IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Gets Mercedes-AMG Petronas Treatment

The first Miami Grand Prix took place in 2022, and Swiss watchmaker IWC was ready with the release of a special Pilot’s Chronograph celebrating its partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team. The watch featured the same “Petronas green” used on the F1 car, and touted a 41mm titanium case, making for a compelling combo amidst the sweltering Grand Prix. IWC has been slow to fully embrace titanium in the intervening years, despite the company’s history of using it, but this week we’re getting a new Petronas watch, and this time it’s in the Pilot’s Mark XX collection. The same teal green color graces the predominantly black dial while replacing any appearance of white lume for a fully uniform look that’s not shy on personality. 

IWC has been a partner of the UK-based Formula One team since 2013 (the same year Lewis Hamilton joined the team), and in that span Mercedes-AMG Petronas has won the World Constructor Championship a remarkable eight times. Fans of the sport will be accustomed to seeing the IWC logo grace the cars’ front-wing end plates (as above), and this year things will take a step further, with the brand’s involvement in Joseph Kosinski’s F1 movie project, which is being produced in part by Hamilton. 

The latest watch to receive the Petronas colors is the Mark XX, IWC’s classic Pilot’s watch. Like the Chronograph, the Mark XX gets a matte-black base dial with Petronas green marking the hours, hands, branding, and even the date, creating an unbroken experience. This is set within a 40mm case made of grade 5 titanium; it’s the second such appearance of the material within the collection, after the Swiss-market-only Mark XX Patrouille Suisse that was released last year. The case measures 10.6mm in thickness, so the use of titanium further aids the already wonderful ergonomics of the watch. 

Also like the Chronograph 41, this Mark XX ships with a Petronas green rubber strap with IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system, meaning you’ll be able to swap it for other IWC straps that use the same system (and are 20mm in width), or even fit your own, as this allows for normal spring bars to be inserted between the lugs. It’s a great system that doesn’t lock you into a branded ecosystem, and, given the rather bright colors at work here, something you may want to take advantage of. Inside, IWC is using its manufacture Caliber 32111, an automatic winding unit providing the time and date. This movement boats a healthy 120 hours of power reserve, and packs neatly into the sub-11mm-thick case. 

Overall, this is a welcome addition to IWC’s vast Pilot’s Watch family, with a distinctive colorway celebrating a momentous partnership. More titanium-cased options within the Mark XX collection specifically is something consumers have been asking for, and this represents the most accessible option yet. The Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One is available now as a part of the regular-production collection, and is priced at $6,100.