1982 IWC Ingenieur Jumbo SL 1839 IW3303, with papers

The Watch: The IWC Ingenieur SL Jumbo, Ref. 3303—a product of both 1970s design experimentation and 1980s refinement. Originally penned by Gerald Genta in the mid-70s, the Ingenieur SL series followed his work on the Royal Oak and Nautilus, bringing his signature industrial-luxury aesthetic to IWC. But unlike those watches, the Ingenieur had a functional backstory—it was designed for engineers, scientists, and professionals working in high-magnetic environments.

When the first Ingenieur SL ref. 1832 launched in 1976, it was too ahead of its time—sales were slow, and IWC scaled down production. By 1980, the brand refined the concept, leading to the 3303, a thinner and more wearable version of Genta’s original design. At 40mm, it retained the bold integrated case and bracelet but was slimmer and more versatile. 

This is one of the more rare, quartz examples. This was part of IWC’s strategy during the Quartz Crisis—offering high-end, luxury quartz watches to compete with the emerging dominance of Japanese brands like Seiko. Many Swiss brands, including Rolex (Refs. 1530 and 1630), Patek Philippe (Beta 21, Ref. 3770), and Audemars Piguet (Refs. 6005 and 56175), did the same. 

Production numbers indicate that fewer than 600 units of the automatic Ingenieur SL "Jumbo" were produced, primarily in stainless steel, with only 55 crafted in solid gold. The quartz model, reference 3003, saw a production of 335 pieces, with 149 in stainless steel, 160 in a combination of steel and gold, 56 in full yellow gold, and 4 in yellow gold with diamonds. Who knows how many of each have survived the decades?

This example, dating to 1982, represents that rare transitional era for IWC, when the brand was refining its identity before its resurgence in the '90s. A true Genta-era sleeper, available in very limited numbers.