IWC Ingenieur Tourbillon Force Constante IW590001

The completely remodelled 2013 Ingenieur watch collection from IWC Schaffhausen focuses entirely on its new partnership with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team. For the next three years, the watch manufacturer will be the Official Engineering Partner of the Mercedes-Benz works team. For the new collection, IWC’s design engineers took their inspiration from Formula One™. Materials typically used in motorsport, such as carbon fibre, ceramic and titanium, are the hallmarks of a new design line in the Ingenieur watch family. The technologically demanding workmanship confirms the reputation of IWC Schaffhausen as a company that has been manufacturing top-quality timepieces for more than 140 years.

Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, commented on the global partnership with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS  Formula One™ Team: “The engineers who work within our two companies have many things in common. They share a passion for precision technology and innovation. They are the heroes behind the scenes: their crafts man ship and expertise with high technology lay the foundations for our success. Their pioneering spirit and know-how push the boundaries of mechanical engineering and continuously redefine the achievements of precision technology. The two companies have a name for this untiring quest for perfection: performance engineering.”

IWC’s cooperation with Mercedes-Benz dates all the way back to October 2004, when the Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer announced a partnership with AMG, the car producer’s high-performance brand. The following year, IWC unveiled its first two Ingenieur models named exclusively after AMG. This successful and long-lasting partnership is now to be extended to Formula One™ motorsport. As a symbol of the ground common to their work, IWC Schaffhausen and the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team have joined forces and merged their strengths in a new form of cooperation. “We are delighted that for the next three years we will be working side by side with a partner who stands for the same values as we do,” explains Karoline Huber, Director of Marketing & Communications. “Apart from fitting perfectly with IWC’s central message ‘Engineered for men’, the technical challenges, the emotional highs and lows and the gripping race against time make Formula One™ the ideal environment for the fascinating stories that surround our Ingenieur watches.” IWC Schaffhausen’s new watch models have been inspired not only by high-tech, state-of-the-art motor racing, but also by the sport’s historic roots. In the 1930s and in 1954/55, the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow dom inated the international motor-racing scene. This is the reason why IWC has dedicated the Ingenieur Chronograph Silberpfeil to the legendary Mercedes racing car.

The 1950s was also the decade that saw the advent of the tradition-steeped Ingenieur watch family. By pursuing the motto “Progress results from continuous change”, the Ingenieur fully embodied the philosophy of the Schaffhausen-based watch manufacturer. The cool, functional exterior housed a movement with a wealth of sophisticated technology. The more outstanding features included the first bidirectional automatic winding system and protection against magnetic fields. The timepieces very soon came to stand for precision and reliability. Thanks to their rugged qualities, the Ingenieur models not only appealed to technicians but also gradually found favour with sportsmen and globetrotters. In 2013, to coincide with the relaunch of the Ingenieur line, this trend has logically taken IWC to a sporting discipline that brings together all three attributes: Formula One™.

WHERE POWER MEETS PRECISION

INGENIEUR CONSTANT-FORCE TOURBILLON

With its spectacular Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon, Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has secured itself a leading position in the Constructors’ Championship of haute horlogerie. To ensure a particularly regular rate, the watchmakers integrated the patented constant-force mechanism in a tourbillon – an impressive example of engineering at its best.

Haute horlogerie and Formula One™ motorsport have one thing in common: only if the engineers adjust the individual  parts to interact perfectly can they get the most out of their machines. And only then, whether they’re designed for the wrist or the racetrack, will their performance be spot on.

While V8 engines are built for extreme acceleration and braking power, the hand-wound mechanism of a mechanical wristwatch should ideally supply energy at as constant a rate as possible. But because the mainspring in a conventional hand-wound movement is under more tension when freshly wound than when running down, the amount of power it generates varies constantly. IWC’s team of engineers, watchmakers and designers sought an answer to the problem for 10 whole years. The result of their efforts is a highly complex constant-force mechanism integrated in a tourbillon. And in 2013, IWC’s invention makes its way into the Ingenieur watch family for the first time in the form of the Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon (Ref. IW590001) in a platinum and ceramic case.

THE CONSTANT-FORCE TOURBILLON: THE HEART OF THE WATCH

Positioned at “9 o’clock”, the impressive constant-force tourbillon provides a fascinating view of its layered construction. Connoisseurs of precision mechanics will particularly enjoy watching the complex interaction of the springs, wheels and pallets. The striking black tourbillon bridge is calibrated to facilitate reading off the seconds and, like the black screws, underscores the dial’s high-tech look. As a captivating contrast to this we see the delicate, gold-coloured Glucydur® beryllium alloy balance with its high-precision adjustment cam on the balance arms. The tourbillon revolves around its own axis once every 60 seconds to offset the influence of gravity on any positional error in the balance and its adverse effect on the rate. Down in the depths of the tourbillon we see the constant-force mechanism, the true heart of the watch. This intricate assembly allows the escapement to be uncoupled from the gear train, which keeps the amplitude of the balance – and thus the watch’s rate – virtually constant. The energy is stored temporarily in a balance spring and dispensed to the  escape wheel. This balance spring is put under tension once a second, as we can see from the one-second advances made by the tourbillon hand. After every five beats of the balance, the stop wheel and the tourbillon cage are also released. The stop wheel turns and causes the tourbillon cage to rotate with it, which puts the balance spring under tension again. After about 2 days, the watch moves from constant-force mode into normal mode. Now, the seconds hand advances smoothly every one-fifth of a second. The constant-force tourbillon guarantees a regular and precise rate over a period of at least 48 hours.

INSTRUMENT-LIKE TOTALIZERS

The new 94800-calibre basic movement was developed entirely internally by IWC. It features two barrels, which provide the energy for the higher torque required to drive the constant-force tourbillon. It also provides the moon phase module with the necessary power. IWC’s hallmark double moon display for the northern and southern hemispheres also makes its debut in the new design. If its position on the dial is a bold statement in itself, the incredibly realistic depiction of the moon is even more daring. IWC used a special 3-D laser technique to render the surface as authentically as possible. As a result, even tiny craters are visible to the naked eye. The countdown display on the outer ring of the totalizer shows the number of days remaining  before the next full moon. A new departure for IWC is the retrograde design of the power reserve display bet ween “4” and “5 o’clock”, which has a triangular indicator to show the power remaining. The connecting bridge was designed in such a way that the IWC logo is not concealed at any point during the watch’s 96-hour run time. The three totalizers protruding into the bezel were inspired by dash-board instruments and underscore the watch’s sporty character. In keeping with the cool, technically inspired look are the finely nuanced shades of black on the dial, the black, high-tech ceramic lugs and the solid crown protection  in platinum. In the inner circle is the traditional pattern consisting of interlocking capital “I”s with elongated serifs. The letter stands for Ingenieur and lends an unusual depth to the relief.

A LOOK UNDER THE BONNET

If we look at the Ingenieur Constant-Force Tourbillon from the movement side, it’s like peering into a sports car’s engine compartment. Complementing the bores in the bezel on the front side are five titanium screws with ceramic heads, which secure the sapphire-glass back firmly to the case. On the bottom plate, the lively interplay of blasted and satin-finished surfaces combined with polished edges is reminiscent of a high-performance Formula One™ racing car. Perforated sections reveal the intermeshing gears, while engravings provide the technical details. All the design elements are meticulously harmonized and radiate power and pure dynamism.