2022 IWC Pilots Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 IW388108
Ref: IW388108

Specification

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original IWC presentation box and original IWC paperwork, the watch was purchased in August 2022. The watch comes with two quick-release (which IWC call EasX-CHANGE system) 20mm straps, blue rubber and a black calfskin with Petronas blue stitching complete with a signed buckle. The watch is in worn condition but has likely been worn a handful of times at most, see the photos. The watch comes with its Manufacturer's Warranty.

The Watch

Florentine Aristo Jones founded IWC in 1868, in 1867 he applied for a European passport with the ambition to create watches using the American system of Watchmaking. This system was derived from the Federal Armories at Springfield and Harpers Ferry, where high precision interchangeable parts were needed for armaments. This was perfect to use in watchmaking and Florentine was a pioneer in introducing it to the Swiss. In 1868 Florentine and Charles Kidder ended up in  Schaffhausen Switzerland, originally called the company  F. A Jones & Co which was later changed to IWC International Watch Company. Florentine returned to the USA in 1876 where he retired and sadly passed away in 1916, his spirit carries on today in the modern IWC watches.

Here we have a 2022 IWC Pilots Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 IW388108 with a 41mm lightweight Grade 5 Titanium case sandblasted finish, this is the first official team watch IWC created for the Mercedes Team, the amalgamation of modern materials and incredible engineering goes hand in hand with Formula One. The flow of the case leads you to a tapered lug-to-lug length of 51.5mm and a case thickness of 14mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence, down the right side, we have the chronograph pushers and a signed screw-down crown in the centre. The thin smooth bezel holds a convex sapphire crystal which is secured against a drop in air pressure and has an AR coating on both sides for high visibility, a sunburst black dial with the Petronas blue minute track and baton indexes are precisely printed. Large Arabic numerals in the same Petronas blue sit just underneath marking the hours, at 3 o’clock a day/date window. At 12 o’clock a 30-minute register, at 6 o’clock a continuous seconds register and finally at 9 o’clock a 12-hour register each slightly recessed and finished with concentric circles. Sword’s hands are outlined in black with an infill of Petronas blue luminance complemented by a Petronas blue-coated tapered chronograph hand, at 3 o’clock we have the IWC motif completing this Formula One-inspired pilot chronograph built to withstand the forces experienced on the track and in the air. On the reverse a screw-down exhibition case back with the details of the watch engraved around its outer edge, inside an automatic IWC Cal. 69385, 33 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour. The movement is made up of 231 components with a modified IWC skeletonised rotor incredibly engineered to high tolerances by Horological craftspeople. The watch comes with two quick-release (which IWC call EasX-CHANGE system) 20mm straps, blue rubber and a black calfskin with Petronas blue stitching complete with a signed buckle, the watch also comes with its IWC presentation box and paperwork.

Personal Note

I've been waiting to get one of these in and from initial photos, I wasn't a fan, I thought it would be too loud and too much on the wrist... I was very wrong, this works so well and looks truly fantastic on and off the wrist, IWC knew exactly what they were doing with this release and as an F1 fan, I really do love it. If you are still on the fence, book an appointment and come try it on for yourself.