IWC’s Sumptuous Ingenieur Novelties: Hands On at Watches and Wonders 2025

Looking around the IWC Schaffhausen booth at Watches and Wonders 2025, it couldn’t be clearer that the Swiss maison is very excited about its close partnership with the forthcoming F1 movie starring Brad Pitt. From a pair of Formula 1 cars on display—showing the before and after of an on-track incident—to an enormous visage of the Hollywood leading man, F1 and the Pilot timepieces that come branded with Pitt’s’s fictional APXGP (Apex GP) team logo are everywhere you look. 

However, despite IWC’s array of impressive film-associated watches—and they are impressive—what really caught my eye at this year’s convention was the new novelties in the form of the brand’s elegant Ingenieur line. Despite its origins as a watch designed specifically for engineers by Gérald Genta, a range of new material, colour, and sizing combinations means it has never been more likely that there’s an Ingenieur that’s just right for you. 

Fortunately, I was able to get my greasy paws on a bunch of them, so read on to discover my top picks from IWC’s delightful new Ingenieur range. 

Ingenieur Automatic 40 in 18-Carat 5N Gold

• Movement: 32111 Calibre
• Case: 18 ct 5N gold
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Height: 10.4 mm
• Dial: Black
• Crystal: Anti-reflective coated sapphire
• Bracelet: 18 ct 5N gold
• Caseback: See-through sapphire glass
• Power Reserve: 120 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$71,700

Okay, we’re clearly setting the bar very high right out of the gate here, but this watch is hard to pass by. A stunning update to the Ingenieur Automatic 40 introduced in 2023, this piece’s gold case and bracelet paired with the black dial look more luxurious than any photo can convey. 

Picking it up, the first thing you notice is the weight. Whenever you handle a gold watch, you always expect a certain amount of heft, but here, thanks to the the case and case back ring, bezel, crown protection, crown itself, and bracelet links all being made of gold, it feels particularly pronounced. 

As someone who doesn’t buy into the philosophy that watches should be light enough that you don’t notice them until you need them—and if I’m paying gold-watch prices, I want to be able to tell I’m getting the real thing—it’s very satisfying. On the wrist, it feels even better, with the weight of the integrated gold bracelet feeling like a firm hug. 

It looks the business, too. The solid gold appliques and gold-plated hands really shine alongside the black dial’s signature basket-weave pattern, while the five functional screws holding the bezel in place give it a hint of the industrial, which acts as a welcome counterbalance to the luxury of the materials. 

The luxury continues inside, with the 32111 Calibre boasting circular Geneva stripes, blued screws and a gold-plated oscillating weight. This automatic movement delivers 120 hours of power reserve, is constructed from 163 components, and boasts 21 jewels. It’s a fittingly premium engine for such a wonderfully polished watch. 

From its stunning gold construction to that immaculate black dial, this incarnation of the Ingenieur Automatic 40 feels genuinely special. If you get a chance to give it a closer look, I suggest you take it.  

Ingenieur Automatic 42 in Black Ceramic

• Movement: 82110 Calibre
• Case: Ceramic
• Diameter: 42 mm
• Height: 11.5 mm
• Dial: Black
• Crystal: Anti-reflective coated sapphire
• Bracelet: Black ceramic
• Caseback: See-through sapphire glass
• Power Reserve: 60 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$30,000

You couldn’t find more contrast within the Ingenieur range than by comparing this watch with the one we just discussed. It should go without saying, but the use of ceramic here makes for an entirely different experience than the gold. A larger, darker timepiece, the Automatic 42 is like the B-2 bomber of the Ingenieur range.  

All-black watches are rarely my cup of tea, but this is a piece that demands your respect. As mentioned, it’s crafted using ceramic (black zirconium oxide ceramic, to be precise) and represents the first time the Gérald Genta-derived integrated bracelet design has been executed in this hard-wearing, scratch-resistant material. If you expect your Ingenieur to take some punishment, this might be the one for you. More impressively, the difficult-to-harness ceramic has been finished with a combination of satin-finishing, sandblasting, and polishing that looks outstanding.

Again, we have the signature basketweave pattern on the dial, which helps to break up the black, despite being entirely that shade. The way it catches the light almost acts as a circuit-breaker on the monochrome aesthetic. 

Of course, the watch’s black hands and metal markers are filled with Super-LumiNova. As such, they glow slightly menacingly against the black backdrop—to be clear, I mean to suggest they do this in a cool way—and said hands are powered by the 82110 Calibre movement, which offers 60 hours of power reserve. 

If you forced my hand and I had to choose, I’d have to go with the 40-mm model above, but that’s a personal preference and in no way am I throwing shade at this outstanding watch. If you’re after a black Ingenieur, you’ll be waiting a long time to do better than this.

Ingenieur Automatic 40 Green Dial

• Movement: 32111 Calibre
• Case: Stainless steel
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Height: 10.7 mm
• Dial: Green
• Crystal: Anti-reflective coated sapphire
• Bracelet: Stainless steel
• Caseback: See-through sapphire glass
• Power Reserve: 120 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$19,800

Maybe it’s the patriot in me, maybe it’s the Geneva champagne, but as an Aussie I just can’t go past the green-and-gold styling of this beauty. 

This watch is where the Ingenieur range and the connection with Brad Pitt’s F1 film cross over. Inspired by a bespoke watch worn by Brad Pitt’s character in F1—itself a collaboration between IWC and Pitt’s personal jeweller based on a historical Ingenieur—this watch takes the green dial of that timepiece and places it in the immaculate setting of a modern 40-mm Ingenieur. 

This watch looks sensational in person, so it’s a shame it’s limited to just 1,000 pieces — get in quick if you have the AUD$20k handy. That green is an outstanding shade; a softer, far more natural take on the colour than you often see. 

The watch is also very comfortable on the wrist, thanks in part to the integrated bracelet and its butterfly folding clasp. Plus, I feel the comfort is further enhanced by the 40-mm sizing, which I believe to be the Ingenieur’s sweet spot. 

Whether you’re a proud Australian or simply have a fondness for the pairing of green and gold, this limited-edition Ingenieur will likely be a highlight of Watches and Wonders 2025 for you, as it should be. 

Finally, anyone else surprised Brad Pitt has a personal jeweller? Just me? Okay. 

Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41

• Movement: 82600 Calibre
• Case: Stainless steel
• Diameter: 41.6 mm
• Height: 13.3 mm
• Dial: Blue
• Crystal: Anti-reflective coated sapphire
• Bracelet: Stainless steel
• Caseback: See-through sapphire glass
• Power Reserve: 60 hours
• Water-Resistance: 100 metres
• Price: AUD$57,000

Finally, I can’t wrap this up without talking about the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar. This blue-dialled delight is the firm’s first stainless steel model to combine the Gérald Genta-inspired Ingenieur design with the perpetual calendar as developed by Kurt Klaus. It’s both sophisticated and very very handsome. 

Turning your eyes to the dial, it still features that basket-weave pattern, but here it’s interrupted by three subdials boasting a very attractive sunray finish. Said subdials enable the watch to display the date, day of the week, month, and moon phase on the dial, and in a world that contains watches with up to 41 complications, that seems elegantly restrained.

On the wrist, it feels slightly more unwieldy than the 40-mm model, but I’ve already planted my flag for that particular size. Naturally, your mileage may vary and there’s every chance this timepiece is the perfect size for you. Either way, the fault is with my wrist and not with this fantastic watch.

And that’s it! Those four are my personal favourites from IWC’s Ingenieur offering at Watches and Wonders 2025. There are plenty more, including some rather lovely 35-mm models — a gold example of which can be seen in the image at the top of this article, while another is the black-dialled beauty directly above.

Be sure to check out the full IWC offering from Watches and Wonders 2025—including the F1 Pilot watches in all their black-and-gold splendour—via the link below.