IWC updates their Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 watch with a new, 2026 collaboration with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. We had the opportunity to spend time with the watch ahead of the public launch and bring you this detailed review. Complete with live photographs showing off the beautiful purple dial.
IWC Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team – our hands-on take on the 2026 Edition
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team REF. IW388121 retails at CHF 7,700 / SGD 12,300. Both prices are inclusive of local tax.
This novelty IWC’s way to mark the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix with longstanding partner – the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. The Singapore GP Night Race will take place on October 9-11.
What’s new with this release
The historical context of this release traces back the years of relationship between IWC, AMG-Mercedes and Petronas in their Formula One quest. This is a partnership which dates back to 2013, with the first official team watch released in 2022. This year’s collaboration starts off with the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 as the watch base. Thus the case shape and dial layout is exactly the same as the regular watch. There are only two key differences between the standard Chronograph 41 and the 2026 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Edition. The first is that this team watch is in a titanium case, making it very light, a key characteristic for F1. And second is the colourway: the 2026 release has a brilliant purple dial and strap.
Here is a brief comparison between the earlier versions of the Team Watch:
| Year | Watch name | Case material and dimension | Movement |
| 2022 | IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team” (Ref. IW388108) | Titanium, 41mm. Black dial with Petronas green accents | 69385, automatic chronograph with day date |
| 2023 | Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team (Ref. IW388306) | Ceratanium, 41mm, black matte finish. Gloss black lacquer dial. | 69385, automatic chronograph with day date |
| 2025 | IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team (Ref. IW328210) | Titanium, 40mm. Black dial with Petronas green accents | 32111, automatic time only with date |
The case
The case has is the usual Pilot’s Chronograph 41, and executed in titanium. This is the fourth team watch, where the shared ethos of high performance and engineering share center stage. The case is sleek and aesthetically pleasing.
As mentioned, the base watch is the Pilot’s Chronograph 41, the case shape and detailing is exactly the same as the IW378003. The only exception is the case material.
The dial, hands and the inspiration
What is special is the dial. The hue is a a saturated purple which is meant to be a tribute to Singapore’s national flower – the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The flower shows as vibrant shades of rosy-violet and pale mauve on its upper petals and lower lateral sepals, complemented by a large fan-shaped lip in violet-rose that transitions into a fiery orange center with tiny dark purple spots.
The colour of the dial chosen by IWC is not able to reflect the full range of hues of the natural flower, but IWC has decided to show tribute by a very deep, saturated purple.
The dial also elects to use the Petronas Green (Pantone 3272 C) for the print markings as well as infill for the hands. This practice was also used in earlier versions of the IWC-AMG-Mercedes-Petronas Team watches. In dark conditions, the accents so marked glow in the characteristic green.
The dial remains legible whether in good or poor lighting, even though it carries three sub-dials for the chronograph as well as the day and date indications.
The Movement: Caliber 69385
The movement used is a rather standard IWC 69385, which is manufactured by IWC in Schaffhausen. It beats at a standard 28,800 bph with a 46 hour power reserve and a large automatic rotor.
The case back is open with a sapphire glass cover. This is IWC’s practice when in-house manufactured movements are used. The verbiage printed on the underside of the glass is in the Petronas Blue, and the rotor carries the engravings which tells the tale of IWC and is Swiss origins as well as an engraving of the “Probus Scafussia” emblem. Movement finishing is de rigeur, with some decorative features, but is done mostly to satisfy engineering requirements. The movement has proven to be a reliable and trustworthy workhorse.
Deployant’s take: What the watch Looks & Feels Like on the Wrist
At 41mm in diameter with curved lugs, the watch fit my 180mm flat wrist very well. It wore comfortably, and remain in position once the strap is fastened. I would say that it wears as a 41mm chronograph should – true to its size.
Visually, it also looks the part. The bright purple might be very eye catching, and prominent on the wrist. If one is looking for a discreet watch, this is not it. But it goes well with the Formula One vibe. And sporting one to the Singapore Grand Prix will gain envious stares from others.
Watch Price Analysis
A word about the pricing, at CHF 7.7k, the watch compares rather favourably with last year’s collaboration IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team which had a sticker price of SGD 9.2k. The 2025 collaboration was time only with date. For 2026, IWC gives us a chronograph with day and date. Also instructive is the last time IWC made this collaboration was in 2022, with the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Edition “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team which is still on the IWC catalog retailing at SGD 11.9k. This is the same watch in a different colourway. Consider also the base IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Ref. IW378003, is in stainless steel with a current retail of SGD 10.4k.
Competitive Landscape
No other watchmaker has a partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, so the landscape we should examine is perhaps those with affiliations and co-designs with other F1 Teams.
One example is the Breitling Navitimer B01 Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Ref. EB01381A1B1X1. The Breitling carries a heftier SGD 15.3k price tag and comes only in a steel case, with a leather strap. The movement is Breitling’s own B01 in-house chronograph movement, and the dial is perhaps a bit more complicated, but it carries the statement Breitling slide rule around the rehaut.
Another might be the H. Moser Streamliner Alpine Drivers Chronograph released in 2025 at a considerably higher price point. The movement is an Agengraphe chronograph made for H. Moser by Agenhor, a production house with shareholdings owned by MELB, who also own H. Moser. However, the Alpine Drivers Chronograph is only available as a set with a Mechanics watch and the pair has a retail of CHF 64k (about SGD 100k). Par for the course for a independent watchmaker?
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Specifications
| Movement | IWC Manufacture caliber 69385 * Frequency 28,800 bph * Jewels 33 * Automatic winding * Power Reserve 46h |
| Functions | Mechanical movement – Chronograph function for hours, minutes, and seconds – Date and day display – Small hacking seconds – Screw-in crown – Glass secured against displacement caused by drops in air pressure – Transparent sapphire-glass case back |
| Case | Titanium case * Diameter 41mm * Height 15.5mm * Water Resistance 100m |
| Dial | Purple dial, black hands * Sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on both sides |
| Strap / Bracelet | Purple rubber strap with EasX-CHANGE system with titanium buckle |
Model FAQ – what you need to know
This is the Ref IW388121, which features the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph in 41mm with a purple themed dial and strap.
The case material is in titanium. The watch comes with a purple rubber strap with a titanium buckle.
The The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team REF. IW388121 measures 41mm in diameter and 14.5mm high. It wears true to its 41mm size.
The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team REF. IW388121 retails at CHF 7,700 / SGD 12,300.
The dial colour of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team REF. IW388121 is purple. The purple is inspired by one of the colours of Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore’s national flower, and is chosen to honour the Singapore GP’s Night Race.
