IWC's diver's watches take another step forward in their evolution. Indeed, the Aquatimer2014 collection from IWC Schaffhausen offers a host of interesting technical features, with in-house manufactured calibres and an IWC-patented bracelet quick-change system. This year also sees the debut in the family of a haute horlogerie complication such as the perpetual calendar combined with a large digital date display. Another first is the use of bronze as a case material. With four special editions, the Swiss watch manufacturer gives tangible support to the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Cousteau Society. "Aquatimer is a dynamic and professional sports watch line designed for the male wrist, with a tradition dating back to 1967," explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. "The influence of the styling and colour elements of its legendary predecessors is undeniable. The new generation, however, presents itself with purer and more balanced features. The overall impression is striking and is accentuated by the innovative rotating bezel, a genuine hallmark of the new Aquatimer from IWC." It is therefore no coincidence that the new Aquatimer watch family was presented in a setting as grand and exciting as the Galapagos Islands. "Only few regions on the planet offer such a rich and fascinating variety of species, both at sea and on land, as this extraordinary archipelago," says Georges Kern. "Our Aquatimer watches are perfect companions for the most ambitious expeditions both above and under water - and in this natural paradise they are absolutely in their element. However, we are also aware of the serious threat to this heritage of mankind". IWC Schaffhausen believes in ecological responsibility and pursues a corporate strategy geared towards sustainability. In its role as a high-end watch manufacturer synonymous with enduring values, the Swiss watch manufacturer feels particularly committed to the preservation of the fragile Galapagos Islands ecosystem. This is why it promotes and supports the Charles Darwin Foundation and its research organisation, which tackle the challenges posed by the Galapagos on a scientific basis. With equal solicitude and commitment IWC supports the Cousteau Society, which aims to continue the research work of Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997) as well as the protection of the seas. With his extraordinary images of the varied underwater life, the celebrated French diver brought "The Secrets of the Sea", as he called his hugely popular television series, into the living rooms of millions of people around the world. This passionate engineer, inventor, researcher and filmmaker awakened people's awareness of the importance of protecting the blue planet like no other. In the IWC family of diver's watches, a model equipped with a complication typical of haute horlogerie makes its debut for the first time: the perpetual calendar. The Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (Ref. IW379401) is a watch of extreme grandeur - and this in two respects. Firstly, because of its IWC-manufactured 89801 calibre with perpetual calendar and large digital date display showing the day of the week and the month, which carries on the tradition inaugurated by the Pallweber system in 1884. Secondly, because the top model in the new line, offered in a limited edition of 50, boasts an imposing case measuring 49 millimetres in diameter, a size that places it second in the history of IWC's wristwatch heavyweights - preceded only by the Big Pilot's Watch of 1940. For its part, the Aquatimer Deep Three in titanium (Ref. IW355701) is, after the GST Deep One of 1999 and the Aquatimer Deep Two of 2009, the third generation of IWC diver's watches to feature a mechanical depth gauge. Since they first appeared, both the depth gauge and the bezel system have been constantly revised and perfected. During a dive, the blue hand of the depth gauge indicates the current depth, while the red hand stops at the maximum depth reached (up to 50 metres). The Aquatimer Deep Three thus offers a complete backup system for the dive computer. Built to measure exceptional depths, the Aquatimer Automatic 2000 (Ref. IW358002), water-resistant to 200 atmospheres, continues the IWC tradition of timepieces dedicated to extreme performance, at the service of passionate divers and diving professionals. Its titanium case and streamlined design recall a style icon: the 1982 Ocean 2000, designed by Ferdinand A. Porsche. The Aquatimer Automatic 2000 is equipped with the robust IWC-manufactured 80110 calibre with Pellaton winding. With the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition "50 Years Science for Galapagos" (Ref. IW379504), in a limited edition of 500 pieces, IWC pays tribute to the 50th birthday of the Charles Darwin Research Station, a scientific institution of the Charles Darwin Foundation. The Aquatimer Chronograph Edition "Galapagos Islands" (Ref. IW379502), identical to the previous model in terms of construction, expresses IWC's commitment to the preservation of the archipelago. Both watches have an IWC-manufactured 89365 movement and are available with an attractive black rubber lining. With the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition "Expedition Charles Darwin" (Ref. IW379503), IWC Schaffhausen follows in the footsteps of the famous natural scientist on the Galapagos Islands. It was there that Darwin gained fundamental knowledge about the evolution of species. In tribute to this event, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer used bronze for the first time in a watch case: at the time, this metal alloy was one of the typical materials used in shipbuilding. This special edition is also equipped with the IWC-manufactured 89365 calibre. For his documentary film "Dragons of the Galapagos", the most famous pioneer of marine exploration, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, undertook an expedition to the most remote islands of the Pacific in 1971 to study the behaviour of marine iguanas. IWC dedicates the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition "Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau" in stainless steel (Ref. IW376805) to this voyage that opened up new cognitive horizons. With its understated design and colours, the Aquatimer Chronograph in stainless steel (Ref. IW376801/ IW376802/IW376803/IW376804) with a black or silver-plated dial is also perfectly suited to everyday life. The pure and discreet design of the dial, also in terms of colour, echoes that of the first Aquatimer generation from 1967, reinterpreting it in a modern key. With a case diameter of 42 millimetres, the Aquatimer Automatic in stainless steel (Ref. IW329001/IW329002/IW329003/ IW329004) is the smallest model in the diver's family from IWC. This watch with its dial dominated by three hands is offered in four versions: with a black or silver-plated dial combined with a black rubber strap or a steel bracelet. Georges Kern, CEO of IWC, sums up the complete relaunch of the Aquatimer family as follows: "The new Aquatimers are distinguished by both technical and aesthetic refinement. Thanks to the refined external-internal rotating bezel, user-friendliness has been improved and even greater safety during diving has been ensured. The design of these sports models is special, modern and unmistakable, as befits all IWC watches. A particular highlight of this line is the use of more in-house manufactured calibres and the debut of bronze as a watch material. Thanks to complications such as the perpetual calendar with a large digital date display for the day and month and the mechanical depth gauge, finally, the Aquatimer family has gained a position at the top of haute horlogerie." "The 2014 Aquatimer collection is in the sign of evolution. Those who want to continue to be successful must evolve," says Goris Verburg, Director Marketing & Communication at IWC Schaffhausen. "That is why, for the first time since 2009, we have decided to focus on a complete relaunch of this watch line, but without changing its DNA. In other words, those values that our customers particularly appreciate in the Aquatimer: a robustness and elegance that make them just as suitable for diving at sea or an expedition to the Galapagos Islands as they are for a business meeting. Sport and adventure, technical excellence and a masculine look: these hallmarks of the diver's watches perfectly reflect the central message that IWC has summed up in the words Engineered for men. The most conspicuous innovation in the new Aquatimer generation is the new external-internal rotating bezel equipped with IWC's Safe Dive system. This mechanism combines the advantages of the inner bezel - for instance, the protection of the movement from salt water and dirt - with the user-friendliness of an outer bezel on the bezel, which can be precisely adjusted in one-minute increments, even when wearing diving gloves or with cold fingers. The device operates by means of a sliding pinion connecting the two bezels via a shaft that transmits the rotating movement of the bezel to the rotating bezel inside the case. For safety reasons, the inner bezel can only rotate anti-clockwise. This ensures that, even in the event of unintentional movement of the bezel, the zero hour - i.e. the point at which it is possible to safely ascend to the surface, avoiding decompression - is not exceeded. The Super-LumiNova layer applied to the dive time scale on the inner bezel guarantees excellent readability in all light conditions. In addition, in darkness, the two-colour luminescence helps to orientate the dial: green for dive-relevant indications, blue for the hours.
