Of everything in IWC Schaffhausen's catalogue, the Ingenieur is the one with the most locked-down design language: five screws through the bezel, an integrated bracelet (that hasn't fundamentally changed its brief since the 1970s), and the signature “Grid” pattern on the dial.
Famously designed by Gerald Genta in 1976, during one of the greatest creative runs by any watch designer – the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and, of course, IWC Ingenieur SL – today’s iteration has benefitted from a confident position from the Swiss luxury watchmaker; seemingly unafraid to introduce bold and vibrant colourways to its most revered collection.
We first saw it in the Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Ref. IW328903), introduced with an incredibly tasteful aqua dial across one of the Swiss manufacture’s larger profiles. It certainly turned heads then, showing a brand so confident with a collection and its market position that it’s willing to pull further levers of creativity and design.
IWC then went one further in 2025, debuting a limited release of the Ingenieur Automatic 40 (Ref. IW328908) with a striking green dial and gold accents during the award-winning run of the F1 movie.
Naturally, it went viral on Brad Pitt’s wrist during one of the on-track shooting days and, of course, on screen after the final release. But you’d have a better chance of lining up on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix than finding one in an IWC boutique.
Clearly, colour is the currency of the day. And IWC’s latest release shows no sign of slowing down.
RELATED: FIRST LOOK: IWC's New 'Space Qualified' Watch For The Modern Astronaut
Presented in the smallest entry point of the modern Ingenieur, today’s 35mm iteration arrives with the brand’s boldest face yet – a bright, vibrant, blue that IWC is calling “Pool” – I’m sensing a theme here.
Of course, Genta's 1976 design language is still all there, largely untouched for 50 years: the bezel's five functional screws, satin-finished with a polished outer edge; the signature "Grid" dial pattern. Only this time, its lines and squares are now rendered in Pool rather than steel-grey or gold.
Furthermore, instead of a limited-release tied to a movie’s theatrical run, it's a standing addition to the line, sitting alongside silver, black, and gold as a fully-fledged, ongoing option for Australia’s avid collecting market.
At its heart, the IWC is powered by the in-house Caliber 47110 – an automatic movement running at 28,800 vph (4Hz) with 23 jewels and a 42-hour power reserve. Unlike its 40mm siblings, today’s 35mm release is finished with circular graining and Geneva stripes and visible through a sapphire caseback – a neat detail in a smaller package.
Priced at $16,800, it’s just the sixth reference in the 35mm line (first seen at Watches & Wonders 2025), joining steel-and-silver, steel-and-black, full 18-karat gold, a diamond-set gold bezel version, and deep blue.
