IWC Schaffhausen and Scholz & Friends Celebrate a Brilliant Failure
A cinematic short documentary about the IWC Ingenieur.
When the first behind-the-scenes photos from the upcoming Apple Original blockbuster ‘F1® – The Movie’ began to circulate in August 2024, the watch community quickly noticed a timepiece on the wrist of driver Sonny Hayes (played by Hollywood star Brad Pitt) that, technically, shouldn’t exist: a green IWC Ingenieur from 1976.
A four-minute cinematic documentary tells the story of the legendary IWC Reference 1832 — designed by none other than Gérald Genta, the most renowned watch designer of all time. With its radically new and progressive Genta design, the IWC Ingenieur — originally conceived in the 1950s as a tool watch for engineers — failed to gain commercial traction among its intended target group. It was not until the early 21st century that the model was rediscovered by a new generation. The film intertwines this historical arc with the story of a race car driver, shedding light on the origins of the unique green Ingenieur worn by Sonny Hayes in the movie.
“IWC Schaffhausen is 'The Engineer and Storyteller of Fine Watchmaking’. Each of our watches tells a unique story, shaped not least by its wearer. With the Ingenieur short film, we are telling the story of one of our most legendary designs, which was far ahead of its time back in the 1970s,” says Franziska A. Gsell, Chief Marketing Officer IWC Schaffhausen.
“With ‘Our Most Brilliant Failure’, we’ve created an elaborately produced piece of culture – for a community deeply passionate about watchmaking and design. In the following weeks, we’ll continue to unfold the story, primarily through digital channels,” adds Jörg Waschescio, Executive Creative Director at Scholz & Friends.
The documentary was directed by Rune Milton (production: Thirsty Film), who previously brought the award-winning IWC origin story ‘Born of a Dream’ to life in 2020. Cinematography was handled by Daniel Voldheim, known for his work on the Apple TV series ‘Presumed Innocent’. Post-production was completed by Chemistry in Copenhagen, with accompanying photography by Lennart Ritscher.
Credits
IWC Schaffhausen
Chief Marketing Officer: Franziska A. Gsell
Ass. Director Global Brand Marketing: Maurice Moitroux
Strategic Brand Planner: Tom Scheuring
Department Manager Brand Communication & Content: Caroline Spoerry
Head of Brand Creation: Nicholas Schmidt
Team Lead Social Media & Content: Patricia Martínez Labandeira
Project Management: Charlotte Coste, Sebastian Grilhault des Fontaines
Scholz & Friends
Executive Creative Director: Jörg Waschescio
Client Service Director: Romy Kaltenbach
Account Management: Felix Glaser
Art Direction: David Meyring, Franz Frommann, Raffaele Dalla Casa
FFF: Daniel Klessig, Thomas Griesbach, Tino Schulz
Art Buying: Kerstin Mende
Thirsty Film
Executive Producer: Niels Kau
Director: Rune Milton
Cinematographer: Daniel Voldheim
Post Production: Chemistry Film
VFX Supervisor: Mikael Balle
Editor: Peter Brandt, Jeppe Bødskov, Ogi Curcic, Rune Milton
Colorist: Mikael Balle
Producer: Camilla Nilsson
Composers: Asger Baden & Peder Pedersen
Sound Designer: Kevin Koch
Music: Jonas Larsen
Service Production: Sparky Films
Executive Producer: Marchant Bellingan
Line Producer: Diwan De Beer
Production Manager: Adali van Dalen
Production Coordinator: Clinton Hayward
1st AD: Westley Durand
Production Design: Alex Bird
Costume Design: Dihantus Engelbrecht
Make Up: Merle Titus
Camera 1st AC: Philip Francis
Gaffer: Nick Rankin
Grip: Dion Frylinck
SFX: Firehouse
Sound: Ewan Taute
Locations: Vernon Marais
Tracking Vehicle: Kevin O’Reilly
Photography: Lennart Ritscher
Cast
Anthony Watterson - Gérald Genta
Matt Schaal - Hannes Pantli
Brett Williams - Alexandre Ott