The worlds of watches and racing have long been intertwined, and IWC is a prime example of this connection. As the official partner of Mercedes-AMG since 2004 and the “Official Engineering Partner” of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team since 2013, IWC is renowned for its pilot’s watches, and models like the Big Pilot or Pilot’s Watch Chronograph series have been closely associated with the brand’s automotive partnerships. To further celebrate these collaborations, IWC has unveiled two new watches specifically designed for its motorsport partners: the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG and the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG
The first of the two models, the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG, features a 41.1mm grade 5 titanium case with largely brushed surfaces and thin high-polished bevels on the lugs. The watch is water-resistant to 100 meters and features a black ceramic bezel with a tachymeter scale, allowing for the measurement of average speed based on distance traveled.
The dial and hands of the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG feature a black and white color scheme, with enlarged Arabic numeral hour markers made from blackened nickel filled with Super-LumiNova. The dial also features three subdials in a 6-9-12 layout, along with both day and date displays at the 3 o’clock position.
The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
The second model, the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, is crafted from IWC’s proprietary Ceratanium, a special type of titanium that undergoes a thermal treatment process to give it a surface that offers many of the properties of ceramic, along with a unique matte black finish. Aside from the difference in material for its case components, the external dimensions and specifications are the same as the titanium Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG.
The most noticeable difference between the two models is the use of the bright turquoise (the F1 team’s signature color) for the minute track, running seconds hand, and the printing on the calendar discs for both the day and date displays.
Shared Features and Pricing
Both versions of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 are powered by the same automatic chronograph movement, the IWC manufacture Caliber 69385. Running at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 46 hours, the 33-Jewel IWC Cal. 69385 movement consists of 242 components and it uses a column wheel to control its chronograph complication.
Both models are offered with either black rubber straps or matching H-link bracelets. The tang-style buckles on the straps and the entirety of bracelets are all crafted from either grade 5 titanium or Ceratanium, to match the cases of their respective watches. Additionally, the straps and bracelets all feature IWC’s EasX-CHANGE strap system, where standard spring-bars are fitted to the 20mm lugs, and the straps and bracelets themselves include an integrated push-button system that allows users to simply unclip them from the spring-bars.
The titanium IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG is priced at $9,800 USD when purchased on a strap (ref. IW388305) or $11,700 USD for the version with a matching titanium bracelet (ref. IW388304). The Ceratanium IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team is more expensive, with an official retail price of $13,700 USD when purchased on the rubber strap (ref. IW388306) or $19,900 USD for the top-of-the-line version that comes with a full Ceratanium bracelet (ref. IW388307).
A Racing-Inspired Aesthetic
The new IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 models seamlessly blend the brand’s classic pilot’s watch design with a racing-inspired aesthetic. The addition of a tachymeter scale bezel, typically associated with racing chronographs, along with the black and white color schemes and subtle pops of color, give these watches a distinctly motorsport feel. The Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes