Why is 70s/80s IWC still an insiders' tip? People are loving their steel sports watches of the 1970s... but one little brand from Schaffhausen appears to be overlooked by most when it comes to the history of this genre. Importantly, IWC did not only have one collection, one interpretation of steel sport - there was a "club" of lineups launched in the mid 1970s. So let's have a closer look at their flagship - The IWC Ingenieur.

May 09, 2023

IWC Ingenieur SL Reference Guide - The Genta Design (1976-2001)

Marcus Siems @siemswatches
Collector, Author, Data Analyst

Why is 70s/80s IWC still an insiders' tip? People are loving their steel sports watches of the 1970s... but one little brand from Schaffhausen appears to be overlooked by most when it comes to the history of this genre. Importantly, IWC did not only have one collection, one interpretation of steel sport - there was a "club" of lineups launched in the mid 1970s. So let's have a closer look at their flagship - The IWC Ingenieur.

What would you think if I'd tell you that there's a 1970s Gerald Genta designed steel sports watch with a lower production volume than the Royal Oak 5402 and the Nautilus 3800? An integrated bracelet watch that was water-resistant to 120m and could withstand magnetic fields up to 1000 Gauss? So basically a chimera of all the great aspects of what people love about steel sports watches these days.

Yet, without the title most people wouldn't probably know what watch I'm even talking about. So let me introduce you to: the IWC Ingenieur

wristshot vintage 1980s IWC Ingenieur 3305 in Steel and Gold with black graph paper dial Drum roll ... ... The IWC Ingenieur SL! Here, seen on a wild wrist is a 1980s ref. 3305 iteration - in Steel and Gold with black graph paper dial and cal. 2250 Quartz movement. Photo @Goldammer.me.

1) The General Design

The goal of the Ingenieur lineup was to put forward a novel and quite useful "complication": anti-magnetic properties. A feature achieved through introducing a soft iron cage around the movement. A Faraday cage capable to easily withstand 80.000A/m, or ~1000 Gauss.

IWC introduced its Ingenieur line already in 1954 with their ref. 666^[1-2] - the same year Rolex introduced their solution to the problem, the 6541 Milgauss. In other words, IWC was clearly a figurehead of technical watchmaking at the time.

IWC Ingenieur ref. 666AD with white dial and date The Grandfather of the SL Ingenieur - the original ref. 666AD Ingenieur with white pie-pan dial and date. The bolt on the dial around the "Ingenieur" signature tells you what this collection has been all about. Photo @Goldammer.me.

But over time the Ingenieur lost a bit of popularity due to the introduction of another dress casual legend from IWC - the Yacht Club in 1967^[3] - and the beginning quartz crisis of the 1970s that meant a drastic change to accuracy-based mechanical watchmaking. As early as 1969 IWC intended to redesign their Ingenieur lineup^[4]. But it took another 5 years and the mind of a now mythical watch designer to really follow through with it.

In 1974, 20 years after its introduction, IWC hired freelancer Gerald Genta for the design of their new Ingenieur generation and several other designs^[1-2,4]. All these pieces were supposed to be part of the new SL (Steel Line) collection. Finally, the new Ingenieur was introduced to the market in 1976 as the reference 1832.

vintage 1970s IWC Ingenieur ref. 1832 Jumbo This here is one of the very few original Ingenieur ref. 1832 watches offered at Sotheby's London in 2020. The so-called "Jumbo" came in at a 38mm diameter and a lot of cool. Photo Courtesy of Sotheby's.

The design was tremendously different from everything we've seen before from IWC but of course from a modern perspective is extremely Genta-esque. An all steel, integrated bracelet, oversized steel sports archetype that's as modern today as it was in 1976.

The SL Ingenieurs came with a 38mm cushion-shaped case and with five holes in the bezel meant to screw it down (all of which randomly alligned). All of these pieces further sported date-windows, index-hands and baton hour makers. And one of the coolest design details - a "graph paper" dial texture on several of these pieces.

rare IWC Ingenieur ref. 3515 with white graph paper dial and leather strap The iconoclastic "graph paper" structure on the dial of so many Ingenieur SL pieces truly makes these references stick out. That's how IWC made clear that these pieces were meant for professional scientists. Rolex got the bolt seconds hand ... so you can decide who nailed it better? Photo @Goldammer.me.

2) The Different Generations

The reference 1832 has been the first of five generations of the vintage Ingenieur SL line: The "Jumbo" (1976-84), the "Skinny" (1983-86), the "Skinny 2.0" (1985-89), the "500.000A/m" (1989-92), and the "Officially Certified Chronometer" (1993-2001). All of which follow the design outlined by Genta and led to an illustrious 25 year production run, which didn't see too many of these legends produced.

Rotate Phone for better readability

Ref.	Caliber	Year	Production	Materials
1st Generation - "Jumbo"		1976-84	598
1832	8541ES	1976-84	543	Steel, Bicolor
9232	8541ES	1977-79	55	18k YG
1st & 2nd Generation - "Jumbo" Quartz		1976-85	380 + 209
3003	2405 (ETA)	1976-79	335	Steel, Bicolor
9503	2405	1976-79	45	18k YG
3303	2250	1980-85	149	Steel, Bicolor
9701	2250	1980-84	56	18k YG
9720	2250	1983	4	18k YG with diamonds
2nd Generation - "Skinny" Quartz		1981-87
3305	2250 (ETA)	1981-87		Steel, Bicolor
3315	2250	1983-87		Steel, Bicolor on Strap
9703	2250	1982-84		18k YG
2nd Generation - "Skinny"		1983-86
3505	375 (ETA 2892)	1983-85		Steel, Bicolor
3515	375	1983-85		Steel, Bicolor on Strap
9225	375	1983-84		18k YG
3rd Generation - "Skinny"		1985-89	800
3506	3753x (ETA 2892-A)	1985-89	800*	Steel, Bicolor
3516	3753x	1985-89	800*	Steel, Bicolor on Strap
9230	3753x	1985-86	800*	18k YG
4th Generation - "500.000 A/m"		1989-92	1415
3508	37590 (ETA 2892-A2)	1989-92	955	Steel (614), Bicolor (341)
3518	37590	1989-92	327	Steel (158), Bicolor (42), YG (102), WG (25) - on Strap
9238	37590	1989-92	137	18k YG
9258	37590	1989-92	7	18k YG with diamonds
5th Generation - "Officially Certified"		1993-01
3521	887 (JLC 889)	1993-01		Steel, Bicolor
3522	887	1993-96		Steel, Bicolor
9239	887	1993-01		18k YG
9259	887	1993-01		18k YG with diamonds

Table 1. Overview of IWC Ingenieur SL timepieces between 1976-2001^[1]. The asterisk indicates that the overall production for 3rd generation is estimated at around 800 pieces, split up into the different references.

2.1) 1st Generation aka the "Jumbo"

The specs. We've discussed the general design and layout of the 1832 and its golden sibling 9232 already. But there are a few more details to mention. The first series, both automatic and with quartz movement, were a lot larger than the later iterations: 38mm diameter with 12.5mm height and 155g of best teutonic steel (to steal the proverb from @Hairspringwatches). It was water-resistant to 120m and could withstand 80.000A/m (or about 1000 Gauss).

The movement. These early automatic Jumbo Ingenieurs are also the only ones still featuring an in-house movement (The Quartz as well as later models all come with a modified ETA- or JLC-movement). The caliber 8541ES was based on the cal. 8541B but came with amagnetic alloys for the mainspring and parts of the lever.

1970s IWC dealer sheet for the ref. 9232 Ingenieur A 1980 official dealer's sheet with all the information about the watches within the catalogue at the time. Here, you can see the extract from the Ingenieur ref. 9232 in 18k gold. Interestingly, ref. 9232 was only water-resistant to 60m. Photo Courtesy of Frizzelweb.

The price. It's interesting to see for how much these pieces sold at retail at the time. The standard Jumbo in steel cost about $2370 in 1979 (both Quartz & Automatic). The bicolored models came in already at $4345. But for the 18k full golden ref. 9232 you needed some serious dough: A whopping $15.520. In comparison - in 1980 a Rolex Milgauss ref. 1019 cost about $725 and a Submariner 1680 in 18k gold about $8950^[5]. There might be a reason probably less than 1000 1st Gen Jumbo Ingenieurs were ever produced/sold.

2.2) 2nd Generation aka the "Skinny"

The specs. In 1981 IWC introduced the second iteration of the Ingenieur SL. First, with Quartz movements and in 1983 finally with the automatic cal. 375 as well. The 2nd generation lost a lot of heft in comparison to the 1832 - these 2nd Gen pieces (and all the later once) came at only 34mm diameter, 8.8mm height and weighing only around 105g^[1]! Hence, these pieces were donned the "Skinny Ingenieur". However, the reduction in size also led to a reduction in anti-magnetic properties as the 2nd (and 3rd) generation were "merely" resistant to 40.000A/m (500 Gauss).

IWC Ingenieur ref. 3505 with white graph paper dial from Watchurbia A 2nd generation Ingenieur ref. 3505 with white graph paper dial from 1982. Slight differences to earlier executions are further visible in the hour marker and hand design. Photo Courtesy of Watchurbia.

The production. It's very hard to say how many 2nd generation Ingenieur SL watches have been produced but according to research and availability it's likely below the overall production of the 3rd generation (~800 pieces).

The bracelet. With the introduction of the second generation automatic Ingenieur SLs (well actually with the Jumbo Quartz ref. 3003) came an update to the bracelets of the collection. The Type I bracelet featured flat interlinks, which changed to raised Type II interlinks.

Comparison of vintage IWC Ingenieur bracelet types Comparison of Type I (left) and Type II (right) bracelet executions. Type I features rather flat and rounded interlinks, while Type II interlinks are raised on a rectangular base. Seen here on a ref. 1832 and ref. 3508. Photos Courtesy of IWC Schaffhausen.

2.3) 3rd Generation aka the "Skinny 2.0"

The difference. Well, the "Skinny 2.0" is indeed extremely similar to the original "Skinny". And at first glance these two are pretty much the same watch. The differences are hidden for once under the hood. The Skinny comes with an ETA-2892 ebauche and the 2.0 with an updated ETA-2892-A. Secondly, on the dial - the later ref. 3506 dials were signed "Swiss Made" while the earlier 3505 "Swiss" only (but that's not exactly a rule as some later 3505 might also feature a "Swiss Made" dial).

pair of vintage 1980s IWC Ingenieur watches ref. 3505 & 3506 For the direct comparison - a white dial ref. 3505 with "Swiss" only signature (right) and a later black graph paper dialed ref. 3506 with "Swiss Made" (left). Photo Courtesy of Watchurbia.

2.4) 4th Generation aka the "500.000 A/m"

The frontier. The fourth generation is when it gets extremely interesting again! While the "Skinnys" have been a bit of a light version Ingenieur, IWC went really big with their next iteration. Imagine Amagnetic on steroids. IWC invited metallurgy specialists Prof. Steinemann and Dr. Straumann (I must say THE most German sounding academic names) to help develop a super antimagnetic watch in the mid-80s^[3].

The result of their research was a novel nobium-zirconium alloy hairspring, which led to an improved certified magnetic resistance up to 500.000 A/m (or 6250 Gauss, 0.625 Tesla). According to IWC archives and internal testing the watch was still fully functional at 3.7Mio A/m (or 4.65 Tesla)^[4]. To put this into perspective: the earth magnetic field has a strength of ~0.0005 Tesla. Most modern medical MRIs got 1.5 Tesla and your standard junkyard electromagnet - you know the thing that pulls up cars - got about 1 Tesla. These watches would still hold time while glued - together with you - up in the air on one gigantuous magnet.

Flatlay of a vintage 1990s IWC Ingenieur ref. 3508 500.000 A/m IWC was so proud of their achievement that they engraved to the flank of the case "500.000 A/m". Photo ref. 3508, Courtesy of Hairspring Watches.

The origin. It's safe to say that IWC didn't launch a watch with such otherworldly specs for civilian purposes alone. Originally these pieces were designed for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr, see also Ocean AMAG ref. 3519). German mine divers needed the extreme shielding to not tamper with electromagnetic fields from said mines^[6].

The movement. As with previous iterations the 500.000A/m featured an ETA ebauche (2892-A2) even though one that's been modified beyond recognition. It sported a 21k golden rotor and mentioned nobium-zirconium hairspring inside the soft iron Faraday cage. An interesting side note is that the alloy was so costly to produce and process that IWC actually lost money on each 3508 they sold^[6]... which kinda makes these pieces one of the coolest financial disasters in watch making history.

wristshot of a vintage 1990s IWC Ingenieur bicolor 3508 with grey dial Losing money has rarely been so sexy... great job IWC. Photo of a bicolor ref. 3508 with grey dial, Courtesy of Watchurbia.

2.5) 5th Generation aka the "Officially Certified Chronometer"

The smart step. After the financial setback from the 3508 IWC still held on to the Ingenieur lineup. The brand wanted it to be a special and very professional timepiece. With the introduction of the ref. 3521 in 1993 IWC tried to make the Ingenieur both professional and profitable at the same time. How? With COSC certification.

vintage 1990s IWC Ingenieur ref. 3521 in white with Loupe Date The ref. 3521 comes with a JLC cal. 889 - with COSC certification - as indicated by the "Officially Certified" signature on the dial at 6o'clock. These later skinny (34mm) Ingenieurs further sported a loupe date at 3o'clock. Photo Courtesy of Watchurbia.

The movement. IWC brought in a new movement generation from the watchmaker of watchmakers Jaeger-LeCoultre^[1-2]: The ultra-thin JLC cal. 889 - the same caliber that also ticks inside several AP Royal Oak Day-Date (& Moonphase) models of the 1980s and 90s^[7]. And to further improve the amagnetic properties the rotor was made from 950 platinum!

Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 889 with platinum rotor inside an IWC 3521 Ingenieur. Photo Courtesy of Watchurbia.

The improvements. After some cost reduction in earlier "Skinny" SL variants (aside the 3508 of course) the ref. 3521 was finally back to its old professional specs with both 120m water resistance and 80.000A/m magnetic resistance - THE feature that made these pieces so great in the first place. COSC certification definitely comes in handy here as well. All in all definitely a worthy last vintage Ingenieur SL iteration... well, you saw it coming: The collection was canned in 2002.

3) The Conclusion

Overall, the Ingenieur in its SL execution is at the same time a cornerstone and a side note of modern steel sports watches. IWC saw their niche in the amagnetic "complication" of watchmaking and made some tremendous developments in the field. With the all-out anti-magnetic ref. 3508 and its cutting edge hairspring technology IWC overtook the rest of the field by over 10 years: Rolex introduced their nobium balance (called Parachrom) only as recent as in 2000^[8].

IWC skinny Ingenieur refs 3505, 3506 and 3521 with bright dials The "Skinny" triplet of references 3505 (left), 3506 (middle) and 3521 (right) with white and grey dials. Photo Courtesy of Watchurbia.

With all its over-engineered madness and the clear modernist and industrial lines of the Genta design the Ingenieur SL line has everything a modern favorite needs and more. Putting the numbers togethers we can probably estimate the total output of automatic Ingenieur SL timepieces is less than 5000-6000 pieces. This makes it even rarer than Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak ref. 5402... adding scarcity to the pros as well.

I guess it won't be a sleeper for long as more and more people start to appreciate this odd chunk of teutonic steel. I honestly can't wait for these timepieces to get the love they deserve - and ultimately vintage IWC to claim their rightful spot as one of the most influential watch manufacturer of the 20th Century.

A big thank you goes to Sebastian and his team at Watchurbia for his insights and his invaluable library of catalogues, information and visual guidance.