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- IWC has revealed the fourth official Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team watch, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Ref. IW388121.
- Its deep purple dial is a first for IWC’s Pilot’s Watch collection, inspired by Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.
- The 41mm Grade 5 titanium chronograph is priced at AUD$14,300 and available through IWC boutiques and IWC.com.
The latest IWC Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team watch is absolutely drowning in purple. The dial is purple. The rubber strap is purple. Even against the familiar PETRONAS green used across the numerals, indices and hands, there’s no mistaking which colour is running the show here.
And there’s a delightful reason for all that purple, too. Released ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, the colour is inspired by Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid. It’s an especially fitting excuse to go all-in, considering this is the first purple dial IWC has ever used in its Pilot’s Watch collection.
1/4More Than Just a Purple Dial
Underneath all that colour is a much more familiar IWC Pilot’s Watch.
The new Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team (Ref. IW388121) uses a 41mm Grade 5 titanium case, keeping things lightweight while giving IWC an easy connection back to Formula One, where titanium is used in everything from engine components to the Halo safety structure above the cockpit.
Inside is the IWC-manufactured calibre 69385, an automatic column-wheel chronograph with a 46-hour power reserve. It also features the brand’s familiar vertical subdial layout, a combined day-date display at 3 o’clock, 10-bar water resistance, and a sapphire display caseback for a clear view of the movement from underneath. Since most of us aren’t getting anywhere near the engine of an F1 car, at least the watch is happy to show off what’s powering it.
Returning to the purple, the rubber strap uses IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system, so you can easily swap it out if the full purple treatment is a bit much.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Key Specs
- Reference: IW388121
- Case: 41mm Grade 5 titanium
- Thickness: 14.5mm
- Dial: Purple
- Strap: Purple rubber with EasX-CHANGE system
- Movement: IWC-manufactured calibre 69385 automatic chronograph
- Power Reserve: 46 hours
- Water Resistance: 10 bar
- Functions: Chronograph, day-date display, small hacking seconds
- Caseback: Sapphire exhibition caseback
- Price: AUD$14,300
- Availability: IWC boutiques and IWC.com
1/5The Fourth IWC Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Watch
This is the fourth official team watch IWC has produced for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS since the series began in 2022, although the partnership stretches back to 2013. We’ve seen the relationship produce everything from the black-dialled Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 AMG, which we covered in The Wind Up back in 2024, to this much louder purple Singapore edition.
Like its predecessors, it’ll actually be worn by team personnel, including mechanics and engineers trackside as well as staff at Mercedes’ Brackley headquarters. So if you spot one in the pits, you can lean forward and point at the TV like Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Ref. IW388121 will cost AUD$14,300 and is available now at IWC boutiques and online on the IWC website.
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