Even tennis neophytes know Wimbledon is the premier tournament for the athletes themselves, but thanks to its buttoned-up dress code both on and off the court, it’s also the premier tournament for courtside sartorialists. The All England Club’s legendary grass courts have long played host to both incredible feats of racquet-based skill and dappered-up, British-leaning culturati keen on indulging in some high-level sportsmanship and strawberries and cream.
This year’s tourney, which concluded on Sunday with a dual-of-the-giants victory by ATP’s resident Gucci aficionado-cum-ambassador Jannik Sinner over French Open winner Alexander Zverev, was no exception. Celebrities were in abundance across the duration of the London tournament, for the most part decked out in their finest lightweight tailoring, linen shirts and $50,000 watches. Rami Malek was spotted in shining Wales Bonner, while David Beckham doubled down on his everyman bit with a surprisingly affordable (and mandated) Tudor.
No guest, possibly bar the Princess of Wales, made more headlines than Andrew Garfield, for several reasons. His intense head of hair — a masterclass in rocking a devil-may-care mane in its own right — for one, but also his heavenly suit-and-sandals combo and, biggest of all, a flashy new IWC that he busted out early in the tournament.
The watch in question is a new, slimmer iteration of the brand’s iconic Ingenieur, an already slinky, Gérald Genta-designed sports watch with an integrated bracelet design and cultured vibes in spades.
Garfield’s specific reference, an at-the-time unreleased version of Ingenieur Automatic 35, is especially exceptional. Alongside a slight rehaul to shrink down the case size to 35mm and upgrade the movement to the brand’s in-house Calibre 47110, the stainless steel watch featured a unique “Pool” dial, combining a stamped gridlock dial pattern with a deep, summery turquoise hue for a shimmering optical effect reminiscent of underwater aquatic tiling. In other words, the ultimate summer timepiece and the perfect watch for Wimbledon, especially when paired with similarly shaded Ralph Lauren tailoring.
In normal circumstances, an overgrown shag and tonal suiting to match your unreleased timepiece would take home top honors, but Garfield wasn’t the only English actor to break out the new release. Fellow countryman and White Lotus actor Theo James was spotted in the same reference days later, wearing the Ingenieur on the final day of Wimbledon.
Pairing the timepiece with a louche, ashy, unstructured chevron suit and surprisingly sophisticated chambray shirt, both courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli, James’s look was a different type of serve. Not necessarily better, but slightly more buttoned up, reflected in his perfectly manicured mustache-stubble and close-cropped curls — the Federer to Garfield’s Nadal.
Regardless of which actor you prefer, one thing is abundantly clear: petite as it may be, IWC’s latest reference is poised to make a splash. The vintage-inspired design and newly renovated specs all resonate with what fans (and, apparently, British A-listers) want from their sports watch, and if there’s one thing any collector will tell you, it’s to never bet against a Tiffany-adjacent dial.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 “Pool”
Diameter: 35mm
Movement: Calibre 47110 automatic
Water Resistance: 100m
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