HOROLOGY CRAZY: IWC Mercedes AMG Petronas Collaboration....

Together with its brand ambassadors and race-winning FORMULA ONE drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has developed two special edition watches, each limited to 250 pieces. Just days before the Singapore Grand Prix, the two Silver Arrow drivers each unveiled their own personal Ingenieur Chronograph. In addition, IWC Schaffhausen announces the renewal of its current partnership with the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team.

Apart from their professional interest in FORMULA ONE, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg also share a passion for mechanical watches. As brand ambassadors of IWC Schaffhausen, they had a hand in the design of their own watches, and, prior to the first practice sessions on the track, appeared for their presentation at an IWC event in Singapore. “Lewis and Nico are not only unique personalities and incredibly successful sportsmen but also very creative. They were both immediately very interested in the idea of launching two limited special edition watches. I’m confident that these unusual timepieces will be equally popular with motorsport enthusiasts and watch connoisseurs,” explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. Indeed, the results are impressive: the Ingenieur Chronograph Edition “Lewis Hamilton” (Ref. IW379602) has a distinctly technical appeal, while the Ingenieur Chronograph Edition “Nico Rosberg” (Ref. IW379603) is both lighter and sportier in appearance. The main aims of the collaboration between IWC and the two outstanding MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS drivers were to equip both teammates with a personalized and characteristic watch and to adapt the concept of “performance engineering” to the successful Silver Arrow drivers. “Lewis and Nico surprised us with their concrete ideas as to how their ideal watches would look,” says Christian Knoop, Creative Director of IWC Schaffhausen.“You felt clearly that they both have an individual affinity for watches. They demonstrated a great deal of understanding and aesthetic sensitivity during the design process and made a contribution to the final result.”

AT HOME OUT ON THE CIRCUIT

The fact that the watch chosen was a chronograph from the Ingenieur family was no coincidence. First, the chronograph is the epitome of sports timing; and, second, the Ingenieur collection pays tribute to the global partnership between IWC and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS with materials typically used in motorsport, such as titanium, carbon fibre and ceramic. For both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, the only conceivable material for the case was titanium. With a satin finish, the light grey metal used for the high-performance components in motorsport is particularly appealing. The rugged timepieces have been equipped with one of the most efficient movements manufactured entirely by IWC, the 89361 calibre. Specially developed for this movement design, the IWC double-pawl winding system is one of most efficient drives used in haute horlogerie movements from IWC. The upper totalizer displays clocked hours and minutes as clearly as the time of day. Stopped times up to one minute are measured by the central seconds hand. Another very practical feature for anyone who frequents the world’s racing circuits is the flyback function for measuring pit-stop times. Both of the special editions, which are each limited to 250 watches, have a special feature on the reverse side: inset into the titanium case back is a medallion of carbon fibre, which may well show signs of wear and tear. A certificate supplied with each watch confirms that the material originally comes from one of the Silver Arrow cars used by MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS. The back of the watch is sealed with a water-resistant sapphire glass that bears the personal logo of Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton on the inner surface.

INGENIEUR CHRONOGRAPH EDITION “LEWIS HAMILTON”

IW379602

FEATURES

Mechanical chronograph movement with IWC’s double-pawl winding system

Date display with crown-activated rapid advance

Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds

Hour and minute counters combined in a totalizer at 12 o’clock

Flyback function

Small hacking seconds

Screw-in crown

Crown protection

Limited to 250 watches

Case-back ring, engraved with “IWC ∙ INGENIEUR ∙ LEWIS HAMILTON ∙ ONE OUT OF 250”

MOVEMENT

IWC-manufactured calibre: 89361

Frequency: 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz

Jewels: 38

Power reserve: 68 h

Winding: automatic

WATCH

Materials titanium case, black carbon-fibre dial, indices and hands coated with Super-LumiNova®*, titanium bracelet with precision-adjustment clasp, folding clasp in titanium

Glass: sapphire, flat, antireflective coating on both sides

Crown: screw-in

Water-resistant: 12 bar

Diameter: 45 mm

Case height: 15.5 mm

Photographs: IWC

INGENIEUR CHRONOGRAPH EDITION “NICO ROSBERG”

IW379603