The countdown to the 2026 Formula One season has begun! To celebrate, we’re introducing you to one of their iconic horological sponsors: IWC Schaffhausen.
The 8th of March marks the start of the new Formula One season, and it is shaping up to be a thrilling one! New machinery, new teams and new circuits have all been added to the world’s most popular motorsport, and all eyes are on the 22 drivers competing for this year’s World Drivers’ Championship.
Where our gaze drifts, however, is to their wrists! Formula One races are marquee events on everyone’s calendar, but they are also grand showcases for the watch industry. Formula One and watchmaking have long been intertwined, a cocktail of heritage, innovation and luxury branding.
As the grid lines up, we at Watch Advice are celebrating with Watch Advice’s Formula 1® Watch Week. Part history lesson, part watch-spotting, we are introducing the iconic brands that sponsor this remarkable sport. Today, we are shining a light on IWC, one of the sport’s most decorated sponsors.
IWC’s History With Formula One
To know IWC’s history within the legendary motorsport is to know that of their partner, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The German automotive manufacturer has been actively racing as a works team since 2010, but its involvement stretches back to the 1930s. Back then, names like Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio raced for the team under the Daimler-Benz AG banner.
It wasn’t until 2013 that Mercedes joined forces with IWC. Today, the enduring partnership is the longest currently seen on the Formula One grid, with many years still to come. During this time, IWC has ridden shotgun through a host of defining moments in the modern era of the sport.
Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995)
The Argentinian legend only raced with Mercedes (Then Daimler-Benz AG) for two seasons in 1954/55, but he won two of his five championships while with them.
These achievements include an unbroken streak of eight Constructors’ Championships, seven World Drivers’ Championships, 131 race wins and around 300 podium finishes. Remarkable drivers such as Sir Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas have all played a part in this story, further adding to their respective legacies.
As always, partnership precedes collaboration, and for the better part of their tenure, both IWC and Mercedes have progressed together. From unveiling new cars with matching watches to decorating the racing gloves of their drivers and team principal Toto Wolff with IWC timepieces, there are countless examples of the two companies continually pushing themselves to improve.
An interesting turn came in 2025, however, when IWC changed allegiances, albeit on the silver screen. In the production of F1: The Movie, the Schaffhausen brand was chosen as the ‘official’ sponsor of the fictional APXGP racing team, led by Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) and Joshua ‘Noah’ Pearce (Damson Idris). It created a fresh layer of horological tension for die-hard watch enthusiasts, but it didn’t last long – just two hours, 35 minutes to be exact.
The Drivers & Their Watches
George Russell
While the strides both IWC and Mercedes have made in their machinery are impressive, they would mean little without brilliant drivers to match. Coming into the 2026 Formula One season, their decisive driver duo could be the key to spoiling the plans of the other top teams.
One half of this pairing is George Russell, who has established himself as Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ number one driver. A team staple since joining F1 in 2019 and switching to Mercedes-AMG in 2022, the career of ‘Mr Saturday’ has seen him achieve five race wins, two dozen podium finishes, and consistently high points hauls.
Much has been made of his reputation as the ‘guy before the guys,’ finishing fourth in the World Drivers’ Championship in both 2022 and 2025. Yet he has improved with every season, and as one of the most consistent drivers on the roster, his rivals are constantly wary of him.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell
Recently, IWC and Mercedes unveiled a pair of collaborative watches made alongside George Russell. Referencing his racing number, 63, both models are limited to 1,063 pieces.
While both meet IWC’s exacting standards, it is the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph that truly stands out. Distinguished from the standard team watches by a darker blue tone, it allows George to wear it distinctly without ever stepping out of the team uniform.
Australian Retail Price: AU$19,000
Availability: Limited to 1,063 pieces. Available at IWC boutiques, authorised dealers, or online at IWC.com
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 42 Black Ceramic
But even before this collaboration, IWC was clearly intent on dressing up one of the grid’s most elegant drivers. Here, he sports the IWC Ingenieur 42 Automatic Black Ceramic.
An integrated sports watch, it is one of the few iconic designs created by Gerald Genta, placing it among rarified company alongside the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. Encased in black ceramic, it is light yet exceptionally tough, revealing its presence only when it matters — like a true gentleman should.
Australian Retail Price: AU$32,200
Availability: Available now, at IWC boutiques, authorised dealers, or online at IWC.com
Kimi Antonelli
Though Russell is the team leader of Mercedes-AMG Petronas, IWC have maintained equally high standards for his teammate. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an Italian, made his debut with the team just last year.
His impact had been felt long before reaching Formula One, having skipped F3 entirely to move straight into F2. There, he even became the youngest driver in history to claim multiple race wins in the organisation.
By the end of the 2025 F1 season, Antonelli finished seventh in the World Drivers’ Championship, reaching the podium three times. At 18 years and 224 days, he also became the youngest driver ever to lead a lap in Formula One, running nine laps at Suzuka before eventually finishing fifth.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team
Much has been made of the promise he shows; Mercedes supported his early career leap, and George Russell has since taken him on as a protégé. IWC have mirrored that sentiment. The Richemont brand has provided him with a version of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Performance in his team colours.
Bright teal accents pop against the black backdrop, mostly crafted from IWC’s proprietary Ceratanium. With the finish and lightness of ceramic and the toughness of titanium, it is a serious weapon of choice for the starry-eyed rookie.
Australian Retail Price: AU$25,500
Availability: Available now, at IWC boutiques, authorised dealers, or online at IWC.com
IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 TOP GUN Mojave Desert
Following in the footsteps of his team leader, Antonelli’s chronographs are not the only watches he wears. IWC have also been photographed with him wearing a Pilot’s Watch TOP GUN, a ceramic rendition of the collection. The tan-coloured piece, designated ‘Mojave Desert,’ is a personal favourite.
While the design is simple, don’t let it fool you: We’ve had plenty to say about this piece in our review, both visually and mechanically, and it has been linked above for your interest. Combining a classical aviation aesthetic with high-performance ceramics, perhaps the only thing lighter than Kimi’s watches is his personality.