First of all, I'm not a watch expert, but have spent the last 20 years in manufacturing, and know a thing or two about good quality.
I bought the IWC Ingenieur Automatic based on a recommendation. At the time, I was not familiar with the whole in-house versus outsourced movement debate.
Below are my impressions of the Ingenieur:
- It keeps excellent time.
- The watch finishing and attention to detail is outstanding. There are bevels everywhere. No sharp edges.
- The stainless steel bracelet is also superbly finished.
- It is very robust, I'd say tank-like.
- It is antimagnetic, whereas other higher-priced Ingenieurs are not.
- It is good for any occasion. Very nice, conservative design.
For the money, I think it is an excellent value. As far as the whole in-house vs outsourced movement debate, I leave that question to the purists. A good movement is a good movement.
Finally, I also own a Vacheron Constantin Overseas in stainless, a watch that retails for about double the Ingenieur Automatic. There are similarities with the VC Overseas: antimagnetic, and don't use an in-house movement. I can say the Ingenieur lacks nothing when comparing to the VC.
IWC has done an outstanding job with their entry-level Ingenieur automatic.
Regards,
Steve
