1832 IWC Ingenieur SL

Vintage-IWC-Ingenieur-SL

The original Ingenieur has not been bettered. Released in the same year as the 3700 Nautilus, it is the overlooked third Genta album of the 1970s integrated steel sports splashdown. But unlike the 5402 or 3700, this was at its (iron) core an antimagnetic watch. And so it’s not really the exact same category, it’s…

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3508 IWC Ingenieur 500K A/m

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In the release of IWC’s latest Ingenieur, the brand went out of their way to not advertise the watch on the basis of its magnetic resistance or indeed list it in any media. Isn’t that a bit odd for thee IWC Antimagnetic watch? In this 3508 from the late 80s, IWC were so proud of…

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‘Graph Paper’ 3505 IWC Ingenieur SL

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Graph paper isn’t the sexiest thing in the world. And, yet, put it on an IWC dial as texture and it just might be. One of the best parts about this mid-sized Ingenieur from the early 80s is that there are multiple generations that each have equally attractive personalities. Are you a COSC kind of…

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3521 IWC ‘JLC’ Ingenieur

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If the new Ingenieur just doesn’t land quite right for you, vintage might have the answer. And it doesn’t just have to be the quite-expensive, OG ref. 1832. The Ingenieurs which arrived after, that only very few of us obsessive enthusiasts seem to talk about, are just as if not more interesting. The ‘skinny’ midsized…

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3508 IWC Ingenieur 500K A/m

3508-IWC-Ingenieur

The new Ingenieur is great. Or maybe great-ish. Fine, it’s just okay. Here’s my gripe and it’s not the RRP: IWC have gone a bit out of their way to not advertise its magnetic resistance, it’s not listed on their site. It’s not even on Hodinkee. Somehow, everyone missed the a-mag rating of IWC’s a-mag…

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‘Graph Paper’ Dial 3506 IWC Ingenieur SL

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It’s no secret that we’re big fans of the ‘Skinny’ Ingy here. It is the mark of all excellent watches that they have so few faults, the only thing left that anyone can criticize is the price. Well, you can’t even hold that against the 3506, not really. It’s the generation, the iteration of this…

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3521 IWC Ingenieur

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There are many, many things in the watch world that simply do not make sense. Is Tim Mosso a Swiss automaton? How did watch polishing become a debate about meta-existentialism? Is Lange service Germany’s attempt to get into the cartel game? More than any of these mysteries, I seek to know why the midsized Ingenieur…

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3303 IWC Ingenieur SL Quartz Jumbo

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In art, design, music, and many other creative disciplines, you are taught the rules first so that you may choose to break them deliberately. This, I never used to understand, why not just lean in to unbridled creativity? I’m not sure I have the answer, but it’s probably something like ‘rules hold wisdom’ or ‘constraints…

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‘Graph Paper’ Dial 3505 IWC Ingenieur SL

IWC-3505-Ingenieur-SL-Graph-Paper

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…

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3508 IWC Ingenieur 500000 A/m

If you’ve been shopping for a toaster recently, you’ll know most people buy a Cuisinart. Alternatively, you could buy a 600 USD Wolf that is milled from steel, toasts four slices at once, senses where slices are loaded to self-center, and will automatically recognize bagels from bread. The one review I could find describes as…

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