Separating Fact from Fiction in IWC’s “1832: Our Most Brilliant Failure”

As somebody fortunate enough to write about watches professionally, I’m accustomed to cheesy marketing superlatives and fluffy “storytelling” in the world of luxury watch marketing. I usually try to take it in stride without being too much of a hater. But IWC’s 4-minute short film about the Ingenieur SL, called “1832: Our Most Brilliant Failure” confusingly mixes fantasy and history. The first time I watched it, I thought–“cool, I didn’t realize the Ingenieur SL was tested by a racecar driver” until I realized that…they just made that part up. They made a lot of stuff up, but they awkwardly include some real history too, so I’ll quickly break down fact vs. fiction in this 4-minute IWC promo.

Competitors of IWC like Rolex (with the Paul Newman Daytona) and TAG Heuer (with Steve McQueen’s Monaco) have real stories of famous drivers racing with their watches, which then fetched big money at auction. So it’s odd that IWC would try and make up a pretend story about the same exact thing–while using one of their watches that’s specifically not related to racing.

It’s Just a Movie

I realize “Reference 1832: Our Most Brilliant Failure” is part of a promotion involving a fictional racing movie called “F1,” but still. It makes it seem like IWC is insecure about the true history of the Ingenieur if they have to make up a story about Brad Pitt’s character Sonny Hayes racing with a unique green one.

But there’s nothing wrong with the real Ingenieur history. Although some Rolex Milgauss prototypes probably pre-date it, the original Ingenieur was likely the first watch to actually reach the market capable of withstanding magnetic fields of 1,000 gauss.

Gerald Genta Didn’t Make the First Ingenieur

The promo seems to present Gerald Genta as a visionary for coming up with the idea of making a watch for an engineer. I mean, Genta was a visionary, but the first IWC Ingenieur debuted in 1955. Gerald Genta’s Ingenieur SL design debuted in 1976, the same year his Patek Philippe Nautilus came out.

I’m not trying to take anything away from the Ingeniuer SL’s design; it’s genuinely respected among collectors. But there’s no reason to conflate history: Genta is responsible for the Ingenieur SL, not the original Ingenieur. He did not create the philosophical concept of an engineer’s watch. IWC made a clear marketing choice to avoid imagery of any pre-Genta Ingenieurs here.

Nobody Was Snarking at Genta in 1976

During a made-up press conference about the Ingenieur SL shown in the film, a reporter snarks that “maybe they should have hired a product designer” upon seeing the design of the 1832. Amid some quiet chuckles, Genta humbly notes that he is but an artist, and indeed what does he know about watches?

But to present Genta as an aw-shucks underdog artist in 1976 is odd. He was already crushing it then. He had already made the Universal Geneve Polerouter, Rolex King Midas, Omega C Case, and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. He had already founded his own design house and just about every top watch brand in the world had worked with him at that point. Rulers of Middle Eastern nations would soon be clamoring for special pieces from him. Nobody was saying “Haha, who let this guy design a watch?” about Gerald Genta in 1976.

The Ingenieur SL Was Also Quartz

This short film is clearly designed to drum up historical hype around the Ingenieur SL 1832 reference in particular. The 1832, which collectors call the “Jumbo” or “Jumbo Automatic,” is the focus of the story, completely ignoring the “Jumbo Quartz” reference 3003 that was sold alongside it.

Genta designed the 3003 every bit as much as he designed the 1832. I mean, it’s the same watch except for the movement. The movie briefly alludes to IWC executives being frustrated at the success of Japanese quartz watches, and I’m sure they really were…but IWC was making plenty of quartz watches themselves.

The Ingenieur SL Wasn’t Exactly a Failure

“1832: Our Most Brilliant Failure” focuses on the fact that the 1832 model specifically was discontinued after selling less than 600 units in 6 years. That’s not a lie–the original 40mm automatic version of Genta’s design only lasted about six years, but a 34mm version took its place and additional variants were added like perpetual calendar and chronograph models. So in reality, the IWC Ingenieur SL line wasn’t discontinued quickly; it was downsized and expanded, carrying on most of the Genta design language.

Plus, for dramatic effect, the film implies that IWC was massively betting on the Ingenieur SL. But in reality there were three other SL models released around the same time: Golf Club SL, Yacht Club SL, and Polo Club SL. All three of those lesser-known SL’s are actually pretty cool, and although they’re often misattributed to Genta, they have nothing to do with him. Maybe IWC will make some compelling fake history about those someday.

There Was No Big Auction Result

The “SL” moniker (which does not stand for “steel line,” or for anything at all for that matter) was dropped in the late 1980s, but IWC kept on making Ingenieurs based on Genta’s design until about 2001. So, ironically, although this promo video fantasizes about a racecar driver’s one-of-one green Ingenieur SL getting “rediscovered” at auction in the early 2000s, that’s actually when Genta’s Ingenieur design was at last being discontinued.

Regardless, no matter what I think of the faux-history marketing tie-in, the olive green grid dial on ref. IW328908 looks good, especially with the rose gold hands and hour markers. The green date wheel is a nice touch, too. The $12,900 list price is a bit high for a steel three-hand watch but it’s still one of the more interesting 2025 IWC releases.

I get that IWC views the 1832 as their “flagship” vintage sports model now, and of course they want their flagship vintage sports model to be cool. But it already is. A nice Jumbo Automatic will set you back $25,000. Anyway, do you think this IWC promo is weird for mixing fantasy and facts like this? Or am I weird for worrying about it? Probably both.