IWC
Making A Splash
As with all IWC watches, this is an Aquatimer watch inside and out, from the black and blue bezel to the engraving of the diver’s helmet on the back of the watch.
On land, in the air or under the sea, IWC’s collection is probably one of the easiest to navigate among all luxury watch brands. The company’s focus on key pillars has remained a steadfast aspect of each year’s SIHH collections. In previous years, the Da Vinci, Portuguese and Ingenieur have all been relaunched based on this single-minded focus.
This year is the Aquatimer’s turn, in particular, with a focus on an environmental organization, the Charles Darwin Foundation. IWC’s Aquatimer Deep Two is a big aesthetic improvement over many past Aquatimers with one considerable technical difference. As is the rage among technical manufacturers, the new Deep Two has a mechanical depth guage measuring to 50 metres with a flyback hand. As with all IWC watches, this is an Aquatimer watch inside and out, from the black and blue bezel to the engraving of the diver’s helmet on the back of the watch. Available with stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap and water resistant to 120 metres, this pieces adds a further technical wrinkle to an already ideal watch for divers.
Next up is the Aquatimer Automatic 2000. Available either in the classic black with yellow motif with rubber strap or now a blue and orange dial and bezel combination with either rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet, this automatic Calibre 30110 movement is built to a water resistance level of 200 bars, a very rare achievement in the diving watch world. This is a very classical diving watch using Super-Luminova indices and a rotating bezel for timing your dive. As well, for those who are looking for a more classical watch, IWC is paying tribute to the original Aquatimer from 1967 with a new Automatic in stainless steel or rose gold and without the diver’s bezel or steel caseback. This is more of a throwback version for those who like the feel of the Aquatimer yet is more the Portuguese-kind of personality.
Finally, there’s the new Aquatimer Chronograph, available in either a standard version with stainless steel case, a new rose gold case fitted with rubber strap and sapphire back for looking at the beautiful Calibre 89360 movement or a limited edition Charles Darwin Foundation edition complete with an engraving of a Gallapagos turtle on the case back, black rubber pushers and black PVD coated case. The Darwin piece in particular is a very attractive piece and takes on special significance with this being the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origins of Species”. Mind you, IWC went outside the Aquatimer world with some other stunning pieces too.
Most notable among these is a new Da Vinci Perpetual Calender Digital Date-Month in platinum or rose gold. This is a major departure from other perpetual calendars which generally use indices to indicate the date and month. Rather, IWC has moved to digital format with two windows at 9 and 3 o’clock. The two digital dials are separated by the hour sub-dial of the chronograph. At 6 o’clock, there’s even a reading of what year it is in the current leap year cycle. Pre-programmed until 2099 and using a single crown system to set the calendar, this watch certainly has a lot going for it.
To round out the real complications, IWC is once again paying tribute to a legend of the company, former Technical Director Kurt Klaus in a new Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus. Fitted in a red gold case with the image of Klaus, this limited edition of 1000 pieces has about every complication in the book on its dial including moon phase display, chronograph, four-digit year display and small seconds sub-dial. Truly, this is a fitting piece for the old master himself.
