Similar in function to the Laurent Ferrer Galet Micro-Rotor, the Insight Micro-Rotor is Romain Gauthier‘s most conventional wristwatch to date, but executed to the high standards of decoration that’s typical of the brand.

Just launched at Baselworld 2017, the Insight Micro-Rotor is decidedly traditional in colour and style compared to the Romain Gauthier’s last new launch. Measuring a manageable 39.5mm in diameter and in either gold or platinum, the case has a conventional crown for winding and time-setting at two o’clock (instead of back-winder crowns or pushers as in his earlier works).

The time display is laid out in a vertical line, with the hours and minutes at 12 o’clock, with the seconds just below. Both sub-dials for the time are covered in fired vitreous enamel, available in blue or white.

The rotor visible at nine o’clock, a portion of the keyless works at two, and the balance at six

At six o’clock sits the free-sprung, adjustable mass balance wheel. The movement is self-winding, thanks to a micro-rotor visible at nine o’clock on the dial. Pivoted on both the dial and back, the micro-rotor is made of 22k gold, and winds twin mainsprings.

Both barrels can be seen on the left half of the movement from the back, and together they provide an 80-hour power reserve.

All the movement finishing is hand-applied, and done impeccably with broad, polished bevels on the bridges and countersinks. The wheels inside have circular spokes reminiscent of flower petals, while the screws have S-shaped heads, both Romain Gauthier signatures.

While the platinum version has rhodium-plated frosted bridges, the red gold version has linear graining on the ruthenium-plated bridges.

Price and availability

The Insight Micro-Rotor is a limited edition of 30 each in red gold or platinum, with 10 pieces per dial type for each metal.

It is priced at SFr75,000 (about US$75,200) in red gold and SFr88,000 (equivalent to US$88,200) in platinum.

In the 50 years since its introduction, the IWC Ingenieur went from being a plain wristwatch created for engineers at nuclear power plants to looking like something produced at such plants. Recent generations of Ingenieur watches tended towards an over designed aesthetic reminiscent of Richard Mille and Hublot.

Continuing the look established with a trio of limited editions launched last year, the latest generation of Ingenieurs reset the design clock, returning to the original models, particularly the ref. 666, for inspiration. The result is a conventional looking timepiece that will be widely palatable.

The entry-level model in the new range is the Ingenieur Automatic, a 40mm wristwatch with an automatic Sellita movement inside. It’s available in red gold (ref. IW357003) or stainless steel (refs. IW357001 and IW357002).

The Ingenieur Automatic costs US$4590 in steel on strap, US$5500 on a steel bracelet, and US$13,600 in red gold.

Also available in red gold or steel, the Ingenieur Chronograph is 42mm in diameter and powered by the calibre 69375. It’s an in-house movement developed as the most basic of IWC’s own chronograph movements.

Unsurprisingly it has similarities to the Valjoux 7750 it’s intended to replace, including size and its 46-hour power reserve, but has some upgrades, including a column wheel and “Magic Lever” winding mechanism.

The Ingenieur Chronograph starts at US$7950 in steel with a matching bracelet.

Slightly fancier is the Ingenieur Chronograph Sport (ref. IW380901), a limited edition of 500. Its case is titanium and 44mm in diameter, while inside sits the calibre 89361.

The movement is IWC’s top of the line in-house chronograph movement, featuring a flyback function and 68-hour power reserve. It’s priced at US$11,100.

The flagship of the new line is the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (ref. IW381701).

Limited to 100 pieces, this is a large, 45mm watch in red gold with the calibre 89800 inside. It’s similar to the movement in the titanium chronograph above, but with the addition of IWC’s proprietary perpetual calendar mechanism with extra-large digital displays for the month and date.