The New Aquatimer Chronos: Some Wrist Shots and Metrics....

First off, if you haven't seen Andrew Thomas's link to this website's news section, please click here for the news.

The "regular" steel chrono is 44mm in diameter and with a water resistance of 30 bar (about 300 meters). It uses an ETA 7750 base, modified to IWC specifications, and is Calibre 79320. It comes with a silver dial or black, with bracelet or rubber strap. Here's a wrist shot:

Now --for some of the special watches that are already announced, the bronze chrono "Expedition Charles Darwin" has attracted much interest. It is not limited in theory, but production will be limited especially in 2014. It likewise is 44mm and 30 bar wr, but used the in-house calibre 89365. We aren't supposed to mention prices here, but I will say it's more expensive than the "old" Deep 2 (more on that later). It will be very hard to get due to supply and demand, so get in line if you really want one.

I really like the new chrono Edition "Galapagos Islands", which also uses the calibre 89365. It also is not limited but initial production won't be huge --so again get it line. A wrist shot is shown here:

The bottom line is that all the chronos are 44mm in diameter, all have 30 bar water resistance, and the movement varies from calibre 79320 (in steel) to 89365 (in models with special case materials). There also will be several other special models --more on that in due course.

Thank you very much, Michael, great that the watches have normal sizes. They look rather thick on the pictures shown elsewhere, do you have these numbers too? Are they, or do they feel, heavy? The hard-to-get bronze and rubber coated in-house chrono's: no surprise to me at all, they really hit the bull's eye!

Kind regards,
Paul

From all that I have read now, prices will go up significantly. This raises the question if one should really needs to get in line... I don't think the watches will sell that easily at this price point, especially looking at the bronze model. The hype another Richemond brand generated one and three years ago won't be easily translated to IWC - especially if the watches cost double the price.

Michael, other than the stainless steel, do the other Aquatimes have rubber coated crowns and pushers?

Cheers from the cellar

Michael, thank you for the introduction and the great pics. Are all models mounted with a helium valve at the left side?

Regards

Mike

No, none of the new AT models have a helium valve. The appendage at 9 o'clock is strictly a design element on all models (not just the ones shown here).

Will this cause a discomfort on the wrist? Initially, I thought it is the crown for the internal bezel but after seeing the Safedive system demo video, realize it was not.

Michael, do any of the range have open backs like the current/previous gold chrono? From what I have seen it does not look to be the case but worth asking.

Is it a pressure lock for the bezel?

Thanks for the wrist shots Michael and for re-posting the link (I missed the one Andrew posted). Looking forward to more wrist shots when available.

Not sure about everyone else but I'm pretty excited so far.

First of all just from a pure business perspective I think IWC has made a clever decision keeping the ETA 7750 in the standard chrono models and introducing the cal 89x for models with special case material. If anything it creates a price range which reaches out to a wider customer base. Possibly makes the latter a bit more prestigious and/or desirable too.

I like the new case design (not just compared to the current AT line) as well as the re-introduction of the inner bezel. I was hoping to see a 2nd crown to rotate the inner bezel, but I appreciate that the external bezel is more ergonomic, and thus an improvement over the 2nd crown. It does looks pretty good and more importantly brings some heritage with it from the Ocean line. The rubber coated pushers & crown are a nice touch.

I'm excited to see at least one titanium case (the Deep 3) and hope there is more titanium in the store.

I'm super excited with the introduction of the caliber 80110 in the AT 2000. A reliable and rugged movement in a tool (diving) watch. Fantastic pairing.

Finally, I'm not too crazy about the digital date AT. Feels a bit excessive, perhaps a bit of a mismatch for a divers watch, but that's just me.

Looking forward to more details as they become available!

Cheers,
Evan

You can see a picture of the bronze case model on ABLOGTOWATCH website.
Kenneth.

Well, personally I am excited. Everything I have seen/read looks great. There's no hurry but I am sure I will add one to my collection at some stage.

Thanks for the additional information. I look forward to have some touch and feel at SIHH for additional wrist shots.

Presumably the 'crown' at 9 o'clock houses some sort of ratchet mechanism for the interface between outer and inner bezels?

I do find it a little frustrating to have to go to various sources for what might not be reliable information on the new Aquatimer range - when will IWC make all the relavent details, including dimensions, available on their own website?

I guess you will have to wait for SIHH, where you have also the opportunity to touch the watches and ask questions to the responsible persons. A part from that, there are great resources on the net providing first hand information, for example also the interview with Georges Kern.

Some more answers:

Does the "crown" at 9 o'clock house some sort of ratchet mechanism for the interface between outer and inner bezels? NO. I said before it has not functional purpose, is not a helium escape valve, and is strictly aesthetic.I realize some blog journalists speculated otherwise, and they are incorrect.

Does the "crown" at 9 o'clock serve as a pressure lock for the bezel? No, once again. Interestingly there were some who thought that might be a good idea, but that idea didn't work. It would be very complicated, and not fool-proof --something required for diving.

Is the "crown" at 9 o'clock uncomfortable? Not when I wore the watches. It is very small and the watches are relatively thick (unfortunately I don't have my height notes with me, and they are not in published details). This allows the "crown" to be high enough not to cause any discomfort.

Aside from the basic steel models, are the pushers and crowns rubber or rubber-coated? My recollection is yes, but specifications to that extent aren't in the reference materials I have.

Do any have display backs? My recollection is no for the "basic" models, but specifications to that extent aren't in the reference materials I have. I am unsure about some limited edition models.

Hopefully this is helpful.

Any pic of the Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month?

Not yet --sorry! By the way, it's a very large watch at 49mm. and it is limited to 50 pieces.