IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition "Charles Darwin"

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BRONZE FOR THE FOUNDER
OF THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

The Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Expedition Charles Darwin” is a new chapter in IWC Schaff­ hausen’s ongoing history of modern, innovative diver’s watches. It is also the first time that the company  has used bronze in a watch case: the metal alloy was one of the materials typically used in shipbuilding in the 19th century. This sporty timepiece pays homage to the renowned naturalist Charles Darwin, who gathered some of his fundamental insights into biodiversity on the Galapagos Islands.

October 1835. After 4 years spent circumnavigating the globe, the British survey vessel HMS Beagle cast anchor off the Galapagos Islands, 1,000 kilometres from the South American mainland. On board, Charles Darwin, a young researcher travelling with the ship, noted an “unusual group of finches” in his travel journal. “The most curious fact is the perfect gradation in the size of the beaks in the different species [... one] might really fancy that from an original paucity of birds in this archipelago, one species had been taken and modified for different ends.” The natural scientist then turned his attention to other animal species. Back then, Charles Darwin had no idea that this and his other obser- vations would later lead him to a conclusion that would rock natural science to its foundations: that the world is not immutable. Rather, it is subject to a process of con- stant adaptation. It was here, on the Galapagos Islands, that his theory of the adaptability of species and their des- cent from a common ancestor first took root. In 2014, IWC Schaffhausen dedicates a special diver’s watch – the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Expedition Charles Darwin” (Ref. IW379503) – to that historic Galapagos  expedition.

IWC PREMIERE IN BRONZE

The Charles Darwin special edition is not only something very special for the new 2014 Aquatimer collection: it is also a premiere for the Schaffhausen-based company. Because,  for the first time ever, IWC has used bronze for a watch case. The use of a material with such a long history –  humans have made and used it for 5,000 years – was in- spired by the ship made famous by Charles Darwin’s exped- ition. Owing to its corrosion-resistance bronze was widely  used back then, before the invention of stainless steel, in shipbuilding: for portholes, bells, fittings and nautical in- struments, among other things. In keeping with Charles Darwin’s observation that “Nothing is more constant than change”, and depending on the uses to which it is put, bronze takes on a slight patina and gets darker with time. This gives the watch a charm all of its own. While pure copper is relatively soft, the high-tech bronze alloy used by IWC contains aluminium, which makes it harder and more rigid. Apart from this, bronze is rugged and wear-resistant: perfect in a robust watch designed for expeditions and diving. The case and the newly designed external/internal rotating bezel are made of bronze. The material’s warm tone is reiterated in the luminescent coating on the hands, indices and the quarter-hour scale on the internal rotating bezel. A dynamic contrast is provided by the matte black  rubber coating on the crown and push-buttons. The hard- wearing material also makes the chronograph’s control elements easy to grip. The strap, with the new, patented IWC bracelet quick-change system, is likewise made of black rubber.

NEW EXTERNAL/INTERNAL ROTATING
BEZEL WITH IWC SAFEDIVE SYSTEM

Like all the models of the latest Aquatimer generation, the chronograph features the innovative external/internal rotat- ing bezel with the IWC SafeDive system. In order to mark the starting point of a dive or other event, the wearer turns the bezel, which clicks audibly into place in one-minute inter- vals, until the triangle on the internal rotating bezel points to the minute hand. During a dive, the diver can see how long he has already been underwater simply by reading the time off the scale on the internal bezel. The SafeDive system  ensures that the rotating bezel on the interior of the watch only moves anticlockwise. This means that the elapsed dive time can only be extended and not shortened if the diver moves the bezel accidentally, and there is enough oxygen to ascend in any case. A newly designed sliding clutch system transmits the movement of the bezel to the inside of the case. The sophisticated mechanism is concealed under a protective cover at “9 o’clock”, and is the feature that immediately identifies the new Aquatimer generation.

For the chronograph’s “engine room”, so to speak, IWC’s engineers chose the 89365 calibre, which is manufactured entirely in IWC’s own workshops. Fitted with IWC’s efficient double-pawl winding system, and protected against shocks and impacts, it is the perfect choice for a watch designed to be worn wherever and whenever things start getting tough. When recording times, the central chrono- graph hand shows the stopped time in seconds, while the hand in the subdial at “12 o’clock” displays the number  of elapsed minutes. The watch also has an integrated fly- back function: when the reset push-button is pressed, the chrono graph seconds hand jumps to zero and instantly starts recording a new time. The small seconds hand rotat- ing at “6 o’clock” indicates that the watch is functioning normally. It can also be stopped for synchronization pur- poses. The engraving on the back of the watch shows a distinctive portrait of Charles Darwin, whose revolutionary theory of evolution changed the thinking of human beings forever. Equipped with water-resistance to 30 bar, this spe- cial edition is particularly suitable for modern expeditions both above and below water.

PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
CHARLES DARWIN FOUNDATION

IWC Schaffhausen has been a partner of the Charles Darwin  Foundation since 2009, offering support to the non-profit organization in the form of substantial sponsor- ship. Over 100 employees work tirelessly to preserve the Galapagos Islands against human settlement, mass tourism,  pirate fishing and species subsequently introduced. Today, the greatest threat posed to indigenous species comes from invasive plants and animals, which destroy their nat- ural habitat. Of all the birds, the mangrove finch, one of the Darwin finch subspecies, is severely threatened by an intro- duced species of fly. At present, only approximately 70 of these intelligent birds, which are even able to use tools to obtain food, remain. It is a race against time to protect this wonderful example of evolution at work from extinction. Tireless researcher that he was, Charles Darwin (1809–1882) once said: “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” His life’s work is reason enough to do everything to preserve the marvellous bio- diversity of the Galapagos.

 

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AQUATIMER CHRONOGRAPH EDITION “EXPEDITION  CHARLES DARWIN”
REF. IW379503

FEATURES
Mechanical chronograph movement – Mechanical external/internal rotating bezel with IWC SafeDive system – Date display – Stopwatch function with minutes and seconds – Small hacking seconds – Luminescent elements on hands, dial and internal rotating bezel – Screw-in crown – Back engraving –  IWC bracelet quick-change system

MOVEMENT

  • IWC in-house calibre 89365
  • Frequency 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
  • Jewels  35
  • Power reserve  68 h
  • Winding  automatic

WATCH

  • Materials bronze case, black dial, black rubber strap, pin buckle in bronze
  • Glass sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides
  • Water-resistant 30 bar
  • Diameter 44 mm
  • Case height 17 mm