We all know that there is no permanent cure for the Uhren Virus.
I thought I had beaten it after I bought both the CF3 and the Big Pilot Le Petit Prince near the end of 2014. True to that thought, I really had no urges through 2015.
Not even the appearance of a tantalizing Ingenieur Tribute to Italy a few months ago caused me to relapse. But recently a collector offered me a 3239 Laureus Ingenieur. I had tried on the 3239’s when they were first released and found the smaller size and thinner profile (than the iconic 3227) to be extremely comfortable. His preference for payment by Paypal rather than the usual Wire Transfer made it all too easy to succumb. And so it came to pass.
I don’t recall reading too much about this model here. I do remember a thread started by Clemens Sibon who I believe has one and spoke highly of it, and I assume one resides with Andrew Thomas. I have worn the watch every day for over a month, which is very unusual for me, and to be honest, I have no desire to take it off in order to wear a different watch. This is truly one of the most comfortable to wear watches I have ever encountered, and there is so much about it that I like:
Given my very casual life style, I generally prefer sporty watches on bracelets
40mm x 10mm case is one of the most comfortable watches I have worn
Blue single-sunken dial with a spot of red on the seconds hand provides interest
Reverse design is one of the best I have seen in the Laureus series
Soft iron core, as Ingenieurs should have
sapphire crystal with A/R both sides
nobody makes bracelets like IWC!
I have always been a fan of the iconic 3227 Ingenieur. And yet, I don’t wear it as often as I might because I do find it a bit top heavy and sometimes not completely comfortable under a shirt sleeve. While lacking the interesting hob-nail dial of the 3227, I find the 3239 to be much more comfortable. I don’t think the full facial picture quite captures the difference in size when on my wrist, but the profile pictures give a good idea of the difference.
The 3239 Laureus Ingenieur reminds me of a watch that was a long time favorite of mine back in my active (VERY active) "catch and release" days. This VC Overseas was a Limited Edition of 75 for the US market back around 2002, though the watches were not numbered in any way. I loved it when I first saw it and eventually bought one. I foolishly sold it, later missed it and bought another, only to eventually sell that one too.
I must say, as much as I liked the VC, I like the IWC better. The somewhat cleaner, less cluttered dial is what swings it for me. So while the VC was certainly a case of serious infatuation, I think the Laureus Ingenieur may well turn into long term love. Having worn it for the unheard of (for me) period of a month straight, I truly think if not for the ever lurking Uhren Virus, this baby could be a "One and Done".
When it comes to blues in my collection, here are the long and short of it - or should I say, the big and little of it:
Funny how the large expanse of stainless steel on the Ingenieur with its integrated bracelet makes the relative sizes appear much more similar than they do when actually on my wrist.
The ultimate test of a watch for me comes when I take it off to wear something different for a while. Then I see how many days it takes before I miss the first one and want to put it back on. Now if I can just get the Laurues Ingenieur off my wrist at all I may actually be able to perform that test!
Thanks for reading!
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