Pilot, Portugese, Ingenieur, Aquachronograph Da Vinci and Portofino are six legend styles of IWC since its birth. At the time of 140th anniversary. IWC Schaffhausen launches the vantage of these six watches, reshowing the charms of these old collections. Each version of these six watches all contain the original elements of each IWC watch nowadays.
Pilot hand-wound
As the first special watch for the still young, gruelling form of transport it already had almost all the important features on board. The modern interpretation of this mother of all IWC pilot's watches has the dial of the original, increased in size to that of the 44 mm case, a small seconds hand and a bidirectional adjustable rotating ring with the luminous triangle fitted from the inside. This vintage is with 98300 calibre hand-wound pocket watch movement. Large screw balance, Breguet balance spring. Nickel-plated and decorative three quarter plate made from nickel silver and the elongated index for easier precision adjustment of the active length of the balance spring, Sapphire crystal glass, and see-through back cover.
Portugese hand-wound
In 1939, as the first "wristwatch" it established the large size worn on the wrist that is very popular today. It was also the first to break the taboo of wearing a complete pocket-watch movement on one's arm. The case (44 mm) with its fluted bezel and slightly pulled down strap lugs is in keeping with the original. The Vintage Portuguese does differ from the original in that it has antireflective, crossed out sapphire glass over the dial. It is powered by the 98295-calibre that is almost identical to the Vintage Pilot's Watch movement: hand-wound, large screw balance, Breguet balance spring, nickel-plated silver three-quarter plate, pearled bridges decorated with Geneva stripes.
Ingenieur automatic
The Ingenieur Automatic of 1955: No watch has defined the "technical" profile of IWC quite like the Ingenieur, which was introduced in 1955 and which was the first watch to feature the IWC automatic movement developed by Albert Pellaton. With its pawl-winding system and the spring-mounted rotor, it has remained a benchmark for watch technology at the highest level - while retaining the ultimate degree of toughness.
This programmatic watch, which exemplifies the watch making engineering of the Schaffhausen manufacturer, launched IWC into the modern era. An icon of a quality consciousness handed down since 1868; it has remained in the product range under a number of guises.
In 1989, a legendary model, the Ingenieur 500,000 A/m, set a world record with its antimagnetic components for the resistance of a mechanical watch against the most extreme magnetic fields.
Half a century after its first appearance, IWC's watchmaking icon was fundamentally revised. That which more than 50 years ago ensured toughness and reliability in the Ingenieur - first as the 8531 and later as the 8541 calibre - today finds its logical evolution in the IWC-manufactured 80110 and 80111 calibre. The Ingenieur Automatic is equipped with this unit, which also drives the "new" Ingenieur, presented in 2005.
The vintage watch features a 42.5-millimetre case and one of the most stylish Ingenieur dials - with the point-stroke indices (the luminescent material forms the point) and the dauphine-style hands. This model is today a collector's rarity of the very highest order. The modern homage to this watch monument dispenses with the soft iron case of the original, thus affording an insight into the IWC-manufactured movement. With the antireflective, crossed out sapphire glass over the dial and the screw-in crown, the Vintage Ingenieur is water-resistant to 12 bar.
Aquatimer automatic
The Aquatimer Automatic of 1967: When IWC first took the plunge with its diver's watches, only a few pioneers such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau or Hans Hass had discovered the beauty but also the vulnerability of the underwater world. But they helped to arouse people's enthusiasm for these last paradises. For case makers in particular, manufacturing reliable watches for use under such extreme pressure conditions represented a challenge because when diving, the health or even the life of a diver depends on correct time management. IWC's answer was the first Aquatimer in 1967. This too was the first member in a successful family lineage.
And some of its technical features, such as the rotating inner bezel which is operated using a second crown, are today a typical characteristic of all of the current range of diver's watches from Schaffhausen. The Aquatimer Automatic in its 44-millimetre case is of course a diver's watch designed for underwater use, equipped with the pressure barriers and sealing systems of the modern Aquatimer watches - with a screw-in main crown and the self-sealing crown developed at IWC to adjust the rotating bezel, which improves handling owing to the fact that it is not screwed in. The clear dial design corresponds to that of the first generation of Aquatimer watches right down to the details, yet is more readable thanks to its new size. The pressure resistance is tested to 12bar. With the 80111-calibre movement, the Vintage Aquatimer is superbly powered - it is the same movement that drives the Ingenieur. And this was ultimately also the case in 1967. The 8541-calibre automatic movement, the toughest of its kind at that time, powered both of these heavy-duty watches, namely the Ingenieur and the Aquatimer. However, unlike the historical model, the Vintage Aquatimer has a see-through back cover.
Da Vinci automatic
The Da Vinci Automatic of 1969: Some people see in it a design challenge, whilst others regard it as the ultimate expression of the avant-garde.
The first watch from IWC to be named after the Renaissance genius proved to be a sensation at its premiere appearance at the trade fair in Basle, and in terms of its movement technology at any rate it heralded a revolution. Equipped with the first series-produced Beta 21 quartz movement, which had been developed jointly by several renowned Swiss watch manufacturers, in 1969/1970 it set new standards at least as regards accuracy. It measured time ten times more precisely than a tested chronometer movement.
A contemporary witness with great recognizability, today it is almost an exemplar of modernity once more. But to equip the Da Vinci Automatic with quartz movement would have contravened IWC's principles and technical requirements. It too is equipped with the IWC-manufactured 80111-calibre automatic movement, with the tried-and-tested Pellaton winding mechanism.
Portofino Hand-Wound
The Portofino family, established in 1984, was modeled exactly on its shape, thereby following on in the old tradition of elegant, reliable utility watches from IWC, frequently with a gold case. It represented the "satisfaction in wearing a small piece of gold on one's arm every day", as it was put on the occasion of its launch.
In the Vintage Portofino, this "positioning flaw" is remedied by the choice of the 98800-calibre Savonette movement. And through this, the lunar phase and seconds displays finally end up at their traditional places, at "12.00" and "6.00".
The display precision of the lunar phase has been increased considerably compared with Reference 5251, and now deviates from the actual lunar sequence by only one day in 122 years.
The lunar phase can moreover easily be corrected via the crown. The case size of 46 mm corresponds to that of the original. Antireflective, crossed out sapphire glass and sapphire glass back invite you to enjoy this magnificent new example of a typical IWC wrist pocket watch from all sides.
Six Legend Styles of IWC - The Recurrence of 140 Years' Brilliance
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