IWC Schaffhausen Goes Purple for the Singapore Grand Prix

Since 2013, IWC Schaffhausen has stood alongside the Mercedes‑AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team as its Official Engineering Partner. Now in the 14th year of collaboration, the Swiss watchmaker has unveiled the latest team chronograph, continuing a lineage that began in 2022, embodying their shared pursuit of precision, innovation and performance. Each edition has drawn on advanced materials such as titanium, ceramic and Ceratanium®, accented with the team’s signature PETRONAS green, underscoring the fusion of engineering excellence and distinctive design.

To celebrate the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix — the sport’s first night race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit — IWC has introduced a striking new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes‑AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team. Crafted from lightweight Grade 5 titanium, the 41mm timepiece debuts a deep purple dial inspired by Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, complemented by PETRONAS green detailing. At its heart beats the IWC‑manufactured 69385 calibre, ensuring robust chronograph performance. Fronted by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, the campaign highlights a watch that bridges IWC’s horological heritage with the uncompromising spirit of Formula One. GMT India takes a closer look at the latest release. 

The new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team (Ref. IW388121) boasts a robust engineering that is equally at home in the paddock and on the wrist. The defining feature of this edition is its dial in a deep, saturated purple. The colour is a tribute to the city of Singapore and its national flower; an orchid bred in 1893 by Armenian-Singaporean horticulturist Agnes Joaquim. It serves as Singapore’s national emblem and is said to represent resilience, boldness and innovation – traits and values that are also found in the shared universe of IWC and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team. Beneath its vivid petals, the Vanda Miss Joaquim conceals extraordinary natural intricacy, mirroring how the clean, instrument‑style dial of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 masks the sophisticated mechanics within.
The unveiling of this new team watch coincides with the launch of a fresh adidas collection, created in partnership with the Mercedes‑AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team. Rooted in the principles of adaptive precision and performance, the collection reflects both the engineering ethos of Formula One and adidas’s identity as a brand driven by innovation.

As with all previous team watches, the new chronograph also carries accents in the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team’s signature colour. The distinctive PETRONAS green shade marks the numerals and indices; applied as a luminescent coating on the hands, it cuts a compelling contrast against the dial’s rich purple. The eye-catching design is complemented by a purple rubber strap. Thanks to the EasX-CHANGE^® system, it can be swapped for another strap option at the touch of a button.

Forged for Motorsport

The case, measuring 41mm in diameter, is crafted from Grade 5 titanium, a material prized throughout Formula One^TM for its favourable strength-to-density ratio and resistance to heat. Titanium tips the scales at roughly half the weight of steel and does not corrode. The metal is not only used in engine components such as connecting rods and valves but also plays a direct role in ensuring drivers’ safety on the racetrack; the Halo device, which arches over the cockpit as a protective roll structure, is likewise machined from a high-strength titanium alloy. The watch’s titanium case carries a brushed finish that draws out the metal’s distinctive silvery grey lustre.

Engineered for Precision and Resilience

Beating inside is the IWC-manufactured 69385 calibre, a mechanical chronograph built on a classical columnwheel architecture and engineered with a focus on precision, reliability and robustness. The stop minutes are indicated at 12 o’clock via IWC’s hallmark vertical subdial layout, making elapsed-time readings effortless and intuitive. This dial configuration has been a signature feature of IWC’s Pilot’s Chronographs for more than four decades. The combined day-date display at 3 o’clock adds a layer of everyday practicality. A bidirectional pawl winding system provides a 46-hour power reserve. Finished with Geneva stripes and circular graining, the movement can be viewed through the transparent sapphire glass caseback.

The Fourth Official Team Watch

The first team watch arrived at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix: the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team” (Ref. IW388108) in titanium. The following year, at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, IWC unveiled the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team (Ref. IW388306), featuring a Ceratanium^® case and polished black ceramic bezel with tachymeter scale. In 2025, IWC and its partner opened the season with the release of the Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One^TM Team (Ref. IW328210), a three-hand watch prized for its slender profile and versatility. Like its predecessors, the new team watch will be worn by team members trackside – mechanics, engineers and beyond – as well as by staff at the team’s headquarters in Brackley, England.

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