The Breitling Watch Blog

IWC Watches have always held a special place for me… they have that men’s no-nonsense thing going on, and really make a nice, simple functional watch. They are the only company that is a manufacture and also makes many watches that suit my personal style. However, I do not own any of them. Why? Because they are simply too small.

I draw the line at 42mm. I do not buy any watches smaller than 42mm anymore simply because I won’t wear them. I still have some, such as my Navitimer and Chronomat that are under 42mm, and I wear the Navi, but not the Chronomat. IWC’s watches at their largest were 43mm with the Ingenieur, and that just simply did not cut it. I believe their Aquatimer Cousteau edition also was a bit larger like 44mm or something, but did not fancy paying the premium for it.

I’ve always wanted an IWC with their Manufacture movement, which is why I liked the 42mm Portuguese with the seven day power reserve. The Ref 5001. Caliber 50010 IWC movement.

Enter the IWC Big Ingenieur
A 45.5mm Ingenieur with a power reserve indicator. Utilizing a Calibre 51112 Movement also with a seven day power reserve! Wow. My dream watch.

Very nice. Utilizing the IWC Pellaton winding system, and … in case you missed it.. 7 day power reserve! This is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) automatic movements in production. Watch comes on Rubber or Crocodile, and not stainless in this size unfortunately.

I might have to settle for the new 44mm Ingenieur Automatic on steel, but only if they add a Chronograph to it. It looks a bit too plain without any subdials. The 44mm Ingenieur does not have the seven day movement, unfortunately!

Price on the Big Ingenieur is around $11,000.

Oh well… I guess you can’t have it all, right?

The International Watch Company (IWC) has signed NBA Superstar Tony Parker as their new Brand Ambassador. Parker, who recently married beautiful actress Eva Longoria earlier this month, is now not only a 3-time NBA Championship winner, but the ambassador of one of the most sought-after men’s brands in Swiss Watches.

Parker left his native France to join the San Antonio Spurs in 2001, and has been named tournament MVP as well as participating in several NBA All-Star games.

Here’s what Tony has to say:
“I’m very excited to partner with IWC. I appreciate the design and craftsmanship of their watches. Also as First Ambassador to the Make A Wish Foundation in France, I’ve come to really appreciate the charitable enterprises that companies take on. In this area, IWC stood out – their involvement in social responsibility initiatives such as the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which helps underprivileged youth around the world really impressed me.”

This is a great move by IWC to expand their already fast-growing US Market. Being of French decent, this also benefits IWC’s European market, a smart decision by the company.

IWC is set to launch a new watch in a few weeks at SIHH in Geneva. It will be using an in-house IWC designed Movement, the Cal. 89360. It will be a beautiful and very large 43mm wide Tonneau shaped case, available in Platinum, Rose Gold, White Gold and Stainless Steel.

I’ve always been a fan of IWC, especially of their Aquatimer, GST and Portugese Lines. These is a fairly radical style for IWC, but looks very nice. Hopefully it is a popular model for them.

Case: 43mm
Strap: 24/18mm
Movement: In-house Caliber 89360.
Movement highlights:
-Column wheel switching
-68 hour power reserve with single barrel mainspring
-Free sprung balance with 4 adjustable weights
-Flyback function
-Improved Pellaton winding system with 4 pawls (instead of 2).
-Winding efficiency improved by 30%.
-Integrated 60 minute and 12 hour counter.