Visually stunning and masculine, with a tounge-twister of a name, the sport-themed Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (reference IW379201) also features a chronograph, and is the second most expensive new Ingenieur for 2013 – priced at $49,700. Featuring 120-meter water resistance and a fitted alligator strap, this luxury timepiece is the essence of forward-thinking, modern design.
This model contains the beautifully in-house made calibre 89802 automatic movement – a slight revision on the movement found in the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month. The base chronograph – with the chronograph hours and minutes both being totalized in the top subsidiary dial - is built upon with a perpetual calendar complication. There is a central chronograph seconds hand, and a lower sub dial is used for the running seconds. The chronograph has a flyback complication and the movement has a 68 hour power reserve. The movement for the perpetual calendar system digitally indicates the month and date, in the three additional windows that have been added to the dial for this purpose. There is a “big date” display and a “big month” display, as well as a leap year indicator in the lower sub dial, thanks to the two discs used in each of these three windows.
The design and case material of the Igenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month accentuates IWC's recent focus on motorsports, including a lighter, more robust titanium aluminide case – which is a twist on the usual titanium - and tempered black and deep metal colors. This combination creates a look that feels both instrumental and luxurious. However, there may be an issue with surface scuffs and scratches, with this mixture of materials, since both have these traits. Black elements made of scratch resilient zirconium oxide – which is a standard form of high-tech ceramic that is used on many watches - decorate the 46 mm wide, 17mm tall case.
IWC created a dial for this watch that is fun and very legible, despite everything that it has going on. Its hands and hour indicators are coated in lume; and the depth and variety of the high-contrast black and white coloring and semi-skeletonized dial – with semi-transparent sections that offer a look at the digital date and month indicator system disks and the leap year disc - blend to make this a very impressive dial. Overall, this watch looks and feels incredibly fresh and original.