IWC Ingenieur IW3540-001
The first Ingenieur, from 1954, was a thick, solid timepiece, and incorporated the new calibre 852 mechanism with the Pellaton winding system. Albert Pellaton, an IWC watchmaker and engineer, had designed a method of winding the mainspring bi-directionally using an oscillating rotor that had excellent built in shock protection. The Pellaton system was also considerably more reliable and wear-resistant than the other winding methods used.
Bearing in mind that the period Submariner, released the year before, was water-resistant to one hundred metres, and it comes as a surprise that the Ingenieur was too. But that little talent was obscured by its main skill; the ability to resist magnetic fields up to 80,000 A/m. This magnetic resistance has been the core DNA of the Ingenier ever since in this watch designed for engineers.
The Ingenieur remained much the same until the 1970’s when the flagship IWC model underwent a bold and quite drastic makeover. Gone was the standard round case and gone where the traditional lugs – with the design brilliance of Gerald Genta, the Ingenieur was reborn. The solid, integrated bracelet made the watch heavy and well-engineered, but it also made it expensive. The watch didn’t sell very well, and fizzled out from the top rankings of IWC’s seller’s list. It wasn’t until 2005 that the next Ingenieur was to be seen.
Right before the end of the 70’s Ingenieur, a very limited number of perpetual calendar Ingenieurs were made using the newly developed IWC mechanism. The Ref. 3540, in gold, was one of the last to feature Genta’s original styling, and the first, alongside the Da Vinci, to feature the perpetual calendar. Its rarity and inventive aesthetics make it a real joy to see, and the gold case and brown leather strap give a unique class on the wrist.
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- Manufacturer: IWC
- Range: Ingenieur
- Model: IW3540-001
- Age: 1991 (21 years old)
- Gender: Gents
- Case: Yellow Gold
- Bracelet: Crocodile - Brown
- Size (MM): 34
- Dial: White Baton