Luxury Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen announced the Middle East launch of new Aquatimer models, the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands, is dedicated specifically to this commitment.
This new environmental commitment by IWC will start in the Darwin anniversary year – 2009 – in which the scientific world will celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of the great British biologist and behavioral scientist, Charles Darwin. He made his fundamental observations on the origin of species mainly on Galapagos, the unique archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, which was never in contact with the mainland at any time in the history of evolution. Specific animal and plant species not to be found anywhere else on earth evolved here through natural se lection as a result of the differences in living conditions – even from one island to the next.
The Aquatimer family will include the following watches from 2009 onwards: – Aquatimer Deep Two – Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands – Aquatimer Chronograph – Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold – Aquatimer Automatic 2000 All have the following features in common: the case dimensions have increased slightly to 44 mm, and in one particular instance even to 46 mm. Another immediately obvious feature shared by the revised family is the rotating diving bezel, now located externally once again. IWC has always incorporated two possibilities for measuring dive times in its diver’s watches.
The first Aquatimer was equipped initially with a rotating inner bezel, which was operated via the second crown. The system is particularly secure as far as unintentional adjustment is concerned, although it is not so user-friendly when the diver is wearing gloves. The OCEAN 2000 watch model dating from 1982 – a result of the collaboration with Porsche Design – had already adopted an external rotating bezel, which the GST Aquatimer from 1997 also retained.
The Aquatimer generation of 2009 embraces this technology once again in the form of an external rotating bezel of an entirely new design. This can be rotated even when wearing gloves – and for safety reasons only in the anti-clockwise direction.
The new Aquatimer is equally suitable as a sporting all-rounder and for professional underwater use. For example, a lightweight hook-and-loop strap is appropriate when diving to allow the watch to be worn over the neoprene diving suit. Wearing such a strap out of the water would be unusual, to say the least.
Aquatimer Deep Two: The diver’s watch with a mechanical depth gauge makes a return after ten years in the form of the Aquatimer Deep Two, pressure-resistant to 12 bar. Like its predecessor, the GST Deep One from 1999, it shows not only the actual dive depth, but also the maximum depth reached during a particular dive. It thus doubles as a complete second safety system alongside the dive computer.
Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands: Featuring the same case size and the same automatic drive mechanism (79320 calibre movement) as the Aquatimer Chronograph, the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Is lands is a shining example of the revised watch family in every respect.
Aquatimer Chronograph: Sporting the attributes of the new Aquatimer family, such as the external rotating bezel and the bracelet quick-change system, the Aquatimer Chronograph is available in stainless steel – with either a stainless steel bracelet or a rubber strap – in two different dial variants.
Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold: Of the diver’s chronographs, the Aquatimer Chronograph in red gold stands out particularly in both visual and horological terms. It is the first watch in the Aquatimer family to be equipped with the IWC manufactured 89360 calibre, the chronograph movement developed and built in its en tirety by IWC. It is distinguished by its flyback function and the two-hand display of the long stop times on a single inner dial.
Aquatimer Automatic 2000: Its name is a watchword. In terms of water resistance, the Aquatimer Automatic 2000 with its tested pressure resistance of 200 bar still holds the record in the watch family. It features a black dial and a black external rotating bezel with the familiar luminous yellow 15-minute segment of the previous Aquatimer in stainless steel. The colour yellow is also used for the minute hand, which indicates the dive time, to ensure a clear distinction. A second variant has a white dial with orange or white numerals on a white or dark blue background on the rotating bezel and an orange hour hand. It is powered by the 30110 calibre automatic movement. The Aquatimer Automatic 2000 is available with an optional stainless steel bracelet or a rubber strap.
