I love the new Ingeniuer chronograph line (IW380802 etc.)...really reminds me of the discontinued and iconic GST line. I'm curious though, the price point seems quite low for an IWC manufacture movement. Is this economically driven? Does it reflect the strong US dollar? I'm not complaining about the lower price point; I just wanted to know if anyone had any insight.
W
I agree that the new Ingenieur line does remind us of the discontinued GST. Hope it will do well, and will improve more over time.
Having said that though, I don't necessarily think the price for these new Ingenieurs are "low." The new movement does not really give you anything new over the standard valjoux 7750 movement (aka 79320), other than the column-wheel. I must say, however, I quite like the idea that it is meant for a direct replacement of the 79320.
Considering that there is the 79320 in the lower-end, and the 89361/89365 on the higher-end, the price of 69375 must be kept somewhere in-between. I would personally have hoped that they would lower the price of the 69375-movement-based watches slightly. If its price-tag gets closer to the 89365, it will seriously hurt the sales of 69375. Looking at the suggested list price of the latest Ingenieurs, I actually think the previously-released trio, the IW380701/IW380702 are actually a better bargain.
Thanks Kelvin. That was a very helpful explanation. I didn't realize that this was a significantly simpler movement than the 89361.
WD
Yes it is and the 7750 roots cannot be overlooked but there is no problem with that. I'd also expected a lower price tag - just to keep the 89xxx series more exclusive :)