IWC Aquatimer Automatic

Many of you already know that IWC watches chose 2014 to be the year of the Aquatimer. That means a revisit and reinvention of their popular dive watch collection with a focus on what has worked in the past while trying to set aside what hasn’t been as effective.

The overall collection includes a variety of case sizes, materials, movements and prices. Nevertheless, the cornerstone of a good tool diver is a well-made, affordable, three-hand automatic.

Aquatimer Automatic is the first major refresh in the timepiece family since 2009 and a return to classic tool watch proportions and feel. At 42mm wide the Aquatimer Automatic watches wear boldly with widely space lugs and a deep dial. It feels like a larger watch than it is when you wear it. Nevertheless, it is positively miniscule compared to the largest watch in the 2014 Aquatimer collection that is a rather massive 49mm wide – but that is material for a different Aquatimer article.

The watch comes in a polished and brushed steel case with an either black or light silver dial. IWC makes use of two colors of SuperLumiNova lume with one tone being white and the other being an light marine green. This latter color is in each of these Aquatimer Automatic models and since I’ve never lived with a watch that prominently uses this color before, it is hard to tell whether or not it is a color you’d like to see every day. Both colors are used on the dial as neither of these watches is purely monochromatic even though there is no real dominant third color. Still, the more or less two-tone look of the dials helps them be more classic in persona. There is a small splash of color in the form of the tip of the seconds hand which is a nice, and not distracting touch. In fact, that color is only distinctive on the silver-dialed model (where it is yellow). In any event, it is easy to see how a mixture of modern looks with classic style and design principles goes into making a strong, yet not overly “loud” looking watch.

Source: ablogtowatch.com