‘Graph Paper’ Dial 3505 IWC Ingenieur SL

This is one of those rare occasions where a watch probably feels familiar, but isn’t. The ref. 3505 is an Ingenieur very like the ref. 3506 or 500K A/m 3508, but isn’t. It’s the older, lesser-known brother, a Luke Hemsworth of IWC. The 3505 is the very first iteration of the midsized Ingenieur. It still sports the desirable ‘graph paper’ dial texture, which is more subtle in white, but has a few distinguishing touches like a Swiss only signature, slightly distinct dials, and it was first to debut the calibre 375 which was just 4mm tall. That and its thinner case meant it was first to garner the nickname ‘Skinny’ Ingenieur, or as I call it the Skinny Ingy. It was made in mechanical and quartz for just two years and you’d have have quite the eye to easily distinguish it from the latter 3506.

That calibre 375 was modified ETA 2892 base. Shortly after release, ETA debuted the new and smaller 2892-2, which led IWC to redesign a few details. Reference numbers and a few details changed over as well, leading the first midsized Ingy to be also one of the smallest in overall production. It’s not a vast difference to the latter 3506, but the first of anything has a way of becoming collectible all its own. It’s still water resistant to 12 ATM, a-mag to 40000 A/m, and Germanic in design. Perhaps the 3505 is mostly remembered as blazing the path for the highly technical 3508, which does tend to steal headlines; it’s a bit like the earliest ETA Black Bays to the 58s which came later. But like the ETA Black Bay, it’s a very lovable, significant, and attractive reference in its own right worth underscoring here.

IWC’s re-release of the Genta jumbo SL has seen quite a bit of attention shone on the vintage or neo more alternative Ingenieurs in the last year or so. The 3508 and 9240 we have in became our most clicked Exclusives by a country mile after Watches and Wonders. And then friend of Hairspring @siemswatches put together an excellent guide and bit of scholarship cataloguing all early references and their story. Anyone who’s been in watches for awhile has seen the cycle of attention preceding scholarship, then market interest. I’m not a speculator and that’s never my intention here, to be clear. I’m just warning our beloved community of people who just love great watches here that these might not be so accessible in the near term. This one particular. If this were an Anitquorum lot, it would be called a 1 of 1 with its own nickname. Because it’s the only example in memory which by some miracle has a perfectly aligned bezel (the bezel holes here are for grip to be screwed down, not bolts or screws, so it’s luck of the draw where they wind up). I jest, it’s just a detail worth noting, one of the many charming quirks of the early Skinny Ingy.

This example is in strong vintage shape. The case has seen a polish but does still have beveled edges present. Its dial has mild patina in sections, but is overall very well-aged. Tritium is all present and looks to be an even cream in the very tiny applications that exist here. All printed scripts are great. It comes reasonably priced from a well-regarded German retailer, watch only.