This special edition Ingenieur Automatic 40 with a green dial is only limited to 1,000 units (Photo: IWC Schaffhausen)
It has been 70 years since IWC Schaffhausen first launched the Ingenieur, an efficient, reliable, shock-resistant and, most importantly, anti-magnetic watch that kept pace with the work of professionals in the scientific, technical and medical fields during the post-war era. The timekeeper became a close companion of engineers, physicists, chemists and doctors — instigators of the period’s massive economic expansion, which saw rapid advancement in all sectors, from technology and industrialisation to space discovery and medicine.
But many may not associate the Ingenieur with the everyday watch it once was. Despite being a technical milestone (it debuted IWC’s first in-house automatic movement, souped up with a Pellaton winding system that enables the rotor to capture energy bidirectionally and a soft-iron inner case for magnetic field protection) the modest design with a round case — realised in the first- and second-generation models — was far from that of the luxury sports timepiece that comes to mind today.
In 1976, the Ingenieur was given a facelift by designer extraordinaire Gérald Genta (also responsible for the famed Royal Oak and Nautilus), who dreamed up the screw-on bezel with five recesses, chequerboard dial and integrated bracelet with H-links. The Ingenieur SL, nicknamed Jumbo, did not perform as well as IWC had hoped, with feedback deeming it “too avant-garde” for laymen. Only a few more than 1,000 pieces were produced during the following years. Alas, it was simply the right design at the wrong time.
The watch continued to evolve. Now and again, those with a keen eye would reference Genta’s Ingenieur SL and a cult following steadily grew. Today, it is a collector’s favourite and one of the most sought-after timepieces from the history of IWC.
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In 2023, the manufacture launched the Ingenieur Automatic 40 by popular acclaim. It not only paid tribute to Genta’s original aesthetic codes, but also met the highest standards regarding ergonomics, finishing and technology. Above all, it retained the soul and spirit of its moniker and remained a brilliant symbol of engineering-meets-design.
This year, the collection expands with new materials, sizes and complications. Highlights include the Ingenieur Automatic 42, the first of its kind made entirely from black zirconium oxide ceramic, and the first stainless steel model equipped with a quantième perpétuel. There are also options in 35mm — the one in 18-carat 5N gold is a favourite — for slender wrists. However, special attention must be paid to a limited-edition green-dialled Ingenieur Automatic 40.
Last year, actor Brad Pitt, star of the upcoming F1 film by Joseph Kosinski, was spotted at the Hungarian Grand Prix with an Ingenieur SL on his wrist. What was peculiar about it was that the 1976 model was never issued with a green dial or without a date.
Franziska Gsell, chief marketing officer of IWC, lets us in on the mystery.
“Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes in the movie and the watch he wears has an important role because it is gifted by his father in the story. It’s kind of his lucky charm. Brad was the one who decided on an original Genta and he changed the dial colour to this racing sage. He developed the colour together with Cloister [Watch Co], a studio in New York, and then we took that colour into the modern translation of the original Genta with this green dial,” she shares. While fans may not be able to get Pitt’s bespoke prop watch, the 1,000 limited editions come close.
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Set for release this June, the Apple Original Films motion picture tells the story of Hayes, a former F1 driver who returns to the sport and partners hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (played by Damson Idris) at the fictional APXGP team to aim for world champion status. In the film, IWC is one of the team’s official sponsors.
The watchmaker’s long-standing relationship with Formula One and the racetrack is anchored by its partnership with Mercedes-AMG, which started in 2004, making it one of the most enduring collaborations between a watch and an automotive company. Both share a passion for performance and design and a commitment to engineering excellence, so IWC’s involvement in the film is no surprise. But there is history between the manufacture and the moviemakers too.
“It all started with the filmmakers because [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and Joseph Kosinski also did Top Gun: Maverick, in which our Top Gun collection was featured. They told us about this idea and spoke to the racing teams to understand how to do it in real life.
“Toto [Wolff, principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team] told them no one was ever able to show how fast they really drove in a movie. And this was the challenge. It took them 17 months to develop the cameras that can withstand the G-force when racing. It’s engineering in moviemaking and this is what fascinates us, so the collaboration came very naturally. We delivered more than 120 Pilot’s Watches to the movie set, so all the mechanics, drivers and technical experts in the film are wearing IWC watches, as in real life,” Gsell says proudly.
Aside from Bruckheimer, Kosinski and Pitt, other producers of the movie include Lewis Hamilton, Jeremy Kleiner, Dede Gardner and Chad Oman. With an original score by award-winning composer Hans Zimmer (IWC’s Friend of the Brand) and a cheeky cameo by former principal of Haas, Günther Steiner, F1 is set to be the film of the summer.
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In addition to the green Ingenieur, IWC also released a number of APXGP-inspired chronographs in its Pilot’s Watches collection, one of which features an 18-carat 5N gold case with a black lacquered dial and black ceramic tachymeter bezel worn by Idris’ character. “We also have two dedicated chronographs in 43mm and 41mm which use the livery colours of the fictional team,” Gsell adds.
The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph welcomes a new model with a digital perpetual calendar too. Executed in Ceratanium, the timepiece indicates the date and month with the help of large golden discs at 9 and 3 o’clock, a display inspired by IWC’s emblematic Pallweber pocket watches from the 1880s.
Earlier this year, IWC presented the Big Pilot Shock Absorber XPL for Wolff. It incorporates a patented system named SPRIN-g PROTECT that can withstand extreme shocks. With the new Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber Tourbillon Skeleton XPL, the system was re-engineered to be able to shield the delicate, skeletonised timepiece with a tourbillon. Test report shows the complication has survived shocks in excess of a whopping 10,000g.
Clearly, when it comes to precision, innovation and technical knowledge, IWC is a defending champion.
Asked how much she knows about the plot, Gsell teases: “I had the privilege to read the script so I know the entire storyline. So I have a very good flavour of the movie and I think it will be just stunning.”
Watch the trailer here:
This article first appeared on May 12, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
