Luxury watches and motorsport go together like peanut butter and jelly. Gearheads tend to love mechanical watches for their complexity, and rich people love to show off at races, so it's no surprise that Rolex and Formula 1 have been intertwined for years, and many teams have partnerships with major watch brands. Mercedes-AMG and the AMG Petronas Formula 1 team have long partnered with the International Watch Company (IWC) for both road and race cars. That's why the Mercedes-AMG C63 features an IWC Ingenieur analog clock on the dash and many of the race team members sport a timepiece from the watchmaker. The two have recently taken their relationship to the next level with a new watch collaboration that sports unique colors and materials.
The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Edition "Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team" - try saying that quickly ten times - debuted at the first-ever Miami Grand Prix this past weekend.
All of the core F1 team members got a copy of the watch, which is made from grade 5 titanium and features a 41mm case. Titanium is sometimes used in place of steel in luxury watches, as it's far lighter and very corrosion resistant. It's powered by IWC's in-house 69385 caliber movement and offers a 46-hour power reserve.
IWC includes two straps with the chronograph, including a calfskin leather strap and a Petronas green rubber strap - the latter of which was worn by Hamilton as one of the three watches he wore as part of a protest against the FIA during Miami's controversial pre-race press conference. The watch features an easy-change strap system that lets the wearer swap between the two using a button system instead of watch tools.
Unsurprisingly, the IWC isn't cheap. The watch has a retail price of $7,850, likely much cheaper than Aston Martin's new watch with real F1-car carbon fiber in it.
Mercedes-AMG F1 boss Toto Wolff 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."
"Both fine watchmaking and racing are all about precision, craftsmanship and performance engineering. But it's the human factor - the passion the love and the dedication that make all the difference between good and great," says Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. "This notion perfectly describes our long-standing partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team and we are celebrating this partnership with the launch of the new team watch in Miami."
As for the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team, 2022 hasn't been its finest showing yet. Despite being third in the Constructors Championship, the team has struggled to build a car that can run with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.