2012 IWC Ingenieur Zinedine Zidane 'Limited Edition' 44mm IW323403
Ref: IW323403
Specification
Lugs : 27.5mm(intergrated)
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box and Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original IWC presentation box and original IWC paperwork; the watch is from October 2012 and comes paired with its like-new integrated 27.5mm IWC leather strap with an IWC Signed Buckle. The watch is in worn condition but is overall very fair, as you can see in the photos. The watch recently received a light polish. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pxrYdV7YYmwtF-CrzCYdgcEp2mcAcx2G?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 8:30 - https://youtu.be/asMahBxhbR4
The Watch
Here we have a 2012 IWC Ingenieur Zinedine Zidane 'Limited Edition' IW323403 of 095/1000 pieces. Celebrating “Man of the Match” Zinedine Zidane in the 1998 FIFA World Cup when France beat Brazil. The distinctive 44mm tonneau-shaped brushed stainless steel case sits comfortably on your wrist thanks to the integrated strap design.
The curved flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 53mm and a case thickness of 13mm, giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. Sitting recessed in the case on the right side is a signed, deeply knurled crown. Its stepped brushed and polished bezel has the characteristic five holes evenly spaced and holds a flat sapphire crystal above a striking blue dial. An outer minute track has red numerals, highlighting his shirt number 10, a nice touch and two raised steel plates top and bottom adding interest and dimension to the dial, applied chamfer-edged baton indexes mark the hours, at 3 o’clock, a date window, thick steel hands are complemented by a red arrow tipped sweeping second hand, at 12 o’clock we have the IWC motif and at 6 o’clock “Ingenieur” completes this sophisticated limited edition timepiece. On the reverse a screw-down case back engraved with a signed portrait of Zinedine Zidane in the centre, inside an Automatic IWC Cal. 80111, 28 Jewels beating at 28,800 Beats per hour. It comes paired with an integrated 27.5mm blue leather strap and a signed pin buckle and comes with its IWC presentation box and paperwork.
Personal Note
This IWC Ingenieur was produced to celebrate “Man of the Match” Zinedine Zidane in the 1998 FIFA World Cup when France beat Brazil. For those football fans out there, this will no doubt be an iconic memory and this is a fantastic limited edition to represent that. For those like me, who aren't the biggest football followers, thankfully the design speaks for itself outside of the limited edition connection alone. The deep blue dial is mesmerising with the subtle hints of red, the matching blue strap is a great touch. I would not hesitate to book an appointment and see this one for yourself!
The Brand
Florentine Aristo Jones founded IWC in 1868. In 1867, he applied for a European passport with the ambition to create watches using the American system of Watchmaking. This system was derived from the Federal Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry. Where high-precision interchangeable parts were needed for armaments. This was perfect to use in watchmaking, and Florentine was a pioneer in introducing it to the Swiss. In 1868, Florentine and Charles Kidder ended up in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Originally called the company F. A Jones & Co, which was later changed to IWC International Watch Company. Florentine returned to the USA in 1876, where he retired and sadly passed away in 1916. His spirit carries on today in the modern IWC watches. The IWC Portugieser was first introduced way back in 1939 when two businessmen, Rodrigues and Texeira, visited the factory in Schaffhausen. They had an unusual request: they required a marine chronometer in the form of a wristwatch. IWC got to work and created a 43mm, stainless steel watch with a hand-wound Cal.74 pocket watch movement. This was very large for the time, with 33mm being the norm for a wristwatch. It had Arabic numerals, an almost non-existent bezel, and slim leaf-shaped hands, a second subdial at 6 o’clock. Only 304 pieces were ever created with the Cal.74 movement. Since then, the IWC Portugieser has become one of IWC's most iconic and best-selling.