Tropical 1960s IWC Ingenieur (Ref. 666) 'Cal. 8531'

Founded more than 150 years ago, the International Watch Company has grown to become one of the most recognizable Swiss watch brands on the planet. They're known the world over for pilot's watches and dive watches and beautiful dress watches. But the Ingenieur was their purpose-built, anti-magnetic tool watch targeted at scientists and engineers, and the ref. 666 was the first one. 

Another thing IWC are known for is their caliber 85 movement, which is widely regarded as one of the finest watch movements ever made. The cal. 85 was introduced in the 1950s and was the second automatic movement the brand ever made – it was also their first automatic movement with central seconds. It featured the Pellaton winding system, which was a new and extremely efficient movement system for perpetual automatic wristwatch movements, and would go on to birth multiple subsequent versions, including the cal. 8531, which happens to be working away inside this piece.

This particular ref. 666 is simply stunning with a no-nonsense design. The classy yet  robust case and beautifully speckled 'tropical' dial design pairs excellently with the utilitarian stainless steel material. It makes for a highly reliable daily wearer that's designed to last, and look good doing it.