Results for IWC

Hands-On With The Elegant IWC Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince!

The poetic world of Le Petit Prince meets the understated elegance of IWC’s compact Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34! What We Love: Beautiful integration of the Le Petit Prince for the first time in a Portofino model. Poetic day-and-night display Slim, elegant, and exceptionally comfortable What We Don’t: 34mm sizing limits its broader appeal No view of the movement Limited choice of suitable alternative straps Overall Rating: 8.8/10 Value for Money: 8.8/10 Wearability: 8.7/10 Design: 8.7/10 Build Quality: 8.8/10 IWC Schaffhausen’s Portofino collection is one that can seem overlooked at times. With collections such as the Portugieser, Ingenieur and Pilot’s Watches taking centre stage more often, the Portofino can feel like a line that frequently flies under the radar. For me personally, however, it remains one of IWC’s best-kept secrets. View this post on Instagram A post shared by IWC Schaffhausen (@iwcwatches) Unveiled during Watches & Wonders 2026 is the first-ever Portofino to feature IWC’s Le Petit Prince theme! The Portofino collection also has a distinctive design within IWC’s broader range, allowing it to stand entirely on its own. How this design originated is a story in itself, as the Portofino emerged during a period when the world of mechanical watchmaking was going through considerable turmoil. By the early 1980s, quartz watches were dominating the market, forcing IWC to explore different ideas that would make its mechanical timepieces appe...

Bring a Loupe: A Breguet's Breguet, A LIP Chronograph, An IWC Aquatimer, And A Boucheron Carree

It's a big world out there, Baller, full of seductive objects to pursue beyond watches. In the course of finding stuff to fill out BAL each week, I come across delights galore, and it feels essential to pass along that, should you have an excess of time and money and a dearth of memorabilia, there's a full auction of items from Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman), titled, appropriately enough, Paul Reubens' Big Auction, and yes, there's a bike. Scorekeeping last weeks picks, the Orvis Solunagraph auctions next Thursday and the LIP Mach 2000 later today. The Patek 5107 sold for €13,500, and the Omega DeVille Emerald sold for $650. Strays Photo courtesy of Drouot. Your affordable vintage diver of the week is from that least-loved of brands, Invicta. Yes, Invicta is a punchline now, but their vintage stuff can offer surprises. Here's Alan Bean's personal BA 145.022-69, for all you space cadets, and here's a trio of early electronic Wittnauers that will be 'fun' for someone, depending on how capacious their definition of fun is, given that the watches are listed as not currently running. This gold chronograph from Juvenia felt, on first seeing it, like the most charming watch I'd find this week, but then there's this incredible Zenith purse watch, which takes the cake charm-wise. For all you Pogue heads (the watch/astronaut, not the band), neither of these are 'true' pogues, in that they're both 6139-6002s, but both look great, and Seiko 6139s are great fun. Finally, I covered...

IWC Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year Of The Goat: Gold Dial, 500 Pieces, Early to the Party

IWC's latest Chinese New Year edition wraps the Performance Chronograph 41 in titanium and gold, limited to 500 pieces for the Year of the Goat

First Look - The IWC Pilot Watch Performance Chronograph Turns Gold for the Year of the Goat

IWC Schaffhausen has marked the Chinese New Year with some interesting special editions in recent years, most of them featuring burgundy dials, from the burgundy-and-gold Portugieser for the Year of the Rabbit to the dragon-themed edition that followed and the latest Year of the Horse watch. Up next for the occasion is yet another themed […]

Meet The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year Of The Goat

The Year of the Goat starts on February 6th, 2027, but IWC is getting a head start on the festivities. Today, the brand from Schaffhausen announces the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 ref. IW388310, a 500-piece limited edition for those who want to celebrate this Chinese zodiac sign with an iconic chrono. The IWC Pilot’s […] Visit Meet The IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Year Of The Goat to read the full article.

Introducing - IWC Goes Golfing with a New Olive Green Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 43

When you think of IWC and sports, you probably have Formula 1 in mind. And rightfully so… But today, we’ll be talking about golf, a noble sport that’s not often associated with the Schaffhausen-based brand. Yet, for the sixth consecutive year, IWC takes on the mantle of official timing partner for the Alfred Dunhill Links […]

Earthen Co. Breaks New Ground With More Colors For Its Summit MK II Collection

When Earthen Co. debuted with the Summit, I was immediately intrigued. The combination of ceramic cases with the famous IWC Mark-series design silhouette made the watches instantly recognizable and stylish. But the Hong Kong-based brand did not compromise on specs and made them proper tool watches. Considering the friendly price of well under €1,000, it […] Visit Earthen Co. Breaks New Ground With More Colors For Its Summit MK II Collection to read the full article.

Living With The Hanhart 415 ES Reverse Panda After Selling My IWC 3706

There’s a particular kind of watch that looks better the longer you sit with it, and the Hanhart 415 ES in its black-dial, white-register guise is exactly that kind of watch. First impressions are strong; that’s easy with a reverse-panda dial. However, it’s the weeks that follow and the mornings you reach for it without […] Visit Living With The Hanhart 415 ES Reverse Panda After Selling My IWC 3706 to read the full article.

Hands-On Review: Going Green With IWC’s Ingenieur 42 Green Ceramic

IWC went green this year with the Ingenieur 42 Ceramic, and while we thought the black was good, this could be better! What We Love: The shade of green ceramic works extremely well The gold accents elevate the watch nicely The finish & light play make this a standout on the wrist What We Don’t: Still, the lack of the quick-link adjustment system on the bracelet The 42 mm case size may not suit all wrist sizes and types A full ceramic watch may not be for everyone, or suit some people’s lifestyles Overall Rating: 8.75 / 10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build Quality: 9/10 When IWC released the black ceramic Ingenieur last year, I was pretty impressed with how well the watch worked in the metal, or ceramic, I should say. The Ingenieur is already a very distinctive design, and creating it in ceramic could easily have changed the proportions or feel of the watch, but IWC managed to retain what makes the current Ingenieur work while giving it a completely different feel on the wrist. IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr talked to us about this last year, and how much research and development went into making a 42mm-sized ceramic version to mirror the proportions, look and feel on the wrist as the standard steel 40mm. It was an interesting chat, which you can read all about here. It’s not easy being green, as the frog once said! But maybe, in this case, it is! Not content to rest on its laurels, IWC released a green ceramic version for Watches & Wonde...

Up Close: IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince

The IWC Ingenieur Celebrates a Big Anniversary

The watch industry, as we know, never misses an opportunity to celebrate a milestone. This week marks 50 years of Gerald Genta’s Ingenieur, a watch that has existed in a variety of forms over the years, but was relaunched a few years ago in a widely celebrated new guise that feels almost spiritually connected to the original. The new limited editions released this week by IWC are available in both the standard 40mm size and the newer, more compact 35mm case, both with dials that play up the design’s inherent starkness.  The Ingenieur’s dial is most commonly associated with a distinctive grid pattern, but these LEs depart from that playbook for a dial that feels very metallic with vertical brushing and silver plating. It’s a reference, according to IWC, to an obscure Ingenieur reference from the original launch in 1976.  I’m struck by how simple and muted this dial is for a limited edition. We’ve been trained, I think, to think that special releases and limited editions should be louder than this, and recontextualize a watch into something that couldn’t exist in the main collection. This dial execution is about as simple as it gets, and while it presents quite differently than the mainline Ingenieurs with patterned dials, it wouldn’t be a challenge at all to imagine this watch as a permanent part of the IWC collection. It’s a clear play to history, which of course is fitting and expected for a 50th anniversary watch. It’s nice but maybe not particularl...

IWC Marks 50 Years of the Ingenieur

IWC’s magnetism-resistant Ingenieur SL is now 50 years old so the brand is marking the occasion with the Ingenieur Automatic 50th Anniversary, a pair of limited editions that unsurprisingly take inspiration from a historical model. In 40 mm and 35 mm respectively, the two editions share the same brushed silver dial. The two are otherwise identical to the regular production versions, which means a sharply executed case and bracelet, but an industrial movement that doesn’t live up to the price. Initial thoughts Today’s Ingenieur is a derivative design, being based on Gerald Genta’s original of the 1970s (which explains the resemblance to the Royal Oak et al). But it is still a good looking watch, with a case and bracelet that are tangibly well done. The 50th anniversary edition isn’t creative by any stretch of the imagination, but still appealing in look and feel. But at launch in 2023 the Ingenieur was already pricey, especially considering the industrial, cost-effective ValFleurier movement. Still, the price then was forgivable given the wider landscape and integrated-bracelet-sports-watch fad. Now the larger, 40 mm version is US$15,000, which is pricey and difficult to rationalise. The 40 mm and 35 mm, both of use employ different but equally industrial calibres SL reborn The anniversary editions are based on the standard 40 mm and 35 mm models respectively. The two are essentially identical in design and quality; both contain different but comparable movements....

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 50th Anniversary Editions Resurrect A Rare 1970s Silver Dial

IWC releases the Ingeniuer Automatic 50th Anniversary editions paying tribute to the iconic integrated bracelet sports watch.

IWC Marks 50 Years of the Genta Ingenieur SL with Two Limited-Edition Revivals

A brushed silver-plated dial and two case sizes pay quiet tribute to one of Gérald Genta's most underrated designs

50 Years Of IWC’s Ingenieur SL Designed By Gérald Genta - A New IWC Ingenieur Automatic In Two Sizes

Gérald Genta designed many masterpieces during his lifetime, but the IWC Ingenieur SL is often mentioned in the same breath as two of his greatest designs from the same decade. The IWC Ingenieur SL1832 was introduced in 1976, and 50 years later, it might be even stronger than ever. To celebrate this milestone, IWC has […] Visit 50 Years Of IWC’s Ingenieur SL Designed By Gérald Genta — A New IWC Ingenieur Automatic In Two Sizes to read the full article.

First Look - IWC Celebrates 50 Years Of The Genta-Designed Ingenieur SL With Two Ingenieur Automatic Limited Editions

Birthdays are to be celebrated, so it’s no surprise IWC Schaffhausen honours the 50th anniversary of one of its most pivotal watches, the Ingenieur SL. Introduced in 1976 and penned by Gérald Genta, the Ingenieur SL was one of the early adopters of the integrated sports watch ethos. Lasting until the late 1990s, the Ingenieur […]

IWC celebrates 50 years of the Ingenieur SL with two limited editions

A smooth, brushed, silver-plated dial in both 40mm and 35mm cases brings back a rare Ingenieur from the past.

Introducing: The IWC Ingenieur 50th Anniversary Limited Editions (Live Pics)

What We Know Today, to mark 50 years of Gérald Genta's Ingenieur SL design, IWC has released two limited-edition modern Ingenieur revival models in stainless steel. Both versions feature the same new dial design in the main 40mm size and a smaller 35mm case. It's a tribute to IWC's slice of Genta history, a throwback to 1976, when Genta's design of the Ingenieur SL, ref. 1832, was first born. The original integrated-bracelet "Jumbo" Ingenieur SL's 40 mm size was ambitious for its time, and sadly the market did not reward it—the release was a commercial failure. IWC notes that it made only 598 pieces between the Ingenieur SL's launch in 1976 and 1983. But today, given the public's general affinity for Genta's iconic integrated-bracelet designs, the fiftieth anniversary of the SL design may be well timed. It references a more obscure dial variant of the Jumbo SL, one with a vertically brushed silver-plated dial rather than the more familiar grid pattern. The exhibition caseback of the 35mm model. In this modern iteration, the specs remain identical to the current 40mm and 35mm models, with the 35mm featuring an exhibition caseback to showcase the Caliber 47110 inside. The 40mm model, with its IWC-manufactured 32111 caliber, has a closed caseback and a soft-iron inner case for increased magnetic-field protection. In a nod to the anniversary, a "50" is printed right below the Ingenieur logo at 6 o'clock, where the "SL" would have been on the original. Each reference is limi...

Why I Bought The IWC Ingenieur - Long-Term Ownership Review

It was spring 2023, and I was in Geneva as I usually am this time of year at Watches and Wonders. This was an eventful year of releases, and one of the brands that dominated the discourse was IWC with the relaunch of the Ingenieur, which paid tribute to its 1970s Gerald Genta connections.  Up until this point, I liked

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team: Purple Is the New Black

IWC drops a bold purple-dialed Pilot chronograph timed to the Singapore Grand Prix, and it's one of the more striking F1 collabs we've seen from Schaffhausen in a while.

IWC takes us into the garage for its latest F1 release

Seeing how the partnership between IWC and Mercedes F1 really works is the best way to appreciate their newest release.

IWC Takes Its Mercedes-AMG Petronas Team Chronograph to Singapore

First Look - The New Purple IWC Pilot Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team

In the fast-paced, ultra-competitive world of Formula 1, few things are certain. One element that you can certainly be sure of, though, is the fact that there will always be a next race, a next Grand Prix, a next clash of superstar drivers. And in a sport where a win or loss can come down […]

New & Reviewed: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 watch with a new, 2026 collaboration with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Here is our hands on detailed review.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Le Petit Prince Review: Two Materials, Two Personalities

I take IWC’s latest Le Petit Prince chronographs for a hands-on review to discover how two materials completely transform the same design. What We Love Eye-catching white ceramic case and deep-blue dial contrast Ceramic model is lightweight and comfortable to wear, despite its substantial dimensions Two distinct personalities across ceramic and steel What We Don’t Full white ceramic edition lacks everyday versatility Both models are still relatively thick on the wrist 46 hour power reserve is modest by modern watchmaking standards. Overall Rating: 8.6 / 10 Value For Money: 8.7/10 Design: 8.5/10 Wearability: 8.7/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 To mark 20 years of its collaboration with the heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, IWC expands its Le Petit Prince lineup with new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph editions in stainless steel and white ceramic. This was one of IWC’s main themes for Watches & Wonders 2026, with a wide range of models carrying the signature Le Petit Prince design. There are few collections as closely connected to IWC’s modern identity as the Pilot’s Watch, which carries a design inspired by the functional appearance of cockpit instrumentation. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph then combines this aviation-inspired design with one of IWC’s best-known mechanical strengths in watchmaking: chronographs. IWC Schaffhausen’s connection to the story of Le Petit Prince began in 2006, when the Swiss watchmaker started collaborating with the descendants of Fren...