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3521 IWC Ingenieur
Despite all the admiration, scholarship, and even Jack Forster’s article in the last year, the 3521 remains an alternative and yet-to-be-fully-appreciated modern classic. Whatever it means precisely to be a modern classic, I know not. But it seems to me as if the category were invented for these Ingenieurs. This is a Germanic chunk of perfectly proportioned Genta steel which was aburdly over-engineered and handsome in equal measure. And yet, they trade hands for a fraction of their period competitors. For us, that is no bad thing.
![3521-IWC-Ingenieur](https://hairspring.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Hero-138.jpg)
The 3521 also incorporates a quite serious 40,000 A/m antimagnetic rating, which is one of the most useful attributes a vintage watch can possess for the modern world. This was accomplished in part through an iron cage and partly through a niobium-zirconium balance, well before Rolex’s similar Parachrom. And yet, despite that cage, the case proportions are entirely natural. This is thanks to a calibre 8872 (a JLC 889 ébauche) whose ultra-thin profile remains impressive even today.
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Many overlook the 3521 simply for its size, a discreet 34mm. The 40mm Genta Ingenieur SL Jumbo struggled to sell in period and many preferred this case back then. Have wrists truly grown that significantly since the 80s? I suspect not. This is a matter of taste and, to some degree, confidence. It is not my place to suggest a correct watch size for anyone. I only urge consideration if this case is anywhere near your appetites. As a man with large wrists, I have had the opportunity to try on a 3521. Despite what I initially thought to be diminutive proportions, I fell in love. I suspect that may be more the rule than the exception where this reference is concerned.
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This example weighs in with moderate wear across its case, but full proportion. The black dial shows little wear and its tritium is perfectly aged. The watch comes without box/papers from a well-regarded retailer.
Find this 3521 here from A Collected Man for 6250 GBP.