Despite everything that is happening on the dial, the face of the watch is still legible. I love the high-contrast black and white look, and the depth and variety on the dial is also impressive. We can also call this a semi-skeletonized dial, as semi-transparent sections are used to offer a view of the discs that make up the digital date and month indicator system. You also have a view of the leap year disc. The partial skeletonization offers welcome style, but we are happy to report that it doesn’t seem to really distract too much from the legibility. The hands and hour indicators are of course coated in lume.
Even though the movement is essentially an existing IWC mechanism, the brand’s designers did a commendable job of making the watch look and feel exceedingly fresh. What is also interesting is the watch’s case construction. It begins with a 46mm wide Ingenieur case, that in my opinion is an ideal size for a serious looking sport watch.
Black and deep metal colors offer a tempered look that feels instrumental but also luxurious. The Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month watch has a titanium case, but not just any titanium. IWC uses an alloy called titanium aluminide, which is claimed to be both lighter and more “robust” than standard titanium. While I don’t doubt that it is lighter, given the presence of aluminum in the alloy, I would be a bit concerned about the case’s propensity to scratch given that both titanium and aluminum are strong but prone to surface scuffs and scratches.
The black elements on the case are in zirconium oxide, with is a standard form of “high-tech” ceramic used on many timepieces. This material will be quite scratch resilient though. At 46mm wide and 17mm tall, the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month watch will wear boldly, so you won’t forget that it is on your wrist. It is also water resistant to 120 meters. Attached to the watch is a fitted alligator strap. Price is actually more expensive than the 18k rose gold Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month watch, which retails for $44,300. The IWC Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month watch is priced at $49,700. iwc.com
