IWC

Koozy
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An IWC Ingenieur Owners Response

Having owned for a few weeks, I was intending to write a review of the Ingenieur but having read Patrick’s recent post and comments I don’t think people would care as they want to get more worked up about IWC’s audacity in determining their asking price.

I think a lot of subjective statements within that post were presented as fact and the general condescending tone needlessly adds fuel to the fire for comments. For example, I’m not sure of the rationale for highlighting that Christoph Grainger-Herr is a former architect, but with that precedent I assume any future post on AP will now need to include a picture of their new CEO and refer to her as a former perfumier.

Unsurprisingly there are already strong comments such as IWC confusing their clients for cows, comments that clients would buy because of the Genta connection but don’t have the intellect to question the movement and some people actively wanting the watch to be a commercial failure because of the price.

Patrick seems to state as fact that the watch should be priced in the range of $8-9.9k using only the Mark XX as a reference point, but how would that price then sit within the rest of the catalogue, would the next debate be how can the Ingenieur be the same price as the time only Ceramic BP43 with canvas strap? The overpriced figure of $2k seems a be a figure shot from the hip but let’s say it is correct. If I own my watch for at least 10yrs (my first IWC pilot has just reached its 10yr anniversary) that would amortise to $200 a year, I spend more on coffee! Regarding coffee, do all the people worked up on price and calibre comparisons hassle the customers of their local coffee shop highlighting to them the input costs of coffee beans and milk? Perhaps they harass cinemagoers who are oblivious to the market price of popcorn kernels. I assume none of them can possibly own a precious metal watch as they would surely never get past the maths of the incremental cost of the watch compared to the value of the gold / platinum by weight.

The post seems to imply that the Octo and Alpine Eagle are better value, and that the Octo ‘could’ have a Geneva seal (but it doesn’t) and that the Alpine Eagle ‘probably’ costs more to manufacture. Personally, I don’t like either watch aesthetically but what the hell do I know, I bought an Ingenieur after all.  

It is sad that this forum seems to be getting increasingly sensationalist. Thank God this forum didn’t exist in 1972 otherwise the watch that spawned the integrated steel bracelet genre (without which there may not even be an Alpine Eagle or Octo) would never have stood a chance. I wonder what some of the commentators would have said about the Daytona in 1963, I bet those comments would’ve aged well.

Ultimately, I think the people who say this watch should be c.$2k cheaper still wouldn’t buy it if it was because they don’t like the watch and / or brand compared to other options and that’s fine. I simply work on the basis that you should try and buy things you will enjoy and encourage people to do likewise, I certainly don’t tell people what they should and shouldn’t enjoy.

Final comment, I’ve enjoyed my watch for a month now and not once have I looked at the dial and thought that it reminds me of the star spangled banner!

Koozy