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MikeMan2727
·There has been a lot of discussion about various Rolex and Tudor releases at this years W&W. I thought I would make a thread to get people's thoughts on the new IWC Ingenieur.
As many know, I am a huge Ingenieur fan and have owned most references starting with the 666. I currently own a 666A, 866, and 323909 - Laureus edition. I have been waiting for a Genta-inspired Ingenieur for many years now.
I think IWC did a nice job with this year's release. My favorite aspect about this watch are the case and bracelet finishing. It is a lot less blocky and more elegant than the previous 3239 from the mid 2010s. However, I would have preferred to see it without the crown guards.
The dial is also quite nice with the textured works. It is a lot less subtle than the original Jumbo SL, but it stays true to the original design. The personal favorite is the new Aqua color - it seems to really pop in different light settings. The movement has also been upgraded to the 120hr power reserve, which is great. It is now antimagnetic again, unlike their previous Ingenieurs based on the 666 design.
The last thing, and somewhat of a deal breaker - the price. In the US, the steel model MSRP is $11,700 while the titanium grey dial is closer to $15,000. I am a huge fan of this line but do not see the value at those prices. I was expecting something along the lines of $7,500 and was very surprised during the release.
Perhaps their thought process is "Well, the Patek and AP Genta designs retail for 2x more, so let's push our pricing." Still, I'm not sure that their clientele will the be same. I was hoping the new Ingenieur would be an "instant buy" for me, but with the price I really have to ponder. My guess is that in a year or two, these will drop below $10k on the secondary and grey market.
I also think IWC was 1-2 years late in this release. If they had released this during the post-COVID stainless steel sports watch craze, $11,700 may have been acceptable to more people. In the current market, I think they may struggle to sell a lot of units even though it is a lovely watch.
Looking forward to hearing other people's thought!
As many know, I am a huge Ingenieur fan and have owned most references starting with the 666. I currently own a 666A, 866, and 323909 - Laureus edition. I have been waiting for a Genta-inspired Ingenieur for many years now.
I think IWC did a nice job with this year's release. My favorite aspect about this watch are the case and bracelet finishing. It is a lot less blocky and more elegant than the previous 3239 from the mid 2010s. However, I would have preferred to see it without the crown guards.
The dial is also quite nice with the textured works. It is a lot less subtle than the original Jumbo SL, but it stays true to the original design. The personal favorite is the new Aqua color - it seems to really pop in different light settings. The movement has also been upgraded to the 120hr power reserve, which is great. It is now antimagnetic again, unlike their previous Ingenieurs based on the 666 design.
The last thing, and somewhat of a deal breaker - the price. In the US, the steel model MSRP is $11,700 while the titanium grey dial is closer to $15,000. I am a huge fan of this line but do not see the value at those prices. I was expecting something along the lines of $7,500 and was very surprised during the release.
Perhaps their thought process is "Well, the Patek and AP Genta designs retail for 2x more, so let's push our pricing." Still, I'm not sure that their clientele will the be same. I was hoping the new Ingenieur would be an "instant buy" for me, but with the price I really have to ponder. My guess is that in a year or two, these will drop below $10k on the secondary and grey market.
I also think IWC was 1-2 years late in this release. If they had released this during the post-COVID stainless steel sports watch craze, $11,700 may have been acceptable to more people. In the current market, I think they may struggle to sell a lot of units even though it is a lovely watch.
Looking forward to hearing other people's thought!
