Key Highlights
- IWC Curated launched in September 2025, offering hand-picked vintage IWC timepieces restored in Schaffhausen with original, period-correct spare parts from IWC’s own archives.
- The Ingenieur SL Reference 1832, designed by Gérald Genta, features anti-magnetic protection rated at 80,000 A/m (1,000 Gauss) and an integrated bracelet design from 1976.
- The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Ceramic Reference 3705, introduced in 1994, features a zirconium-oxide ceramic case and was produced in approximately 999 pieces between 1994 and 1998.
- The Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar, developed by Kurt Klaus, uses an 81-part mechanism adjustable via the crown alone and remains accurate until the year 2499.
- Every IWC Curated watch is issued an official IWC Certificate of Authenticity and an International Limited Warranty extendable up to eight years; the program is available at the Dubai Mall boutique.
A Program Built on Responsibility
For collectors who value provenance above all, the vintage market has always presented a challenge: authenticity is rarely guaranteed, and restoration quality is almost never traceable. IWC Schaffhausen addresses this tension directly with IWC Curated, a program launched in September 2025 that brings historically important IWC timepieces back to their original condition through a rigorous, fully documented restoration process conducted in-house.
Each piece is individually selected by IWC HQ Regional Sales Manager Jule and IWC Museum Curator David Seyffer. The restoration begins with a complete disassembly — case, movement, bracelet — followed by surface refinishing, gasket replacement, and a full movement service. Critically, any worn components are replaced using original IWC parts sourced exclusively from the brand’s own archives, which no third party can access. The result is not a watch made to look new, but one returned as faithfully as possible to its original state.
The program is currently available at boutiques in Schaffhausen, London Battersea, Tokyo Ginza, New York Madison, and Dubai Mall — the latter making it directly accessible to GCC collectors. For those unable to locate a specific reference in-boutique, IWC will endeavour to source it individually upon request.
The Ingenieur SL: Genta’s Anti-Magnetic Icon
The Ingenieur line has its roots in 1955, conceived as a precision instrument for engineers, doctors, and professionals who regularly work near strong magnetic fields. The defining technical achievement was the movement’s shielding against magnetic interference — a protection rated at 80,000 A/m, or 1,000 Gauss. By the late 1960s, IWC recognised the need for a visual refresh, and in the early 1970s, the commission went to Gérald Genta, one of the most celebrated watch designers in Switzerland at the time.
The result was the Ingenieur SL Reference 1832, a bold, integrated-bracelet design that Seyffer describes as having been perhaps too avant-garde for its era — explaining why relatively few examples were made. Decades later, that rarity and its clean, purposeful geometry have elevated it to icon status among collectors. A full service video documenting the restoration of this exact reference has been published by IWC on their YouTube channel for those curious about the process in real time.
The Pilot Ref. 3705 and the Da Vinci PPC: Materials and Complexity
Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Ceramic Reference 3705
When IWC introduced the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Ceramic Reference 3705 in 1994, ceramic was still largely uncharted territory in watchmaking. The case is constructed from zirconium-oxide ceramic — a material noted for being nearly as hard as sapphire, approximately four times harder than steel, highly scratch resistant, corrosion proof, and notably light. Crucially, this is not a coating; the entire case is ceramic. Approximately 999 pieces were produced between 1994 and 1998, giving the reference an inherent collectibility that IWC Curated now makes accessible with full authentication backing.
IWC’s first use of zirconium-oxide ceramic predates the Ref. 3705 — the material was pioneered by the brand in collaboration with Schaffhausen-based company Metoxit and first appeared in a Da Vinci reference in 1986. The Pilot reference represented the transfer of that material innovation into an entirely different functional context: an aviator’s instrument built for legibility in demanding conditions.
Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar
The Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar stands apart as IWC’s formal entry into the world of haute horlogerie. Developed by Kurt Klaus and launched in 1986, the mechanism comprises just 81 parts yet delivers a perpetual calendar display — moon phase, four-digit year display, date, day, and month — all adjustable via the crown alone, with no need for correctors or pushers. The moon phase display is accurate to 120 years; the perpetual calendar itself is accurate until 2499. A version combining this mechanism with a ceramic case brought together two of IWC’s most significant innovations of the era under a single reference, the 3755.
For collectors following the broader watch calendar — including those who attend Watches and Wonders — the Da Vinci PPC represents a particularly meaningful chapter: the moment IWC signalled its ambitions extended beyond robust tool watches into genuine mechanical complexity. IWC Curated ensures that acquiring one of these pieces today comes with the full weight of the brand’s archival knowledge behind it.
Why It Matters
For GCC collectors — a market that prizes both heritage and verifiable condition — IWC Curated offers something the open vintage market rarely can: direct acquisition from the manufacturer, with traceable restoration and an extendable eight-year warranty. The presence of a Curated boutique at Dubai Mall makes three of watchmaking’s most consequential references from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s directly accessible to the region’s collector community, backed by an official IWC Certificate of Authenticity. For the full programme details, visit the official IWC website.
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