Recently, over the course of a brutally cold weekend here in Concord, NH, I rewatched last year’s F1, the Brad Pitt vehicle that is essentially a very long advertisement for the sport for which it is named. It’s a fun movie, and even though it was made for giant screens and deafening surround sound systems, it played just fine at home as a fairly standard sports movie. I had been wanting to give the film another look as it was recently nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (a bit of a surprise to most observers) and figured it was time to see how it stood up to a repeat viewing. The answer is that it’s still really enjoyable popcorn fare, but my one real reservation is in the almost nonstop product placement.
IWC watches factor heavily into the texture of the film itself. If you look closely, you can see a watch or the IWC logo in more scenes than not. It speaks to the importance of the relationship between IWC and F1, so I was not at all surprised when I learned that IWC’s first big novelty release of the year would be a pair of watches representing a collaboration between the brand and F1 driver George Russell, who races for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team, which IWC has had a longstanding relationship with.
Unlike previous watches IWC has released as part of their partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, this one is tied to a specific driver. Rather than the teal color highlighted in those earlier watches, these feature a more traditional blue hue, which is inspired by Russell’s helmet. They are also rendered in black ceramic, offering a cool color contrast with the blue hue and a technology forward take on modern watch design that is perfectly in keeping with Formula One racing.
The watches exist on familiar IWC Pilot’s Watch platforms. First up is the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell, with a 41.9mm ceramic case. The crown and pushers on this one are crafted from Ceratanium, an IWC developed material that is essentially a titanium alloy that has been heated to very high temperatures, resulting in ceramic-like scratch resistant qualities. Indices and numerals on the chronograph have been printed in that deep blue shade, and the black handset has been filled with luminescent material for easier reading in the dark. The watch is powered by IWC’s 69380 chronograph caliber, an automatic movement with up to 46 hours of power reserve.
If something a little less complicated is more your speed, IWC is also offering the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 George Russell. This watch also sits in a 41mm ceramic case, and also has a crown made of Ceratanium. It follows the same aesthetic as the chrono with easy to read blue numerals against a black dial.
To make these watches a little extra special and further tie them to Russell, each features his number, 63, engraved into the titanium caseback. Wise move here by IWC, in my opinion, to keep the Russell specific branding limited to the back side of the watch. These don’t scream “F1” or “Mercedes-AMG” right out of the box, in my opinion, and can almost certainly be enjoyed by enthusiasts who simply like the color combinations and materials at play here while being more agnostic about F1 in general.
Each watch is limited to 1,063 pieces. More information can be found at the IWC website here.
Zach Kazan
2026-02-05 20:00:00