Between this year’s watch and wonder, IWC has announced a major expansion of the Ingenieur Line. Seven new references including what we are seeing today, Ingenieur Automatic 35 Ref. IW324901, retails for 11,300 euros. Let’s dive in.
IWC’s Ingenieur has attracted considerable attention to the brand by releasing so many new references during Watches and Wonders 2025. It was quite a splash.
The joy of IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35
Among those releases was the smaller Ingenieur Automatic 35. I’m not saying this is a woman’s watch. Rather, it’s really unisex. As you know, there is a historical example of the 34mm unisex Ingenua, so this is actually a perfectly acceptable size for a watch.
Recently I had the opportunity to take this little Ingenieur Automatic 35 for a weekend adventure in the Australian bushes. We handled the ocean adventures at camp and Aprem. In fact, if you’re in the market for a larger 40mm model, this 35mm version should also be seriously considered. Here are some ideas.
The smaller Ingenuel tradition
In the 1990s, IWC launched Ingenieur, which houses a permanent calendar, eg, 35mm size. Meanwhile, the original SL Ingenieur has a 38mm x 12.5mm case, and in the 1980s it was a 34mm x 8.8mm “Skinny Ingenieur” ref. 3505 debuted.
As mentioned in this introduction feature, the new 35mm x 9.4mm Ingenieur we are looking at today has a silver plated dial that shows the distinctive “grid” pattern. This watch is placed on an integrated stainless steel bracelet equipped with a butterfly folding clasp.
Ingenieur Automatic 35 and its amazing percentages
While wearing this small version of Modern Iwc Ingenieur, I quickly began to appreciate the harsh proportions around me. The integrated bracelet sports watches always wear out loud, so the smaller case doesn’t feel too small. So on the wrist, this feels closer to a 37mm watch. Also, considering the role the bracelet plays in the design of the watch and how it feels muscular, I feel this Ingenieur is a little stiffer than the 9.4mm thickness suggests. Let me say this: I didn’t feel “too small” or “too big.” The dial aperture is certainly significantly smaller than the full-size 40mm version, but it remains very readable in smaller formats.
I was able to thank this IWC for over a week away from my hometown of Sydney. Spending time with this clock in the forest of an area town called Jamberoo, we were able to see it in all the lighting conditions in between, harsh sunlight during our hike to the waterfall, the cozy glow of the warmly lit cabins, the pure white of the forest at night.
A dial that will make you lose
Under these different light conditions, we were able to really evaluate the complex dial patterns displayed in IWC Ingenieur. It’s like a checkerboard to please the senses. But as a history nerd, I see rather esoteric – the march of the Roman legions in the “manipulation” class. Yes, to me, the grid looks like an organized pattern of a marching figure. Maybe I was staring at the satellite imagery too many times at my day’s work, and it went to my head.
This particular version has a great silver dial. The only challenge I had with this was that the silver colours could be slightly “blown away” in the harsh sunlight, making it difficult to distinguish between details. The dial is luscious and reflects the light in a very attractive way, but you can also read tricky dates in Australia’s direct sunlight, perhaps more severe than Europe, for example.
Niggle
This little Ingenuel has some niggles I have. The first is the case of the bag. Traditionally, Ingenieur had all metal cases to allow for a soft iron inner cage that protects movement from magnetism. This latest version has a display case back. Certainly, you’ll get a stunning view of the interior of the IWC Calibre 47110. This 4Hz automatic movement has a power reserve of 42 hours. The IWC was decorated with Perlage, round Geneva stripes, and a gold kiloter. Perhaps the IWC had to use this movement instead of the IWC caliber 32111 with a 120-hour power reserve.
The second niggle is related to the butterfly clasp. It feels bad and without tweaks, when sizing the bracelet, it requires more consideration than I would like with this watch. But it’s very safe and certainly gets the job done. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of butterfly clasp, so collect the crumbs with the right amount of salt.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 is brought to the sea
This small integrated bracelet sports watch offers a water resistance rating of 100m. Unlike the larger 40mm siblings, there is no under-screw crown now. Despite this, the gasket does most of the work, but I’m sure it’s a good thing to go if it’s rated 100 meters in IWC. And then it “goes” that went, went to the Pacific Ocean for some free dives.
The silver dial is very easy to read, but is hard to read in high contrast environments, like the sea level on a sunny Australian day. Anyway, the watch felt very snug and comfortable. It’s a really fun sports watch to wear while swimming.
General thoughts on the IWC Ingenieur line
This leads to a wider view of Ingenua’s identity more extensively. You can understand why IWC makes use of Geraldgent’s connection to these watches. Gérald Genta designed the Ingenieur SL “Jumbo” ref. 1832. But true Ingenieur DNA before SL is simply gorgeous. This heritage began in 1954, when the Schaffhausen brand introduced the first Ingenieur. The clock was a Calatrava-like watch built like a battle tank. The first ingenieur ref. The 666 features a 36.5mm case with a 13.2mm profile. This movement was able to resist a magnetic field of up to 80,000 amps per meter. Ah, the watch was water resistant to 100 meters!
Image: Analog/Shift
Man, oh, I want to see IWC explore the 35mm IWC Ingenieur in the spirit of something like ref. 666. The brand has teased the idea before, but the version is always too big or too far from the original design language. Rolex has historically interacted with this very well, repetitively requiring existing model lines while retaining the identity of the core design, and on strange occasions they dumped the baby in the bath (usually creating a supplementary or new model line). The best examples that pop into my mind are the Rolex Explorer and Explorer II.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I really love this little IWC Ingenieur. It encourages intense competition with the larger brothers. But would you choose this with a larger 40mm Ingenieur? I don’t think so, but that’s not because I’m not wearing it either. In fact, I would argue that it’s slightly better, but the 40mm version, in a way, celebrates the original design better. It comes with a Faraday Cage, a higher spec caliber, and a closed case with a 40mm version of the screw-down crown. It is a technically excellent watch, and the spirit of Ingenieur has always been about technological advancements.
That said, the Ingenieur is a great watch. If you’re in the market for the 35mm or 40mm version, you probably wouldn’t be vying pickles trying to figure out which of the two to choose. answer? IWC, please release the 38mm Ingenieur! Oh, and while you’re in it, what about something similar to the references? 666? I would appreciate it quite a bit.
But what do you think, Fratelli? Think of the 35mm IWC Ingenieur? Please let me know in the comments.
