IWC

SJX
[Purist]
8540

• Show profile
• Show other posts

Aquatimer Automatic

The Aquatimer Automatic of 1967: When IWC first took the plunge with its diver’s watches, only a few pioneers such as Jacques-Yves Cousteau or Hans Hass had discovered the beauty but also the vulnerability of the underwater world. But they helped to arouse people’s enthusiasm for these last paradises.

For case makers in particular, manufacturing reliable watches for use under such extreme pressure conditions represented a challenge because when diving, the health or even the life of a diver depends on correct time management. IWC’s answer was the first Aquatimer in 1967. This too was the first member in a successful family lineage. And some of its technical features, such as the rotating inner bezel which is operated using a second crown, are today a typical characteristic from Schaffhausen.

The Aquatimer Automatic in its 44-millimetre case is of course a diver’s watch designed for underwater use, equipped with the pressure barriers and sealing systems of the modern Aquatimer watches – with a screw-in main crown and the self-sealing crown developed at IWC to adjust the rotating bezel, which improves handling owing to the fact that it is not screwed in. The clear dial design corresponds to that of the first generation of Aquatimer watches right down to the details, yet is more readable thanks to its new size. The pressure resistance is tested to 12bar. With the 80111-calibre movement, the Vintage Aquatimer is superbly powered – it is the same movement that drives the Ingenieur. And this was ultimately also the case in 1967. The 8541-calibre automatic movement, the toughest of its kind at that time, powered both of these heavy-duty watches, namely the Ingenieur and the Aquatimer. However, unlike the historical model, the Vintage Aquatimer has a see-through back cover.

Technical Specifications: