IWC Goes Hot Pink For Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team Watch

When most people think about auto racing and Formula One, they think fast-paced, cutting-edge, high mechanics. Combine this with a watch brand and you think red, racing green, black, yellow – colors predominantly associated with cars and watches. However, IWC has a new take on time and racing, and this year, to celebrate the second annual Miami Grand Prix™ and  its 10^th anniversary as Official Engineering Partner of the Mercedes- AMG Petronas Formula One Team, IWC goes pink.  The brand presents a new version of its Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team watch by bringing a hot pink, called Miami Pink,  rubber strap into the mix.

Essentially the brand has developed a new strap and from here, out the Mercedes- AMG Petronas Formula One Team watch will be sold with two straps: the original teal colored Petronas green rubber strap and this Miami Pink strap. The entire Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ team will be wearing the pink strap version during the Formula 1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix 2023 May 5^th through the 7^th.  Certain team members will also boast pink detailing on some of their accessories including the gloves and shoes for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Both racecar drivers, Lewis Hamilton  and George Russell, are IWC brand ambassadors.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One™ Team watch was unveiled last year at the  first Miami Grand Prix event.  It is crafted of grade 5 titanium, which IWC has worked with since the 1980’s, and which is a metal long associated with auto racing and used for parts such as engine valves and more  thanks to its light weight and strength-to-density ration. The watch boasts a black dial with luminescent teal numerals to match the team’s signature Petronas green. The first watch had a matching Petronas green rubber strap, along with a black calfskin strap. The new Miami Pink rubber strap comes in a package with the green strap and can only be purchased online at IWC.com and in the Miami IWC boutique for  a limited time.

The chronograph watch is powered by a mechanical movement  that also offers date and day display.  A transparent sapphire caseback allows for viewing of the automatic movement. Water resistant to 100 meters, the watch retails for  $8,350.

As part of pre-racing festivities, IWC also took over Jungle Plaza in the Miami Design District May 3-5  — prior to the race — and hosted a series of basketball challenges with different celebrities, including Lewis Hamilton and actor Simu Liu. Each led a team that played against one another, with one  team wearing the Petronas Green strap watch  and the other team wearing the Miami Pink version of the watch.

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared on her column on Forbes.com.)