First IWC - Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance (Yellow)!

Finally got around to taking some pictures of this performance machine! I tried out my friend's macro lens (put my 85 1.2 next to the watch later cause I liked the contrasting bright yellow and red) and, even after looking at this Ingenieur daily for 7+ months, the detail is nothing short of amazing. The sun wasn't really out so I couldn't get more detail, but when the watch is in sunlight the play and dance of the sunlight off the carbon fiber is so...awesome.It really gives the watch a layered look. I'm not a CF expert, but the way the CF is laid on the watch, especially in direct sunlight, the pattern is noticeable very subtle but oh so interesting to look at. Enjoy the photos!

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Excellent pics and glad you are still loving it. It is a unique piece.

Cheers,

Jarrod

What a stunning piece and great pictures. Thanks for taking and sharing them. This watch is really outstanding and especial!

Beautiful watch ! I was tempted this week end by the green version. I'm wondering if the ceramic bezel is not the good compromise between nice looking watch and scratch resistant compared to the full carbon of the yellow and red versions ?

Congratulations on a gorgeous and unique watch! I have seen the yellow, green and the red in person and the yellow is my favorite! As for durability - you may be our beta tester here on the forum - how has it been wearing? It looks beautiful!

Congratulations Francis! What a gateway to IWC and very unique indeed!

We look forward to more user's report on this one (as I'm considering the green one-hybrid with ceramic bezel).

Wear in great health!

Hi Krom,

The green one is also very nice but I'm biased since yellow is my favorite color. In my personal opinion, the carbon fiber bezel is a better look overall since I think the deep black shine and luster is a bit too dark of a complement for the carbon fiber case.

I was just talking about scratch resistance with my friend the other day. I wear my CF Ingenieur daily in and in most whatever I do - gym, swim, shower, walking, i.e. a lot of active things. At first I was concerned how badly the watch would look if the epoxy resin became scratched or not clear - think how an old screwdriver handle looks. But I've been absolutely surprised at how good of a quality the finish is. Even if there are micro-scratches, I cannot tell with the naked eye. If there are any indentions from bumps (there is at least one very small one), I really have to look for it.

The epoxy finish is very clear and it almost looks like everything under it just floats around or there is something invisible preventing me from touching the carbon fiber. It seems the epoxy is soft enough to absorb and then "melt" around impact without cracking but also hard enough or good protection.

There are two noticeable differences between the yellow (all carbon fiber) and the green (carbon fiber/ceramic) models: weight and decoration. If I remember correctly, I felt the green one is noticeably heavier because of the ceramic ring (obviously not heavy like a stainless steel watch).

The other difference is, which I never noticed until talking about my watch with an IWC sales rep here in Hong Kong, the sides of the green model are not decorated.

If you look at the last picture you will notice the side looks exactly the same as the dial, case topside/underside, and bezel - they all have the checkered pattern of carbon fiber. More importantly, the pattern on the bezel and the watch case (topside) are all lined up, which apparently demands lot of skill - one of the reasons it retails for more than the green model with the other two reasons being the carbon fiber bezel and that the yellow and red models are limited to 100 pieces each, the green model is limited to 1000 pieces. On the green model, the side basically looks like the side of an Ingenieur made of wavy patters created from the layered+compressed carbon fiber sheets; it matches the sheer black of the bezel which is a nice touch, there just is not the decorated checkered pattern if you like that. It's a bit difficult to explain but take note of it the next time you look at the watch in person.

Not surprisingly, the carbon fiber bezel is difficult to work with. The rep told me there might only be 200 yellow + red pieces produced, but a lot more carbon fiber bezels were produced since it can be easy to crack when working with when screwing it on. If you guys have any more questions just ask!

Anyways, the answer is a lot more long winded than I intended. It's a lot more durable than it looks considering the delicate materials it uses. But if you can find a yellow or red one still out there in addition to the green one, just go with the color you like!

[QUOTE="Ben"]

Thanks Ben!

It really is quite durable - please see my long winded answer above haha.

Thanks Vincent!

I posted some comments and observations on the differences between the yellow/red models and the green model. Let me know if you have any more questions!

With respect to the crown, I've had similar experiences with my 3239 - unscrewed itself in the shower with steam and everything. Partly my fault for not screwing the crown tight enough.

Was concerned with water damage, but so far no issues - thanks to IWC's seal system I guess :) (sport models only):

Important: Although the watch is water-resistant in positions 0, 1 and 2, the crown should always be screwed in again for normal use (position X).

I agree - the trouble with carbon is more of the kind that it is prone to scratches and can't be polished, only replaced.

Hello FWK,
After these months no problem with CF?
I've heard many (bad) legends about this material.

Hi Loving2000,

I have not had any problems with the carbon fiber yet - the epoxy coating has done a good job of protecting the carbon fiber so far.

Would you please share some of the "(bad) legends) you have heard of regarding CF? Are they specific to watches are to the material in general?

Thanks

Happy to hear that (and happy fo you).
I've heard about very easy scratching,
exfoliating cases, just with the finger nail, litteraly crumbling watches.

My chemical engineer friend was in town recently and although he has seen my watch before, this time he was even more amazed with it. He used to work with carbon fiber and titanium a lot and after talking with him it is clear that IWC took their time (pun intended) with the watch! He repeatedly said this watch was a great pain to make.

Long story short here is a quick summary:
- the quality of the CF threads and the weave is superior. He says it's probably more fine and higher quality than the CF used on an F1 since the cars have to be more functional than aesthetically pleasing

• no shortcuts were taken with the CF

• CF is a a pain to work with. CF isn't a expensive material but it is the machining, the creation process, the craft to work with it that takes expertise and time. The pattern also isn't an easy one to make.

• The machining and manufacturing of these watches took a ridiculous amount of time

• the CF guys really know what they are doing. The weave patterns are done very very well - all the patterns on all the different facets of the watch line up perfectly. Even more impressive due to all the angles of an Ingenieur case

• IWC really went out of their way to make this a very high quality watch. From the IWC magazine that features this watch: "the watch case is made from 45 pieces, just 0.1-0.3 mm thick"

--My friend said "that's way complicated because it's probably just the cosmetic layer that we ever see. We never see any structural case components but they must add to that complexity. I guess it's just perfection that they're after!"

• The reject rate of the CF pieces is probably 50%. One reason why the Green CF models switched to ceramic bezels (Did I mention that he said CF is really difficult to work with?)

• The epoxy resin used is super high quality. It is very clear because it has little to no impurities, and it will not yellow for a very very long time. It is smooth and even. Heat will damage the epoxy resin though.

• Since the CF layers on this watch are so thin the CF probably isn't very strong. CF gets stronger with more layers.

• You could tell by the tone of his voice as he described the materials and processes about how much work went into the development of this watch.

I'm sure I've missed a couple points but it was AWESOME and so exciting talking to someone who has experience working with CF since he was able to tell me so much technical stuff about my watch.

Of course IWC still makes a pretty penny from the sale of this watch but after talking with my friend it was reassuring to know that IWC didn't make a CF watch just to make one (after he found out there were only 100 pieces in yellow and 100 pieces in red he said the price of the watch was still high but after factoring in the R&D and manufacturing of the watch it is much more justifiable) - IWC really put a lot of effort into making this remarkable piece!

And a quick report on actually wearing this watch:

I've been wearing this watch for almost 2 years now (bought it June 4th) and I still love this watch, no regrets buying it. The only problem I have with it now is some light fraying on the strap but other than that it just gets better and better and I still find myself looking at the case and the intricacies of the CF case and dial. The legibility is fantastic day and night - the width of the hands is perfect (not too thin not too fat for this dial), the case is light and it looks great on my wrist! And as a watch, it just works!

I probably wrote way too much but I just wanted to share what I learned with you guys since non-watch geeks would be like "you lost me at 'My chemical engineer friend...'" And they wouldn't be on this forum either ha!

Francis - thank you so much for the follow up, I really loved reading it. Really great information on that carbon fiber. I did contemplate one of those watches (I believe the red version) but couldn't justify the price. What you have learned certainly makes sense and it certainly is a spectacular watch. It sounds like the actual case has held up quite well which is great; do you find yourself still being extra careful while wearing it?

Hi Ben,

Thanks and glad you enjoyed the read! I totally agree with the huge premium over a Mission Earth (I originally wanted a ME, which I definitely would not have to be concerned about banging it up cosmetically), but this CF model just spoke to me, and as we all know that means "game over" in the watch world. I could go into my thought buying process at the time of purchase, but that's for another day.

I guess I could answer your "being extra careful' question in two ways. I take great care of it since I know it is on my wrist. In crowded areas I'll either walk with my left hand behind dial-side pressed against my back or hold it in-front of me, same thing when I walk alongside walls. I do this because I really don't want to scratch or gouge the enamel because due to it being so clear, scratches would be so noticeable and well it would just suck.

Quick summary: I am careful with it mainly due to cosmetic reasons.

And even though I am careful with my watch, I still wear it doing every day things because it is an Ingenieur and I have been sold on the fact that it will/should take the bumps. I will wear a different watch when I ride my bike since I could cosmetically bang it up really badly, but I will still go to the gym, walk, eat, and all that stuff with it on. I rarely wear it into the shower now because a section of the strap is fraying, but that's the only reason why. I've worn it into the sauna and then into a hot tub shortly after before too, as I have done with my other watches too, and well it's still keeping the water out.

Quick summary: I want to wear it so that it's involved in my daily life instead of just sitting on a desk (so that I can justify the price haha).

Hope this answers your question Ben - let me know if you have any other questions.