IWC Aquatimer Chronograph

When one thinks of a dive watch, IWC isn’t a brand that springs immediately to mind. Despite other companies taking the lead in the dive watch race, however, the Schaffhausen-based firm has contributed significantly to the aquatic scene. Their compressor-cased Aqautimers from the late 1960s have since become collectible classics, while the Ocean 2000 designed with none other than Ferdinand Porsche was one of the first titanium-cased divers. All in all, the pilot’s watch-focused company has had quite an impact on the design of undersea timekeepers. This particular IWC dive watch is a more contemporary offering, an Aquatimer Reference IW376702 chronograph from the 2010s. Housed in a 46mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, barrel pushers, and a unidirectional black and yellow dive bezel, it features a luminous, matte black dial with applied indices, a white and yellow modified ‘sword’ handset, a triple-register chronograph layout with silver and and black subdials, and a day-date display at 3 o’clock.  Powering this Aquatimer is the workhorse Valjoux 7750 automatic movement with roughly 48 hours of power reserve. Paired to a black rubber strap with a stainless steel pin buckle and accompanied by its factory goodies, it’s a watch whose design continues to inform the current Aquatimer collection, accompanying a new generation of divers into the water.