IWC Schaffhausen Official Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team watch

IWC Schaffhausen and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One ^TM Team just unveiled the very first official team timepiece. We had the chance to preview the new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition ‘Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One ^TM Team’.

As Franziska Gsell, CMO & Sustainability Committee Chair, Executive Board Member shared with me at Watches and Wonders 2022, a brand new IWC boutique opened in Dubai, in the Dubai Mall, dedicated to showcasing IWC Schaffhausen’s connection to the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One ^TM Team, which they have been the ‘Official Engineering Partner’ of since 2013.

Not a coincidence, since IWC is focusing now on a special timepiece with the F1 motorsport team, which holds the record for the most consecutive constructors’ titles – eight championships won between the 2014 and 2021 seasons.

At Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One^TM Team, a group of passionate and determined people in Brackley and Brixworth (UK) work to design, develop, manufacture and race the cars driven by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and the upcoming star George Russell.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, photo: IWC Schaffhausen

The inaugural Miami Grand Prix ^TM takes place at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA, on Sunday, 8 May. On the occasion of this new race, IWC Schaffhausen and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ^TM revealed another ‘first’: the manufacture has developed an official watch for the team, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition ‘Mercedes- AMG Petronas Formula One ^TMTeam’.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula OneTM Team said: ‘We’re delighted to unveil the first official team watch we’ve developed with IWC. It underscores the spirit of unity and the sense of belonging within our team and is a testament to the relationship we have built with IWC over the last decade. I am looking forward to seeing the watch being worn by members of the team trackside in Miami this weekend.’

IWC Schaffhausen Official Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team watch

Titanium – also used in the automotive industry among many others – is a great choice for the watch. Known as the ‘workhorse’ of the titanium alloys, the grade 5 titanium is a commonly applied titanium material (‘Ti 6Al-4V’ is alloyed with 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium). Its usability lies in its many benefits. Ti 6Al-4V may be heat-treated to increase its strength. This alloy offers its high strength at a light weight, useful formability and high corrosion resistance.

After machining and sandblasting the titanium material of the case, the surface receives an attractive greyish shimmer. The 41mm watch features a black dial with printing and luminescence in the team’s signature shade of ‘Petronas’ green complementing the distinctive design. (It is interesting to add, that after two years with a Black Arrow, this year the team has returned to the more traditional Mercedes Silver Arrows paint scheme of the modern era. Hints of Petronas green appear across the car as always and on each accessory of the team as well).

IWC Schaffhausen Official Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team watch on wrist

The IWC-manufactured 69385 calibre, a chronograph movement in a classic column-wheel design consisting of 231 individual parts ticks inside the timepiece. The bi-directional pawl winding system builds up a power reserve of 46 hours.

The owner of the watch will have two different straps: one black embossed calfskin strap, and one Petronas green rubber strap. Thanks to the integrated EasX-CHANGE^®system, the straps can be exchanged quickly and easily at the touch of a button without additional tools.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition ‘Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One^TM Team’ is available exclusively online on IWC.com. In addition, if the owner registers the timepiece in the ‘My IWC care’ program, he or she can benefit from a 6-year extension to the standard 2-year International Limited Warranty.

Interview with Franziska Gsell, CMO & Sustainability Committee Chair of IWC Schaffhausen

Interview with Franziska Gsell, CMO & Sustainability… I met Franziska Gsell, CMO & Sustainability Committee Chair, Executive Board Member at the stylish and minimalist IWC Schaffhausen booth during Watches and Wonders. We discussed how the pandemic has changed the way IWC interacts with customers and what sustainability means for the brand.

Year of the Ingenieur by IWC Schaffhausen IWC Schaffhausen dedicated their appearance at the 2023 Watches and Wonders to the determination of engineers and the ingenuity of designers leading the attention to the descendant of their all time icon, the Ingenieur. We discovered the new Ingenieur Automatic 40 models (and a few Pilots) in the lab-inspired booth.

IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition ‘Blue Angels’

IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition ‘Blue… Last autumn IWC Schaffhausen launched three new limited edition chronographs in its Pilot’s Watches collection. The new ceramic models are collaborative timepieces with squadrons of the U.S. Navy. We saw the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition ‘Blue Angels’ in Geneva.