The IWC Ingenieur SL reference 1832 was designed by Gérald Genta in 1974 and released in 1976. It has a 40mm stainless steel case with a round bezel fixed by five visible screws, an integrated steel bracelet with a deployant clasp, and a black dial with a chequered waffle pattern, baton indices and a date window at 3 o’clock. Inside is the automatic calibre 8541 with 25 jewels, a Pellaton self-winding movement with hacking seconds. A soft iron Faraday cage protects it against magnetic fields up to 80,000 A/m (1,000 gauss). It matters as the Genta-designed version of a line built around magnetic protection.

The 1832 combined IWC‘s antimagnetic engineering with Genta’s sculpted case and bracelet. Its 40mm size, large for the period, earned it the “Jumbo” nickname. According to Phillips, it was made from 1976 to 1984, with roughly 543 pieces produced in stainless steel and two-tone versions. Early bracelets have centre links with rounded corners. The model was later echoed in Hollywood when Brad Pitt wore a customised green-dial reference 1832 in the film F1.

For years the 1832 lived in the shadow of Genta’s more famous designs, and Phillips described it as an “under appreciated Genta masterpiece”. Interest has since grown: at the Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII, a 1980 example with box and archive extract, estimated at HK$100,000 to 200,000, sold for HK$203,200, above its high estimate. The film appearance has also renewed attention. The reference 1832 is no longer produced. In 2023 IWC launched the Ingenieur Automatic 40, which follows the design codes of Genta’s 1970s Ingenieur, so the line remains in production today.