Weekly Watch photo – IWC Ingenieur ref. 3227

This week we have an excellent treat for you. Stunning photos of one of the most beautiful models ever produced by IWC, the IWC Ingenieur reference 3227. 

In 2005 IWC introduced a new Ingenieur collection and this comprised of the Ingenieur Automatic (ref. 3227), a mid-size model (ref. 4515) and, for the first time in the Ingenieur collection, a mechanical chronograph (ref. 3725). There where also two version in titanium called AMG Edition. The photo is from Dimer, who also sent us a previous Weekly Watch Photo of the Ingenieur Laureus.

Dimer is eCommerce Manager at Ace Online Jewelers and also a crack with his camera. He put his Ingenieur in a box full of water, put that into the freezer and the next day he slowly defrosted the watch and made photos. A cool and daring experiment… Luckily it all worked out fine and the Ingenieur is still unharmed.

This model is unfortunately not in the Ingenieur collection anymore, but there’s a fair amount of used ones to be found at online trade websites like Chrono24. Seeing these photos make me realize how much I miss the Ingenieur Chronograph I used to own. I still like the typical Ingenieur style case and the beautiful integrated bracelet.

With it’s contemporary dimensions, 42.5 mm in diameter and 14.5 mm thick, it has a very masculine look and feel. I remember people commenting the weight of the Ingenieur, when it was launched, and it was considered as quite heavy with its 216 grams.

The size is not simply a result of design, but also due to the anti-magnetic shielding that is achieved by use of a soft-iron inner case. The dial is part of the antimagnetic protection and this creates a ‘Faraday cage’ protecting the movement against magnetic fields of up to 80,000 A/m (amperes per metre). The minimum (Swiss) requirement for antimagnetic watches is 4800 A/m.

Another factor that influenced the size is the movement, caliber 80110, that measures 30 mm in diameter and 7.20 mm in height. This mechanical movement features the Pellaton automatic winding mechanism and a shock-absorbing system (‘S-shape’ rotor bridge).

The sapphire crystal has anti reflective coating on both the inside and outside and the Ingenieur has a depth rating of 120 meters and it is also safe in low pressure which can cause displacement of the crystal in case of a fast decreased air pressure. Altogether a watch that not only has the looks, but also performs like a serious tool watch.