ReviewIWC’s Aquatimer Automatic—Now Powered By An In-House Movement

When it comes to dive watches, few can match up to the resilience that IWC watches offer underwater. After all, the brand has a longstanding history of dive timers that dates back to 1967 when the Aquatimer Reference 812 was first launched. Back then, it offered a water resistance of up to 200m—quite ahead of its time, with the rotating bezel positioned under the glass for optimum security. And IWC continued innovating, introducing the watch in new materials, with greater water resistance, and added functions. However, the core design remained unchanged for the longest time, probably because the brand didn’t want to compromise on the functionality aspect by focusing more on design. It was in 2009 that the design was revised when the Aquatimer was equipped with an external rotating bezel with a special coated sapphire glass, and in 2014 the model got a new case construction as well along with the options of an external or internal rotating bezel. However, even though these revisions were made to the architecture of the watch, the movement beating inside had always been an in-house, modified ETA-based calibre up until 2022, when the brand finally equipped the Aquatimer with an automatic manufacture movement with a generous power reserve of five days (120 hours). Here’s a closer look.

IWC Aquatimer Automatic—New And Improved Mechanics

At the first glance, it will be tough to tell the difference if one were to place both the new and the older models of the Aquatimer adjacently. So it all comes down to the heart of this watch—the new manufacture calibre 32111, replete with 21 jewels, beating at a frequency of 28,800vph, providing an energy autonomy of 120 hours. Composed of 164 components, this powerhouse keeps track of the hours, minutes, seconds (hacking), and date. This comes as a sharp contrast to the old ETA 2892-A2 based 30120 movement, which provided a power reserve of only 42 hours—so that really makes a huge difference. Otherwise the dimensions of the watch haven’t really undergone any change. It still comes in a 42mm stainless-steel case that is brushed and polished with a sealed, solid caseback since IWC mostly prefer to keep their dive watch movements covered (helping with ensuring greater water resistance). However, this hasn’t prevented the brand to ensure that the movement is adequately decorated with Côtes de Genève and perlage.

It features a black dial and an outer bezel, which controls the internal bezel. Here, the rotation of the outer bezel transmits to the inner bezel via a sliding pinion system

It comes in a 42mm stainless-steel case that is brushed and polished with a sealed, solid caseback since IWC mostly prefer to keep their dive watch movements covered

High pressure resistance, great legibility, robust construction, and innovative technical features are the main highlights of this dive timer. It features a black dial with dive-relevant markings and hands, coated in luminous green material to ensure excellent readability even in low-light conditions and during deep dives. The timepiece also features an outer bezel, which controls the internal bezel or the rehaut, thanks to an ingenious mechanism where the rotation of the outer bezel transmits to the inner bezel via a sliding pinion system. This omits the requirement for another crown to operate the bezel, ensuring there is only one screw-down crown to maintain the high waterproofness of this watch. There’s also a SafeDive system, which ensures that the inner ring with the dive-time scale always rotates counter-clockwise, for the diver’s safety.

With a water resistance of 300m, the Aquatimer Automatic is presented on a black rubber strap, which can be changed easily, thanks to IWC’s quick-change system

It is driven by the new manufacture calibre 32111, composed of 164 components and replete with 21 jewels. Beating at a frequency of 28,800vph, it provides an energy autonomy of 120 hours

With a water resistance of 300m, the Aquatimer Automatic is presented on a black rubber strap, which can be changed easily, thanks to IWC’s quick-change system, and is truly a robust and reliable tool watch with a stellar design.