IWC Aquatimer Chronograph IW376806 Watch Review
Thursday - 21 July 2022
IWC Schaffhausen has released a new chronograph version of its popular luxury dive watch – the Aquatimer. Its deep blue dial combines effortlessly with a 44mn stainless steel case and a supple blue rubber strap for wearing every day of the week.
If you’re eyeing up the new IWC Schaffhausen IWC Aquatimer Chronograph watch reference: IW376806, released for 2022, then the backstory of the Aquatimer watch collection may be of specific interest to you. It has a particularly intriguing history and it all revolves around the design of its unique bezel. The first model was released back in 1967 and adopted many design cues taken from the archetypal dive watch aesthetic of its time. It offered a 200-meter water resistance and featured a compressor-style case with two crowns on one side. One wound the movement and adjusted the hands, whilst the other turned the inner dive bezel. The first serial dive watch to be produced in titanium was developed by IWC Schaffhausen and named the Ocean 2000 back in 1982. As its name suggested it promised a 2000-meter water resistance. Although not equipped with an inner dive bezel, its external one served as an inspiration to the later released IWC Aquatimer in 2014.
It would be a few years before the Aquatimer watch made a return. The 1997 GST collection welcomed the next model into its range, followed by the IWC GST Deep One – the company’s first dive watch with a mechanical depth gauge. In 2004 IWC Schaffhausen released a new Aquatimer watch collection with an inner dive bezel that could be operated via a crown, followed by an anniversary vintage-inspired version released four years later. Strangely enough, by the time the next revamped series of IWC Aquatimer watches were released in 2009, the inner dive bezel had disappeared again. It would reappear again in 2014. Suffice to say there was a clear love-hate relationship between IWC and the inner rotating bezel, but fans really loved it and still do. The most important thing to remember about the IWC Aquatimer watch is that since the series received a revamp in 2014, all models now feature the same functional upgrades such as the SafeDive system, as well as an externally rotating internal dive time bezel. During this time IWC released an Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau that boasted a stunning deep blue dial to commemorate Cousteau’s great expeditions and voyages, as well as his films. The large, bold sporty chronograph watch had a robust stainless steel case, a rubber strap and an impressive 300-meter water resistance. On its dial, a central second hand, a 12 o’clock 30-minute chronograph sub-dial, and a 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock all featured. These are operated by the push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock. There’s also a small running second feature with a vibrant orange hand at 9 o’clock and a day date feature at 3 o’clock.
Similar in design and dial layout to this Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Expedition Jacques-Yves Cousteau special edition watch is the new IWC Aquatimer Chronograph watch reference: IW376806, which shares the same innovative internal/external dive bezel feature. Locking into place at one-minute intervals with a sliding clutch system, the model has a bidirectional rotating external bezel. The internal bezel can only move in a counter-clockwise motion. In addition to this handy feature, the new IWC Aquatimer Chronograph watch is also fitted with an IWC bracelet quick-change system that uses spring bars and a spring bar tool, promising more solidity thanks to an additional metal clamp.
White luminescent markers and hands are also repeated around the hour track and central dial of this new IWC Aquatimer watch, along with a return of the orange accents on the tip of the central seconds hand and the small running seconds. The first 15 minutes on the inner rotating bezel are also highlighted with detailed dash markers as commonly seen in many dive watches on the market, not to mention earlier IWC Aquatimer watches.
Being a relatively large watch, the new IWC Aquatimer Chronograph for 2022 measures a 44mm diameter and has been crafted from stainless steel. Water resistant to 300 meters, it features a screw-down crown and measures a height on the wrist of 17mm. Balancing the heaviness and broadness of this new dive watch is the deep blue rubber strap, which offers plenty of comfort for wearing hour upon hour on the wrist. If you wanted, you could swap this watch out for the stainless steel bracelet, which can be altered using the brand’s patented quick-change system, or for something a little more casual – one of the brand’s sporty NATO style straps.
Executed in a mix of brushed and satin polished finishes, the new IWC Aquatimer Chronograph watch reference IW376806 is topped with a convex piece of sapphire crystal glass, treated with non-reflective properties and is also scratch resistant. Equipped with the Calibre 79320, this movement is a modified version of the Valjoux 7750, which delivers a suitable 43-hour power reserve once fully wound. Still considered one of the most reliable movements ever made, the Calibre 79320 offers chronograph, day and date functions. With this built-to-last movement, a robust case construction, impressive water resistance and easy-to-use chronograph and bezel functions - the new IWC Aquatimer Chronograph watch combines legibility with some handy additions like the quick-change strap system for all manner of on-the-go uses.
If you’d like to check this new dive-friendly chronograph watch out in more detail, you can take a look at the watch on the product page here at Jura Watches or speak to a member of our sales team today on 01335 453453.
