Sometimes I Just Don't Get It - Like This New Aquatimer

Surely there will be buyers out there who have the money/want a perpetual/love the look and design/dive occasionally. It's a big world and they are only making 50? This would fit the bill for them, so why not? I just don't get what the problem is with it.

A few random thoughts:

1. Keep an open mind until you see it (advice given often)

2. If I recall production of this watch will be extraordinarily limited, and I wouldn't make any generalizations from this one example (any more than we should from 50 carbon fibre Ingenieurs --which I really like).

3. I used to think tool watches had to be steel, until I got a gold pilot's watch. And then I realized that I flew 99.99% of the time as a passenger on a commercial plane (by the way, the other .01% were on JU-52s and an F2A Greyhound on an aircraft carrier).

4. Very few people dive long enough to use a perpetual calendar ;) But so?

To be honest, my view may be somewhat limited. After all, I am a charter member of what was on another watch site affectionately referred to as the "Boring Traditionalists Club". Think classics - Portuguese, Pilots, etc. I have always thought of IWC and Classics as being somewhat analogous.

This watch just doesn't spell I-W-C to me. It doesn't even have those letters in it. No doubt it will appeal to 50 people somewhere. Maybe people with taste like Flavor Flav?

Zenith tried it. We know how that worked out.

Harumph! Enough whine. Time for a nice glass of wine! :-)

Personally I love it (in the pictures) but I don't consider my tastes to be inline with Flavor Flav. But I did laugh at the comparison! I'm kinda new to IWC. And while I do love the history and tradtion and the IWC DNA etc, I am also excited about the current and future lines and they way they are heading. Personally I loved the revamp of the Ingenieurs and I have just bought one. I suspect the same will happen with the new AT's. I guess I'm just happy with what they are doing.

Cheers,

Jarrod

I didn't mean to compare you with Flavor Flav, Jarrod. Everybody has different taste and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Us "Boring Traditionalists" used to say "that's why Howard Johnson's made 28 flavors" (of ice cream). Today it's Ben & Jerry's (at least in the USA) and I don't know how many flavors, but you get the idea.

So we disagree on this one. And as Mike points out, none of us have seen it yet. Some day I do hope to see it. Just not on my wrist.

To get the new Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date Month, it helps to see the build-up of the six families. To do this, I define four categories: standard, luxury, extraordinary, super-extraordinary. I will fill them up quite arbitrarily, but you will see my point.

Standard: two/three hands watches with or without date, chronograph, other rather simple complications like worldtimer and power reserve indicator. Every family has some of them, they are the tool watches if you like to call them so. Everyone loves them for everyday wear.

Luxury: perpetual calendar. The Pilot and Portuguese families have some. To most they are the ultimate but often attainable grail.

Extraordinary: tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar digital date month. The Ingenieur, Pilot and Da Vinci families, and now the Aquatimer family have one or more. They are beyond the original function of the family, they are for the very rich that want to make a statement. Almost beyond my comprehension, but these rich people are there to serve them with their needs, to help raise the image of the brand, and yes, to earn some nice money no doubt.

Super-extraordinary: constant force tourbillon, grande complication, siderale. Only the Ingenieur and the Portuguese families have one or two. The top of the bill, showing technical prowess if not done with the above already. For some models I cannot explain who would like to have one, but hey, I am sure I am not one of them.

So, to me the new Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date Month has nothing to do with a divers watch per se, it is an extraordinary watch for those that really can afford one, and like the connotation to the sporty looking popular type the divers watch is. And you can dive with it too. The shape is in line with the other new Aquatimers, I happen to like this mature looking classical shape, I think it is beautiful, more beautiful than most of its competitors. So, again, IWC, a job well done!

Kind regards,
Paul

Dick -

Nice debate there - and thanks for posting. I had not seen this watch yet.

I think it looks fabulous. I never, ever subscribed to the notion of IWC delivering "tool watches". Tools are "practical". I think IWCs are considered luxury jewelry. Does putting this luxury into the package of a "dive watch" make it confusing? Or is it trying to evoke the emotion of exploration and freedom?

I agree, Richard, an interesting debate. Whatever anyone says about this watch, it is not a boring watch.

However, whole Aquatimer line is missing one important model. I predict we will see, next week, the release of the platinum, blue dial, 52mm, Aquatimer minute repeater. Remember, you read about it on this Forum first.

I heard is was a 55mm platinum case, 10,500 meter water resistant constant force tourbillon with meteorite dial called the "deep trench" :)

Crikey! I miss that British sense of humor!

Well said. I agree with Dick that this model pushes the boundaries for the Aquatimer line. While we all agree that most IWC's don't actually serve the romanticized purposes that surrounds the various lines, the point of marketing is to convey that romance in an wonderful timepiece. Thus, for example, my vintage Aquatimer symbolizes a wonderful heritage that I can appreciate while staring at a computer on the 28th floor of my office building during my hum drum day. This model pushes that boundary because it is far more detached from that heritage -- but maybe its good looks are enough to compensate for that shortcoming.

www.watchtime.net will show you the prices of the new aquatimer models in euro currency. One example is the aquatimer perpetual at euro 49300. No it isn't a spelling mistake. Relevant for a diving expedition? In a solid gold bathtub in Dubai probably.
Kenneth.

Cheers to that!

There is at least one clear positive message of this watch: the croco leather strap. It makes us believe that sooner or later the "street version" - I mean the steel chrono ref. 3768 - will also get this option, and maybe the "old" 3767 too. It is soooo good to go out sometimes with your 7/24 watch on evening occasions, dressed it up a little bit with the addition of a nice croco strap... Looks beautiful, maybe it will have a fonding clasp on the steel version.

OMG, just when I thought that I've already seen the worst pieces of the new line up this comes up....no one stays on the top forever, huh ?

I call it progress. Personally I love the look. It seems some people would be happier for IWC to simply repeat themselves. Progress. It happens.

+1, Dick - I couldn't have said it better.

Not sure it's about repeating themselves.. Here we have a "dive watch" with a croc strap, perl cal in rose gold!

Someone is in the stratosphere of their own reality when these was drawn up.. You can innovate in dive watches (some of the new line are beautiful btw), but, this watch doesn't belong with an Aquatimer brand.. I don't think the watch is terrible, but, it isn't a dive watch, that's for sure.