IWC is leaning into their modern Ingenieur collection in a big way this year with no less than six new references being released today in Geneva to kick off Watches & Wonders 2025. The headliner is a perpetual calendar in a steel 41 case, bringing IWC’s unique take on the complication back into an Ingenieur in a way that feels like a nod to the wonderful reference 9240. A black ceramic Inge that was previewed early by Ed Sheeran also came to fruition, sized at 42mm. All lovely. But there’s one particular example that caught my eye straight away upon preview, and that is a new 35mm for factor.
Okay, to be fair, there are a few new Ingenieur watches that work rather well, including a new 40mm steel reference with a warm green dial. This was done for the upcoming Joseph Kosinski film, F1 starring Brad Pitt, who will be wearing the watch. And yes, the perpetual calendar is excellent both in form and function, wearing much flatter than you might expect. However, the pink gold 35mm Inge with a matching gold dial takes things a step further.
There are actually three new Ingenieur watches sized in 35mm, two in steel with silver and black dial options, and one in pink gold. The case and bracelet scaled down somehow take on a slightly more muscular appearance, and the size works wonders on the wrist. When it comes to integrated bracelet designs, you have to take the diameter measurement with a grain salt, as the width and taper of the bracelet can have a bigger impact on how it’s going to look and feel on the wrist. This transition is something that IWC managed well with this size. 35mm might sound a touch small, but it wears closer to a 37mm due to the case and bracelet.
Inside, IWC is using the automatic caliber 47110, which sits behind an exhibition caseback, which seems to be a trend with this newest batch of Inges (and a trend in general, to be honest). It’s not quite the 32111 with 120 hours, but it was necessitated to fit within this small form factor. And that’s the real draw here. The 35mm case is exceptional on the wrist, and far more approachable than you might expect. I’d go so far as to say I’d love to see a titanium or even Ceratanium execution at this size, as it seems to work best in tone on tone form.
The Black Ceramic Ingenieur 42, and Perpetual Calendar Ingenieur 41 showcase the versatility of this platform, and as I noted upon release, this is why staying away from the full throwback reissue was a good idea. The modernized platform has room to grow as we’re seeing this year, and unsurprisingly, they all work really well. The 35mm size shows just how far they can take this base design, which now showcases a seven millimeter swing in size options. And most importantly, the gold on gold colorway absolutely works.
The 35mm Ingenieur range is priced from CHF 10,500 in steel, and CHF 37,400 in pink gold. IWC