About Ingenieurs

Just some musings after few glasses of wine...

So I've got 11 IWC watches so far, but only one of them is an Ingenieur - this 1960's 666 AD.

To be honest, most the Inges produced after the 666 are not that interesting from my point of view ( I fully understand and appreciate that they may be just perfect for many other enthusiasts ). Why is that?

To me, the 666 had the right balance between elegance and rugged functionality. It was ( and still is, for me ) the go to watch for occasions, where a dress watch would look too formal, and a tool watches too informal.

Imho, the modern Inges have gone too far towards the informal style. IWC please, bring back something that would be a credible, and a bit more reasonably priced, alternative to PP Nautilus and AP Royal Oak.

End of the rant. I'll pour me some more...

Congratulation for your new aquisition.
You are talking to an open book because I started my collection with an ing. and nowadays I still consider the 666/866 ing as one of the real icona of the brand, but I hope you don't forget that iwc produced the ing 1832 one of the best watch ever made, even if at that time it was quite a flop.
The 1832 stay with the PP nautilus and the AP royal oak without any inferiority!

While I acknowledge that the 1832 is an icon on its own right, I think it already represented a step towards a tool watch look. Later Inges went further in the same - imho wrong - direction...

Congratulations. Your 666 looks immaculate.

Much as I love the 666 (and I have a couple), I think there are times when the 866 will do (in an emergency).

I agree that the 666 is a timeless design of near perfect proportions. It also encapsulates the concept of the 'engineer' very well indeed. For me though, if I had to choose just one Ingenieur it would be the 3227. A striking design that more than holds its own against the likes of the Royal Oak and Nautilus.

In fact, it's what got me interested in IWC in the first place. Walking past a shop window display in 2005, I immediately eyed the 3227 and said to my friend "that's the one".

Five Ingenieurs later...