A Legacy Of Creative Genius

IWC presents the new Ingenieur Automatic 40, which revisits the iconic and now sought-after Ingenieur SL "Jumbo" created in the '70s by famed watch designer Gérald Genta.

- Allyson Klass

Reference 666, IWC's very first Ingenieur (German or French for engineer) model, was introduced in 1955. Although the design featured a modest round case with a simple dial, it was the first anti-magnetic wristwatch targeted at professionals exposed to high magnetic fields, such as engineers, technicians, chemists, pilots and doctors. Acting like a Faraday shield that blocks electromagnetic influences, an inner case of soft iron effectively protected the movement against magnetic field disturbances by preventing sensitive components from becoming magnetised, which would affect the watch's accuracy.

A project was launched in 1969 create a more robust Ingenieur by integrating a shock protection system, as well as a new case to emphasise the watch's technical character. The first prototypes were produced in 1970 and 1971, but none met the manufacture's strict quality standards after failing its rigorous impact tests. IWC then looked beyond the manufacture for a designer.

At the time, Gérald Genta was a freelance watch designer, who had earlier created a steel chronograph for the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer in 1967, but the project was never realised. IWC then commissioned Genta with the creation of the new Ingenieur, and in 1974, the Genevan designer delivered sketches of a striking new watch.