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[jason783]

Since the foundation of IWC in 1868 in Schaffhausen of Switzerland where near the German border, it always insisted on pursuing the dream of producing the highest quality of precise watches and played an important role in the world's watchmaking. IWC never pursue mass production and it still adheres to the intrinsic idea which IWC only produces a small amount but excellent quality watches up to now. In order to be used for decades with good maintenance, every watch produced by IWC is produced perfectly even the smallest component. Portugieser, Ingenieur and Fleiger of IWC are well-reputed and welcomed deeply by market. The Ingenieur of IWC became the outstanding example that showed the creative ability and technological achievements by its leading concept of resistance to electromagnetic and achievements.
 
However, IWC fell behind its rivals in the research, development and production of waterproof and diver's watch. Hans Wilsdorf continually improved the precision of the case, the adaptation of crystal face and crown system. In 1927, Mercedes Gleitzes swam across the English Channel while wearing the Oyster watch of Rolex, and it took her 15 hours and 15 minutes. Marine was launched by Omega in 1932 and it was worn by adventurer Charles William Beebe who was diving up to the depth of 10 meters, and then Omega launched famous Seamaster in 1948.
 

Rolex Oyster and Mercedes Gleitzes
 
Fierce competition of diver's watch
 
Blancpain launched 50 Fathoms at the end of 1953, and famous diver Jacques Cousteau created successful grade with wearing 50 Fathoms. In 1954, Rolex launched its revolutionary Submariner Ref. 6204, and then launched Ref. 6538 that is called James Bond Submariner now in 1956, it possessed waterproof to astonishing 200 meters (660 feet). Even Eterna also launched its famous Kon-Tiki in 1955. During the postwar years, sports and adventure had prevailed in civil society, with the addition of the far-reaching promotion from media, the popularity of diving and sports watch had became unstoppable. However, IWC did not make any reaction in the competition, and it launched Aquatimer which was its first authentic diver's watch and possessed waterproof to 200 meters in 1967(it is believed that its prototype was completed in 1964).
 

Aquatimer 200M Ref.1812
 
Aquatimer 200M
 
The first generation of Aquatimer Reference 1812 adopted the same Caliber 8541 movement as famous Ingenieur at that time, and its appearance was obviously based on Ingenieur, including dial, hour markers, hands and bracelet. The difference between Aquatimer Reference 1812 and Ingenieur was that Aquatimer Reference 1812 was equipped with better waterproof case, thicker crystal and patented sealing technology. It was noteworthy that Aquatimer Reference 1812 adopted the fairly unique inbuilt rotatable inner bezel that could start timing by rotating the crown at 4 o'clock position, and it was obviously different from the mainstream case and rotating bezel at that time(or in the future).
 

 
Struggle of Aquatimer
 
Aquatimer was restyled in 1970. The appearance of new Aquatimer Reference 1816 was entirely different from the original Ingenieur and the new Ingenieur that was modified by Gerald Genta. It adopted the fairly prevalent Cushion Style, even the dial adopted the brown or red color. However, this restyle of Aquatimer was failing because Aquatimer was not in production in few tears, and this failure could not all attribute to the manufacture and design of IWC, but the global popular trend of Japanese quartz technology.
 

Ocean 200 Porsche Design by IWC
 
The highlighting of Ocean 200 Porsche Design by IWC
 
As most watch fans knew that the popular trend of quartz and digital watches in 1970 put great pressure on management of most Swiss watch manufacturers. In addition to producing the quartz watches, IWC also wanted to make mechanical watch to attract attention from consumers again by the new creativity and new design. Based on this idea, IWC aligned with Ferdinand A. Porsche formally in 1978, and then created a series of popular Porsche Design by IWC(Porsche Design was produced by Orfina before). Ocean 2000 was the most famous and most valuable for collection in Porsche Design by IWC series that was almost produced for 20 years, and it replaced the original Aquatimer and laid the solid foundation in diver's watch industry for IWC. There were at least three points of the importance of Ocean 2000: firstly, Ocean 2000 was the first diver's watch that was commercially launched and possessed waterproof to 2000 meters. Secondly, Ocean 2000 adopted the leading and earliest promoted titanium case and bracelet of IWC and Porsche Design, both of them were light, tough and skin-touch. Thirdly, Ocean 2000 not only possessed the excellent performance, its modeling design was almost perfect. Its unique bracelet and link have become classic so far. In a word, we would be fair to say that IWC earned a very important spot in the fierce competition of diver's watch until Porsche Design Ocean 2000 by IWC was launched in the 1980s.
 

Ocean 2000
 
It was because the great popularity of Porsche Design by IWC, including Ocean 2000, Ferdinand A. Porsche decided to possess its own watch manufactory and individual brand. Porsche Design bought Eterna that had the history of 150 years in 1996 and made an official end of its alignment for nearly 20 years with IWC. Thus, Porsche Design by IWC was not in production anymore. IWC launched GST in 1997(GST in on behalf of the material of this series-Gold-Stainless Steel-Titanium) to replace Porsche Design, including Aquatimer that was relaunched in 1998.
 
Rebirth of GST Aquatimer
 

 
GST was the brand new watch with conceptual integrity of IWC, it reflected the theoretical basis of IWC: what are the requirements of sport watch that designed for people who devote themselves to making achievements as well as attempt to challenge the limit with sports? IWC considered that only uncompromising performance orientation could the watch withstand any tests, it should be easily operated even in the worst environment. At the same time, it could highlight wearer's temperament as well as reflect the style of Bauhaus, rather than the Genevan baroque style. In addition, the quality of watch's smallest detail also should be paid attention to, just like the Schaffhausen that people look forward to, a masterwork of science that possesses the fascination of perfect machinery is not only for wearer to know time, it also could represent personal qualities of wearer.
 
The status of professional diver's watch of GST Aquatimer
 

 
As the professional diver's watch of GST series, GST Aquatimer possessed all the advantages of IWC GST, including classical round case that was combined sporty appearance with elegant style, the absolutely precise concise dial, the high contrast luminescence hand indicator, the hemispherical scratch resistant sapphire crystal and new design of patented bracelet with button-style bucket, the large screwed crown engraved with fish logo, firm screwed bottom and IWC patented waterproof gasket and sealing technology. All these advantages made it possess waterproof to 20 atmospheric pressure which equals to it dives into water of 2000 meters without helium escape valve. GST Aquatimer adopted the design as Ocean 2000, it was equipped with rotatable bezel, but not the inner rotating bezel of original Aquatimer.
 

 
Although GST series is welcomed deeply by the market, IWC had ever launched Deep One diver's watch that was the first one and the only one mechanical device to measure diving depth in the world, and IWC also transferred the highly appreciated perpetual calendar system of Da Vinci to GST to make it become the most sporty perpetual calendar in the world. However, IWC launched the brand new Aquatimer in 2004 when IWC had finished the the prototype of Aquatimer for 40 years, it was produced with new design concepts and watchmaking technology and it would replace the original GST to be the main sport series of IWC.
 

Deep One and GST Aquatimer
 
The design of Aquatimer watch represents the constant pursuit for innovative design and watchmaking technology on the one hand, and on the other hand it reveals IWC's  retrospect and perseverance to its long historical tradition. Aquatimer watch remained the vast majority of GST's classic elements, including original comfortable and removeable bracelet, rounded case with perfectly readable, clear dial that represents IWC's classic Bauhaus style. The biggest change of Aquatimer is it was equipped with exclusive unidirectional inner bezel of Aquatimer's prototype in 1967 that can be rotated by the crown at 4 o'clock position. In other words, GST originally have only one type of diver's watch, and that is Aquatimer, but after GST became sport series of IWC, all of the Aquatimer sport watches have the characteristics of diver's watch for the feature of inner bezel.
 

Aquatimer Chrono-Automatic
 
IWC launched five Aquatimer watches in 2004, including watches as follows:
 
1, Aquatimer Automatic, stainless steel case, 1000m waterproof.
 
2, Aquatimer Automatic 2000, 2000m water resistant, titanium case.
 
3, Aquatimer Chrono-Automatic, water resistant to 120m.
 
4, Aquatimer Minute Memory, water resistant to 120 meters.
 
5, Cousteau Divers Limited Edition, water resistant to 1000 meters. It was made to commemorate the French diver Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
 

The Cousteau Divers and Aquatimer Automatic 2000
 
The flagship of Aquatimer: Aquatimer Minute Memory
 
The most worth mentioning of Aquatimer is Aquatimer Minute Memory, and its model is Ref. IW3723. Expect the waterproofness of 120 meters, Aquatimer Minute Memory has chronograph function, and what is more remarkable is that Aquatimer Minute Memory is equipped with the world's first ever performance of Minute Fly-Back. To put it simply, except for its chronograph, Aquatimer Minute Memory is equipped with a Minute Fly-Back Hand(or stop Hand) that is totally running independently and overlapping under the normal minute hand in normal times. This Minute Fly-Back Hand will become stop hand and stop running when slide/toggle switch at 8/9 o'clock position is pressed to On, while the normal hand indicator is moving forward unceasingly, and minute chronograph function is started. When timekeeper press the minute fly-back switch to Off, the Minute Fly-Back Hand will fly back to overlap to the position of running minute hand, which is beneficial to timekeeper to make the next timekeeping order at any time.
 

Aquatimer Minute Memory
 
Minute Fly-Back is not only the world's leading technological breakthrough of IWC, it also is creative embodiment of practical timing requirement for divers. Before entering the water, divers who wear Aquatimer Minute Memory could work out the secure diving time on the basis of diving depth and equipment, and then divers can set the timekeeping of diving by rotating crown at 4 o'clock position to turn the unidirectional internal dive bezel. In regard to calculation of time rising and compulsory decompression stops, divers can use exclusive Minute Fly-Back of Aquatimer Minute Memory to work out.
 
Thanks to the complicated design of movement, the titanium case of Aquatimer Minute Memory is relatively increased to 44mm, and its thickness is 16.3 mm.
 

Aquatimer Automatoc 2000
 
The heritage of GST Aquatimer: Aquatimer Automatic 2000 and Aquatimer Automatic
 
Aquatimer Automatic 2000 (Ref. IW3538) and Aquatimer Automatic (Ref. IW3548)  basically can be said that both of them are excellent products that inherited advantages of GST Aquatimer, of course, the biggest difference is that new Aquatimer adopted the most special Aquatimer unidirectional inner bezel of 1967, but not the rugged, large traditional outside rotating bezel. The biggest difference between Aquatimer Automatic 2000 and Aquatimer Automatic is that Aquatimer Automatic 2000 is water resistant to 2000 meters and its case is made from titanium, and its rotating inner dive bezel adopted distinctive yellow-white as its color design. The case diameter of Aquatimer Automatic 2000 is 42mm, and its thickness is 14.85mm. Nevertheless, Aquatimer Automatic is equipped with waterproof to 1000 meters and its case is made from stainless steel, and its rotating inner bezel adopted white as a main color; moreover, the length of Aquatimer Automatic is 42mm, and its thickness is only 12.8mm.
 

Aquatimer Minute Memory-Automatic-Chrono Automatic
 
Cousteau Divers Limited Edition - paying tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau
 
Jacques-Yves Cousteau is a strange person for Taiwan watch fans, but he is a prominent figure in the field of diving, photography, marine ecology and protection groups though he died in 1993. When people still felt strange about diving and ocean, he directed the shooting of famous Red Sea ecological documentary called The Silent World. This ecological documentary not only showed the rich sea creatures and astonishing beauty to people, it also contributed to the foundation of The Cousteau Society (TCS) and his devotion to education and conservation of ocean ecology, furthermore, it improved important innovation and invention for the equipment and technology of ocean research activities. Otherwise, the establishment of The Silent World gained great popularity, and this documentary was awarded Palme d'Or at Cannes International Film Festival in France and brought about the prevalence of diving and made people attach great importance to diver's watch.
 

Cousteau Divers Limited Edition
 
Aquatimer Cousteau Divers Limited Edition that was launched by IWC was limited in production quantity of 1953 to commemorate that Jacques-Yves Cousteau filmed The Silent World in 1953. The model of Cousteau Divers Limited Edition is Ref. IW3548, and its performance is similar to Aquatimer Automatic basically. It is waterproof to 1000 meters, but its case is made from titanium while strap is made of rubber, and the rotating inner bezel adopted bright orange and white as its color design, and unique sapphire dial is marked with Cousteau Divers while case back is carved with Alcyone symbol of TCS(the name of "the daughter of the wind" in Greek mythology).
 
It was reported that during the SIHH in 2004, A. Lange & Sohne would launch a watch with Minute Fly-Back. According to the profound relationship between A. Lange & Sohne and IWC in the past and both of them are members of Richemont group, many people believe that the watches are similar.
 

Cousteau Divers in Aquatimer Automatic 2000
 
The Cousteau Divers Limited Edition that was launched by IWC is not only for paying tribute to Jacques-Yves Cousteau. In order to promote the advertisement of new Aquatimer, it was said that IWC spent millions of euro on sponsorship contracts of The Cousteau Society (TCS). Furthermore, IWC spent large sums of money to invite global major media reporters from all over the world to Aquatimer's news conference in Zurich, Switzerland in April 2004 to promote the popularity of Aquatimer which would be launched in Swiss watch fair, and then reporters took the charter flights of Swiss Air to Hurghada which is on the Red Sea in Egypt to take part in the so-called Red Sea activity conference.  It was reported that the protagonist of this activity was Alcyone which was the research ship of The Cousteau Society (TCS), and the CEO of IWC Georges Kern not only took part in this activity in person, he even had his first scuba diving under the guidance of TCS's diver, it represented that IWC attached importance to and placed hope on Aquatimer.
 

50 Fathoms
 
The scrupulous watch fans might remember: in the documentary film The Slient World which was directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and filmed by Louis Malle, the watch that crew wore was 50 Fathoms of Blancpain(after all, the first generation of Aquatimer in 1967  was not yet born at that time!) Blancpain also focused on this point when it propagandized 50 Fathoms.
 

50 Fathoms 50th Anniversary Steel