View source for IWC Ingenieur 3521

:See Also: [[IWC Ingenieur]]
The '''Ingenieur Officially Certified Chronometer''' was [[IWC]]'s main entry in the [[IWC Ingenieur|Ingenieur]] line from [[1993]] until [[2001]].

==Overview==

Both [[Rolex]] and IWC saw the need for a [[engineer|watch for engineers and scientists]] in the 1950s, combining rugged [[automatic]] movements, [[water-resistant]] cases, and [[anti-magnetic]] concepts in the [[Rolex Milgauss]] and this IWC Ingenieur. The concept has remained for over 50 years, with the [[IWC Ingenieur|IWC Ingenieur family]] spawning many models, including an iconic redesign by famed designer [[Genta, Gerald|Gerald Genta]], a pivot to [[motor racing]], and the use of exotic materials like [[titanium]] and [[ceramic]].

The Ingenieur had become somewhat stale by the mid 1970s but famed designer [[Genta, Gerald|Gerald Genta]] had shown a stylistic path forward with his groundbreaking [[Audemars Piguet Royal Oak]] in [[1972]]. Genta designed three "SL" or "Steel Line" watches for IWC, of which only the Ingenieur was presented for sale. The production "Ingenieur SL", introduced in [[1976]]. Like the Royal Oak, [[Patek Philippe Nautilus]], and [[Vacheron Constantin 222]], the new Ingenieur SL had a "sandwich" case, with both the caseback and bezel being removable. Measuring 40 mm by 38 mm around a 30 mm dial, the "Jumbo" nickname seemed appropriate for the time. Poor sales spurred IWC to search for a smaller and thinner movement to allow the watch to be reduced in size to 34 mm for the 1980s, with most sales focused on the [[IWC Ingenieur 3305|"Skinny" Ref. 3305 and 3505/3506]] quartz and automatic offerings. In [[1989]], IWC introduced an anti-magnetic movement in the [[IWC Ingenieur 3508|Ref. 3508 "500,000 A/m"]] but this proved to be a technical failure.

IWC had stopped producing most in-house movements during the [[quartz crisis]] and turned to [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]] (then 55% owned by IWC parent company [[LMH]]) for an appropriately small and thin movement to pull the Ingenieur line back from the brink. The result was IWC's [[IWC 8872|Cal. 887/2]], which was based on the excellent [[Jaeger-LeCoultre]] [[JLC 889|Cal. 889/2]]. Also used in the competing [[Audemars Piguet Royal Oak]] and [[Vacheron Constantin Overseas]], this movement was the workhorse for thin dress watches.

The Ingenieur "Officially Certified Chronometer" strongly resembled the preceding [[IWC Ingenieur 3508|Ref. 3508 "500,000 A/m"]] and [[IWC Ingenieur 3506|Ref. 3506 "Skinny" Ingenieur SL Automatic]]. The case remained at 34.0 mm diameter and 8.8 mm thick and used Genta's novel tripartite design with a screw-down bezel much like a traditional waterproof caseback. The [[tonneau]] case also resembled Genta's Ref. 1832, with an integrated bracelet or optional crocodile leather strap.

The "Officially Certified Chronometer" Ingenieur was available in steel or [[gold filled]] with or without a bracelet (Ref. 3521 and 3522, respectively), in solid 18 karat [[yellow gold]] (Ref. 9239) or gold with a diamond bezel (Ref. 9259). It continued in production through [[2001]].

==1990s Ingenieur Range==

The Ingenieur range was much more limited in the 1990s, with just the three-handed [[IWC Ingenieur 3508|Ref. 3508]] or Ref. 3521, the [[IWC Ingenieur Chronograph 3733|Ref. 3733 Chronograph]] or [[IWC Ingenieur Chrono Alarm 3805|Ref. 3805 Chrono Alarm]], and the [[IWC Ingenieur SL Perpetual Calendar 3540|Ref. 3540 Perpetual Calendar]], which was phased out before Ref. 3521 was introduced.

The range would be quite stale until a [[2005]] lead by the [[IWC Ingenieur Automatic 3227|Ref. 3227 Ingenieur Automatic]] and [[IWC Ingenieur Chronograph 3725|Ref. 3725 Ingenieur Chronograph]].

==External Links==
* [http://www.moeb.ch/Ingenieur/12e_OCC.html 1993-2001: The Ingenieur «Officially Certified Chronometer»]

{{UD|
'''Reference:'''
:3521 (1993-2001) [[stainless steel]] or [[gold filled]] with matching bracelet
:3522 (1993-1996) [[stainless steel]] or [[gold filled]] with leather strap
:9239 (1993-2001) [[Yellow gold]] with gold bracelet
:9259 (1993-2001) [[Yellow gold]] and diamond bezel with gold bracelet

'''Movement:'''
:[[Automatic]] [[IWC 887|Cal. 887/2]] ([[Jaeger-LeCoultre]] [[JLC 889|889/2]])
:34 or 36 [[jewels]]
:28,800 A/h

'''Case:''' 
:[[Stainless steel]] or [[yellow gold]]
:Ø 34.0 mm, H 8.8 mm
:[[Anti-magnetic]] soft iron inner case protects up to 40,000 A/m
:[[Sapphire crystal]]
:Screw-in bezel and caseback
:[[Waterproof]] to 6 or 12 ATM

'''Dial:'''
:Black, gold, or white dial
:Bar markers

'''Functions:'''
:Hours, minutes, [[central seconds]] 
:[[Date window]] at 3:00

'''Bracelet:''' 
:Metal bracelet system with deployant clasp or leather strap

'''Production:''' 
:Produced: [[1993]]-[[2001]]
:Predecessor: [[IWC Ingenieur 3508|Ref. 3308 Ingenieur "500,000 A/m"]]
:Successor: [[IWC Ingenieur Automatic 3227|Ref. 3227 Ingenieur Automatic]]
}}

[[Category:Watch models]]
[[Category:IWC Ingenieur models|3521]]