There is plenty of watch series that have undergone dramatic changes: the Omega Constellation, IWC Portugieser Replica Watches, TAG Heuer Carrera - I'm sure there are even those who will adamantly argue that Rolex Datejusts and Submariners have strayed too far from their original concepts. In some cases, it is precisely these dramatic changes that have brought the respective brands to prominence. When you think of Audemars Piguet, you don't just think back to dress watches and the Royal Oak; you also think of the Offshore. When you think of the Omega Seamaster, you don't just think of the smaller, delicate pieces the brand produced before 1957 - you think of the epic divers that James Bond still wears.

The modern (post-1976) IWC Ingenieur Replica UK, above, is another such watch. Redesigned with the influence of timepiece legend Gérald Genta, in an effort to modernize the engineer's watch developed in the 1950s, the piece featured an integrated bracelet, a round bezel with five screws, and a guilloche dial. It was a watch meant to rival the aforementioned Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus in style (two watches also designed by Genta and, coincidentally, both nicknamed 'Jumbo'), but also to fulfill the main purpose of being was committed for it. in 1954: legibility, anti-magnetism, and precision.

The modern Ingenieur collection includes numerous masculine chronographs and date/time models, but in the foreground is a flagship that is still recognizable to fans of 1970s Engineers. The Reference 3239 (above), powered by an IWC-finished automatic ETA 2892 copy swiss watch, is housed in a 40mm stainless steel case with an integrated bracelet and a round bezel with the familiar five screws; it now also has slender, elongated crown caps. On the dial, there's the option of black or silver plating, followed by a further choice of rhodium or rose gold accents. The piece has a date display at the 3 o'clock position and checks marks for each hour with a double mark at 12 o'clock above the modern IWC logo. If you're on the hunt, you can find it for around $ 5,000, depending on the dealer.

Whenever I deal with IWC replica watches at www.swissreplica.is, I keep in mind that it is the company's tradition to review entire collections every few years, normally at SIHH (as seen with the new Pilot's watch collection this year). With this noted, it is no surprise that the Modern Engineer is recognizable in comparison to the historical pieces of the series, but also not anything close to a direct recreation. In terms of historical inspiration, all the important notes are still there: five screws securing the case, an integrated steel bracelet, a relatively thin case (10 mm), and anti-magnetic properties due to the soft inner cage that protects the machine. Movement. Since then, however, IWC has had crown protectors, larger hands and hour markers, a raised bezel instead of the historically flat one, and, finally, a consistent (slightly reflective) black or silver dial compared to the graph-paper-like guilloche dial. From the 1970s.

Do I think this piece is as interesting as the few thousand vintage models produced forty years ago? Personally, yes, but that ultimately boils down to my preference for the unique and old rather than the belief that the historical models are always better. But as the brand has recently shown more interest in catering to the vintage-oriented consumer, it's easy to imagine that a truly vintage-inspired Engineer is just a few fairs away. Replica Rolex Daydate watches for sale cheap.