The Ingenieur was originally launched in 1944 and since then, it has experienced several changes and major redesigns throughout its life. Perhaps the most noticeable change, was the one presented in 1976. Trying to emulate the concept of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus, IWC hired Gerald Genta to give a facelift to the iconic Ingenieur. The new Ingenieur was included in IWC's SL 'Steel Line' Collection— further proof that the newly designed collection was intended to evoke the huge success of the Royal Oak as a luxury sports watch made of stainless steel and not precious metal. The Ingenieur logo with the thunderbolt passing across the word 'Ingenieur' resembles the thunderbolt commonly utilized to alert of the passing of an electric current. In the case of the watch it symbolizes the anti-magnetic properties of the inner soft iron casing protecting the movement.
IWC Ingenieur circa 1977. Photo: Frizzelweb
The Ingenieur Mission Earth launched in 2008 was designed to master extreme situations of any kind with a rugged and reliable IWC in-house movement fitted with an integrated shock absorber. The watch is protected against magnetic fields of up to 80,000 amperes per meter. The watch has a massive 46mm case and a power reserve of up to 44 hours. Watch is also available with a stainless steel bracelet.
