IT’S A MATCH MADE IN ENGINEERING HEAVEN. At this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the extremely limited edition CLS 55 AMG “IWC Ingenieur”, thereby cementing its cooperation with Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen. The car compliments the debut of IWC’s new Ingenieur watch family in April 2005 as well as the unveiling of the Ingenieur-AMG watch more recently.
The cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and IWC was agreed a little more than a year ago, with both companies realizing common core strengths. Mercedes-Benz and IWC both place emphasis on precision engineering, high technology and craftsmanship, as guaranteed by products that meet the highest expectations in terms of quality.
As the watchmaker that pioneered the use of titanium in its timepieces, the new IWC Ingenieur boasts a case made of the precious metal. For its Ingenieur-AMG line, it has unveiled five variants with two movements: an automatic and an automatic chronograph. The IWC Ingenieur is available with either titantium or soft black strap, all boasting a red minute graduation (the chronograph has a red second hand) and the AMG logo engraved at the back. All Ingenieur watches are waterproof up to 120 meters and have a robust high-precision mechanism.
Over at the Affalterbach factory, Mercedes-AMG commissioned highly skilled craftsmen to build 55 pieces of the CLS 55 AMG IWC Ingenieur to match the precision timepiece. It boasts the same mechanical features as the regular production CLS 55 AMG, but the new model has far more exclusive equipment. The CLS 55 AMG IWC Ingenieur features an exclusive dark titanium gray metallic paint job with all the exterior decorative elements including the grille, handles and so forth, finished in matching matte titanium color. This color scheme matches that of the new Ingenieur-AMG watch. The muscular styling of the CLS 55 AMG is heightened by larger mixed ratio 19-inch alloys, also boasting the same matte titanium finish.
Inside, the limited edition CLS 55 AMG has titanium look nappa leather seats and door trims. The bird’s eye maple is replaced by a high-quality piano lacquer with a deep black sheen. The real highlight through is the new instrumentation cluster that features rhodanized and silver needles, white lighting, black dials and a new typographical style all echoing the Ingenieur-AMG watch line. Each limited edition CLS 55 AMG comes with an equally limited edition model of the Ingenieur-AMG chronograph. This special edition watch is different from the other Ingenieur-AMG models.
Mercedes-Benz and IWC Schaffhausen both agree that the resulting CLS 55 AMG Ingenieur and Ingenieur AMG watch is just the start of their long-term partnership. Both brands have expressed their commitment to come out with more exciting products in the near future.
In the Philippines, the CLS 55 AMG’s slightly tamer brother, the CLS 350 is available through CATS Motors, Inc. CATS Motors, Inc. is the country’s official distributor of DaimlerChrysler automobiles with a showroom at Fort Bonifacio Global City and at Greenhills. Meanwhile, the exciting new IWC Ingenieur is available for closer inspection at the two Lucerne Jeweler boutiques at Shangri-la Plaza Mall and Glorietta 4 Ayala Center.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
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