385 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power Reserve: 46 hours
Material: Gold
Water resistance: 10 bar
Price: AUD$33,400
It was bound to happen sooner or later and now here we have IWC’s first Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 boasting a case made of 18-carat 5N gold. Paired with a sunray-finished green dial – a bit of green and gold always goes down a treat in ‘Straya – as well as gold hands with white luminescence and a green rubber strap, it certainly stands out amongst IWC’s Pilot’s Watch range.
While its colouring is undeniably unique, this is an IWC Pilot’s Watch through and through, thanks to the dial’s design, which packs the immediately recognisable and highly legible cockpit instrument design that has been the range’s calling card since its inception. These particular instruments are powered by the IWC-manufactured 69385 calibre, which consists of 242 parts and is visible through the timepiece’s sapphire glass case back.
For those on the lookout for an IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph offering something a little different, this gold number could be just your ticket to the danger zone (yes, we know this isn’t TOP GUN-branded, but the joke stands).
Check out the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar | Image: IWC
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar
Diameter: 46.20 mm
Movement Type: 52615 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar
Power Reserve: 168 hours (7 days)
Material: Stainless steel
Water resistance: 6 bar
Price: AUD$49,500
Finally, IWC is expanding its range of Perpetual Calendar models with this jolly green giant, which is the first time this complication has been made available in a stainless steel case matched with a dial in a shade of which Robin Hood would so clearly approve.
Technically called racing green – the superior green if ever there was one – it extends from the rubber strap to the sunray-sporting dial on which rhodium-plated hands turn in front of a number of displays. The date and power reserve can be found at 3 o’clock, a month display sits at 6 o’clock, and a weekday and small seconds display are located at 9 o’clock. The picture is completed with the positioning of the double moon phase display at 12 o’clock and IWC’s four-digit year display sitting just above 7 o’clock.
With this model’s diameter of 46.2 mm, IWC clearly hasn’t abandoned its larger timepieces in favour of its new 41 mm Pilot’s Watch Chronographs – impressive as they are – so it really is a case of something for everyone, which can only be a good thing.
