Home » IWC Watches » IWC Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” Watch
Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” is IWC’s special edition timepiece which was designed to commemorate the successful expedition “Plastiki”, undertaken by British environmentalist and adventurer David de Rothschild and his crew in 2010. This great looking watch with a nice tricolor (blue, white and gray) scheme is produced in just 1,000 pieces worldwide.
The remarkable British from a well-known banking family, David de Rothschild, and his team, sailed across the Pacific from San Francisco to Sydney in their pioneering and one-of-a-kind catamaran, named “Plastiki”. The 12 tons catamaran held afloat by 12,500 recycled plastic bottles. Their mission was to arouse the world’s global attention to the health of the oceans, especially for the issue that the colossal amounts of plastic waste are choking the seas and the oceans. De Rothschild and his crew spent four months on their avant-garde catamaran which was equipped with a sail of recyclable high-tech material, as well as wind turbines, solar panels, and bicycle-powered generators that supplied the catamaran with electricity. During that journey, they visited 15 ports in intention to educate people and to bring awareness to the environment and the damage we are doing to it. The whole expedition wore robust “Adventure Ecology” timepieces which inspired this year’s limited edition model.
The Watch with Proven Toughness
Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” (the referent number is IW323608) has proven its suitability for expedition use on arduous journeys of adventure under more than 30 rigorous tests. The masculine timepiece is housed in a robust case crafted from the top-quality stainless steel. The large-sized case has 46 mm in diameter and it is 15 mm thick. On the left side of the case at the 9 o’clock position, it is inscribed “ONE OUT OF 1,000”.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” Watch IW323608
Inside the case, there is one of the most rugged movements ever created by IWC – Caliber 80110. The self-winding movement is fitted with a soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields of up to 80,000 amperes per meter. The movement built on 28 jewels also offers maximum protection against impacts by the integrated shock-absorber system. When fully charged, the in-house made movement provides a sufficient 44 hours of power reserve.
Created for a Long and Active Life of Its Wearer
The case of Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” timepiece incorporates the protective shoulders for the screw-in crown and the newly designed horns for an easier feeling on the wearer’s wrist. The improved comfort is also assured with a blue rubber strap. For the long life of this timekeeper, IWC domed its case on both sides by a convex sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating. The case construction guarantees water-resistance up to 120 meters (400 feet) beneath the water’s surface, which makes this watch perfectly suitable for the future ocean expeditions, among the other features. The case back of this watch is decorated with the engraved catamaran and the sea route of this mission (from San Francisco to Sydney).
IWC Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” Watch IW323608-caseback
The clear looking dial of the watch boasts a charming tricolor scheme. A brick-like surface features a white color, whereas the hour markers and Arabic numerals 6 and 12 combine a blue and gray color scheme. The same scheme is used for hour and minute hands, while a thin second hand comes in blue and it has an orange colored tip. A blue on white combination is also applied on a countdown scale which nicely rounds the dial. The right date of a month is available through a small aperture situated at the 3 o’clock position.
A Long-term Partnership
The extremely robust Ingenieur Automatic Mission Earth Edition “Plastiki” is a reliable companion for extreme sports of all kinds, and just like David de Rothschild, it is made for adventure. Since 2007, IWC from Schaffhausen has supported Adventure Ecology (now MYOO) and David de Rothschild as official partner. The Swiss manufacturer has also actively participated in climate protection, and it is responsible for ecology, which has become their corporate philosophy. The company has cut carbon dioxide emissions by 90% since 2001, and it has been certified as carbon neutral business in 2007. Also, IWC promotes the ecologically sound behavior with special edition models, such as Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands and Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
I must be honest about this watch and I think that there are a lot of people who share my opinion about this IWC and that is – this watch is a total mistake by IWC. It`s their worst watch ever. If you just look at the purple rubber strap, you`ll see why this is the worst IWC watch ever.
You have the point, Sidney, this is a very bad watch. I have Citizen Eco Drive and that is a real men’s watch. This one isn`t so bad when you look at the features. It has nice functions and excellent mechanism but the design is awful.
Come on, guys, you are over reacting. The watch is nice, the rubber strap isn`t the best because of the color, but it isn`t bad ether. The most important thing is the quality of the watch which is excellent. I had an IWC five years ago and I was satisfied with it. There is no reason why I shouldn`t buy IWC again. Not this model, but some other model from IWC collections will be perfect for me, I`m sure.