The Wind Up – Watch News #308

Welcome back to The Wind Up, our weekly series that takes you inside watchmaking’s most remarkable developments, highlighting the most notable watch releases of the last seven days. The year is almost at an end, but it seems that most of the watchmakers around the world have either forgotten about the pre-Christmas lull or their foot has yet to be taken off the pedal, so with that we have an exciting assortment of new watches for your perusal.

IWC came out of the blue with a new Ingenieur, Zenith went wild with its last DEFY Extreme, OMEGA’s Seamaster saw another iteration (and maybe the coolest yet), meanwhile Hublot went full exotic. Happy reading, gents, and have a brilliant week ahead.

IWC Ingenieur 40

• Brand: IWC
• Model: Ingenieur 40
• Reference Number: Ref. IW328907
• Diameter: 40mm
• Material: Stainless steel
• Movement: Calibre 32111
• Power Reserve: 120 hours
• Water Resistance: 100m
• Price: AUD$17,300 (USD$11,700)

To kick off the week, IWC unveiled its latest Ingenieur 40 model, now with a lovely blue dial. This model references the reincarnation of the esteemed Gérald Genta-designed model released last year, albeit with a beautiful blue grid-patterned dial. The dial pattern is a rather complicated process: it is stamped on a soft iron dial blank and then finished with PVD, creating that industrial metallic blue look.

The 40mm case, while not new in size, has been re-engineered with an additional middle-link attachment that IWC says will ensure “excellent wearability”, even on a slender wrist. As expected, the brand has messed with the formula too much outside of that, with the characteristic round bezel screwed onto the casing ring using the brand’s signature five polygonal screw system.

Inside, you’ll find the IWC-manufactured 32111 calibre, a movement that features a pawl winding system capable of building up a power reserve of 120 hours. As a complete package, the Ingenieur 40 definitely delivers. It’s a timepiece that IWC really should have released several years back—but be that as it may, there is no time like the present. Again, the Ingenieur 40 more than makes up for its late arrival to the party with its sound quality.

Zenith DEFY Extreme Jungle

• Brand: Zenith
• Model: DEFY Extreme Jungle
• Reference Number: Ref. 95.9202.9004/26.I001
• Diameter: 45mm 
• Material: Titanium
• Movement: El Primero 9004
• Power Reserve: 50 hours
• Water Resistance: 200m
• Price: CHF25,900 (Limited to 50 pieces)

Zenith unveiled the final piece in the trilogy of DEFY Extreme models inspired by extreme environments: the new DEFY Extreme Jungle. Limited to 50 pieces worldwide, the DEFY Extreme Jungle combines a striking aesthetic that draws inspiration from the jungle, with hues of green from the foliage and orange from perhaps the jungle’s most awe-inspiring and fearsome animal, the tiger.

On the note of the tiger, the DEFY Extreme Jungle’s titanium case features the Tiger’s Eye gemstone on the chronograph pusher protectors and bezel ring—a very nice addition that adds a touch of zing to the watch. As Zenith explained, each watch is unique due to the natural variations in this captivating gemstone with a golden to brown hue. The open sapphire dial is tinted in green and paired with tiger-coloured applied counters.

Powering the DEFY Extreme Jungle is old faithful, with Zenith opting to adorn this piece with the incredible El Primero 9004. A 1/100th of a second chronograph movement, the classic calibre delivers remarkable accuracy and reliability, and what’s more, it just looks outstanding.

OMEGA Seamaster Diver 300M 

• Brand: OMEGA
• Model: Seamaster Diver 300M 
• Reference Number: REf. 210.90.42.20.10xx
• Diameter: 42mm  
• Material: Titanium and bronze
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Calibre: Calibre 8806
• Power Reserve: 55 hours
• Price: From AUD$17,800 (CHF8,700)

OMEGA has been on a roll recently, and the seminal Swiss watchmaker isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. This week, OMEGA dropped yet another addition to the Seamaster Diver 300M no-date line, this time featuring a titanium case with a bronze-gold alloy bezel. With a few new details thoughtfully integrated into the classic design, the latest Seamaster Diver 300M reference is a really lovely bit of kit, especially if you’re opting for something a bit more exotic-looking. 

I really like the flat look of the green aluminium dial, which pairs well with the green aluminium insert on the bronze-gold bezel. It’s matte finished, again adding to that clean flat look, and is completed by indices and hands set with vintage Super-LumiNova. Some may not fancy the overly vintage-ish look of the new Seamaster Diver 300M, but I think it suits the model’s aesthetic remarkably well.

Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Arturo Fuente King Gold

• Brand: Hublot
• Model: Classic Fusion Chronograph Arturo Fuente King Gold
• Reference Number: 541.OX.8980.LR.OPX24
• Diameter: 42mm  
• Material: King Gold
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Calibre: HUB1153 (ETA 2892/A2 base)
• Power Reserve: 48 hours
• Price: From CHF36,900 (Limited to 50 pieces)

Finally, Hublot brings us the Classic Fusion Chronograph Arturo Fuente King Gold. The Maison partnered with the premium cigar maker Arturo Fuente to create the Classic Fusion Chronograph Arturo Fuente King Gold in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the OpusX, a cigar considered by many to be one of the finest in the world.

It features a design with intricate cigar-themed details throughout the King Gold case, as well as a gradient green dial with a sunray finish. The running-seconds sub-dial has the OpusX logo on it, while on the caseback there is an engraved and lacquered design commemorating the 25th anniversary of the OpusX.