The Aquatimer ZSC Lions 42mm IW3290-07 belongs to IWC’s Aquatimer line, launched in 1967 as the brand’s first professional dive watch. It was released in 2018 to commemorate the ZSC (Zürcher Schlittschuh Club) Lions winning the Swiss Ice Hockey Championship in a limited edition of only 73 pieces. It features the ZSC Lions’ branding alongside the watch brand’s dive-heritage signature components, such as the Super Compressor case and internal timing bezel.
Precision Watches proudly welcomes the Aquatimer IW3290-07 to our Lower Gwynedd showroom. Priced at $4,495, this pre-owned IWC watch is a piece that enhances any sports enthusiast’s collection.
IWC Aquatimer Review
The IW3290-07 brings IWC’s dive watches into the modern era. Now, let’s do our own diving as we explore this watch’s intricate details.
The Appearance
Overall, the watch offers a clean, sporty tool-watch look with some special-edition details. At 42mm, the case provides a chunky, modern profile. The surfaces are brushed with some polished accents, combining a technical and refined aesthetic- traits commonly associated with a true professional tool watch.
Red, white, and blue are the ZSC Lions’ colors, and we see that in the dial. Its surface is silvery white, surrounded by a white bezel with blue and red color features. The blue extends from 12 to 4, highlighting the first 15 to 20 minutes to make it easy to track short critical diving intervals. The tick marks at every five seconds are outlined in red, establishing team spirit.
The hour and minute hands feature a broad sword design, providing plenty of surface area for lume. A black outline helps the hands stand out against the light background. The sweeping second hand, with a contrasting yellow tip, helps you quickly confirm that the watch is running.
Large applied baton indices sit around the dial. Their U-shape offers maximum visibility, while the 12 o’clock hour marker is doubled to be instantly distinguishable from the other hours, helping you orient yourself at a glance.
The Fit
Although this watch is big, it wears small. At 14m thick, it may not fit under a dress shirt, but it will transition nicely under a blazer. The lugs are small and turn down, helping it contour to smaller wrists with flare.
It can fit on a wrist size as small as 14.5” circumference without overhang.
The Bracelet
The black rubber strap contributes to the watch’s utilitarian aesthetic. The matte finish contrasts nicely with the silvery white dial. Its lightly patterned surface contributes to a technical, rather than dressy, appearance.
Its material speaks to the watch’s comfort and practicality. The flexibility allows it to conform to the wrist, and its light weight helps balance the watch, so it doesn’t feel top-heavy. As a versatile material, it’s ideal for diving and sports.
The strap is integrated into the case, supporting a compact and purposeful design. A stainless-steel buckle allows you to fine-tune the fit. With the quick-change system, you can replace the strap with a bracelet for a dressier look.
Caseback and Movement
The solid steel screw-down caseback helps the watch achieve a 300 m water resistance rating. True to its sporty look, it features the ZCS Lion’s logo engraved on its back. Other markings include the series number and limited edition number.
It features automatic IWC Calibre 30120 movement, with workhouse architecture backing its reliability. The power reserve is 42 hours.
Functionality
As a diver’s watch, the IWC Aquatimer offers robust features, such as hacking seconds, that let you pull out the crown to set the time precisely. The quick-set date window at 3 o’clock can be advanced independently of the time. You can also set the unidirectional bezel with SafeDive system, so the zero marker aligns with the minute hand to measure elapsed minutes.
Experience the IWC Aquatimer at the Precision Watches Showroom
If you are a dive watch enthusiast, you can’t miss the opportunity to experience the Aquatimer ZSC Lions as well as the other timepieces we have in stock. We offer a wide selection of new watches and pre-owned watches, ensuring you find one perfectly suited to your taste and lifestyle. If you aren’t in the area, you can also shop our selection online.
In addition to selling watches, we also offer watch repair and buy-and-trade services to support you throughout your ownership timeline. Contact us to learn what sets us apart as a trusted provider in the luxury watch industry.
FAQs
How does the Aquatimer ZSC Lions IW3290-07 differ from the standard Aquatimer Automatic IW3290-01?
The watches are almost identical in both mechanical and dimensional terms. However, the ZSC Lions model adds a limited-edition dial and hand color scheme, a blue 0-20-minute segment on the bezel, ZSC branding, a special caseback engraving, and a limited edition of only 73 pieces.
What is the visual purpose of the blue 0–20-minute section on the bezel, and how would a diver actually use it?
It visually emphasizes the first 20 minutes of elapsed time measurement commonly used for shorter safety tops, decompression segments, or everyday tasks. A diver aligns the bezel’s zero marker with the minute hand at the start of an interval, then reads the elapsed minutes against the inner scale; the blue band makes that first interval easy to pick out at a glance.
How does the IWC’s SafeDive system work on this model, and how is it different from a typical dive bezel?
Turning the external bezel drives the internal timing ring. The ring, with a minute scale, is the functional part of the bezel and only moves in a ‘safe’ unidirectional direction for elapsed timing, protecting the watch from accidental knocks and keeping the timed markings under the crystal rather than exposed.
Is the Calibre 30120 considered an ‘in-house’ movement, and what does that mean for servicing and reliability?
The 30120 is an IWC-modified movement based on a proven ETA-Sellita architecture, not a pure in-house calibre. It is highly reliable, and the parts are widely available, making it easy to service. However, it does not offer as much prestige as IWC’s own manufactured calibres.
