IWC brings colour to the Singapore Grand Prix, ceramic Ingenieur and more

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

THE last car engine in the Formula 1 night race on the Marina Bay Street Circuit was switched off two Sundays ago, but memories of the Singapore Grand Prix 2026 live on upon the wrists of buyers lucky enough to snag the chronograph watch IWC Schaffhausen made specially for the event.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team is not exactly the race’s official watch. It was, as its name hinted, a new team watch for IWC’s longstanding partner, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, which competed in the 62-lap race. Rendered in deep purple – the colour of Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and a first for the Pilot’s collection – this official team watch is the fourth in a series of Pilot’s timepieces for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team which kicked off in 2022. But it is the first to mark the Singapore Grand Prix.

According to IWC, the official team watches “reflect the shared ethos of the performance, engineering and cutting-edge design” of both the watch brand and its partner, anchored on “joint characteristics and design codes” such as the use of advanced materials like titanium and ceramic, alongside dials or colour in the Petronas green colour.

In the new chronograph, the green shade marks the numerals and indexes on a purple dial, which is matched with a purple rubber strap that can be easily swapped for another option. Green is also applied as a luminescent coating on the watch’s hands.

The 41 mm brush-finished case is crafted from titanium, a robust but lightweight material highly resistant to heat and corrosion. Etched on the rim of the sapphire crystal on the open caseback is the watch’s name in caps. The watch runs on an in-house automatic movement with a 46-hour power reserve.

Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz

The partnership with Mercedes-Benz must be such a big deal that IWC has rolled out a new watch, a newly “engineered and highly innovative” perpetual calendar dear to the Swiss watchmaker to boot, to toast the German carmaker’s 140th birthday.

After all, they go a long way back. IWC and Mercedes-Benz became partners in 2004 and since 2013, IWC has been the “Official Engineering Partner” of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, the German carmaker’s official works team.

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet 140 Years Mercedes-Benz, limited to 140 pieces, flaunts a brushed and polished 42 mm stainless steel case that frames a black dial with solid gold appliques and gold-plated hands. On the sapphire-glass case-back, a historic logo commemorates the milestone occasion.

Fitted with the new perpetual calendar ProSet mechanism, unveiled earlier in 2026, the perpetual calendar display on the complication can be adjusted forward and backward by a single crown – like setting the time itself. On IWC’s previous perpetual calendar model, the crown could only move forward. Moving it backward would jam the perpetual calendar mechanism.

The watch is worn with an easily interchangeable rubber strap.

Ingenieur Automatic 40 and 35 50th anniversary

Barely three years old, the revived Ingenieur has ballooned into a full collection of watches in many sizes, materials and complications. Like family members, they share similar looks recognised by three key features – a bezel secured to the case with five screws, a structured grid dial and an integrated bracelet.

These physical qualities are traced to a watch 50 years ago. The IWC Ingenieur SL, Ref 1832, the watch’s name, had all the hallmarks of the design of its creator, the legendary watch designer Gerald Genta: bold and sporty, highlighted by a structured dial and an integrated bracelet. But the design was ahead of its time and the watch did not take off commercially.

With integrated-bracelet timepieces all the rage today, the reincarnated Ingenieur has become a big success. And to show its gratitude to the Ingenieur SL, Ref 1832 for providing the guiding light in the design of the new Ingenieur, IWC has rolled out two new Ingenieur models to mark the Ingenieur SL’s 50th anniversary.

Both anniversary tickers, limited to 1,150 pieces each, are endowed with a distinctly brushed silver-plated dial that recalls a rare variant of the 1970s Ingenieur SL. Rhodium-plated hands and metal hour markers coated with luminescence complement the dial. Instead of the usual lightning bolt logo below the “Ingenieur” name, the number “50” takes its place.

One of the watches is housed in a 40 mm case, while the other is housed in a 35 mm case. Both cases are made of stainless steel, crowned by a bezel which is satin-finished and polished to give an extra shine to the sculptural quality of the Gerald Genta-inspired design.

The integrated bracelets are also made of stainless steel. The bracelet of the larger model is satin-finished, while the middle links of the 35 mm watch are polished.

The 40 mm timepiece is powered by an in-house automatic movement which, like the Ingenieur SL, is antimagnetic; it has a 120-hour power reserve. The 35 mm watch also runs on an in-house automatic movement, but with a 42-hour power reserve.

Ingenieur Tourbillon 41 in 18-karat 5N gold

The undisputed “queen of complications” in fine watchmaking sits majestically on her throne at six o’clock on a striking olive green dial, framed by a 41.6 mm 5N gold case with a matching 5N gold integrated bracelet.

The full 5N gold treatment gives a deep red glow that is most befitting for a watch that houses a complication as regal as the flying tourbillon, among the most complex complications to make.

On the new 100-piece limited Ingenieur Tourbillon 41, the tourbillon is suspended from gold-coated bridges to provide a stunning visual spectacle. The balance wheel and escapement of the tourbillon are placed inside a cage that rotates the axis once every 60 seconds. This continuous rotation produces an anti-gravity effect that contributes to highly accurate timekeeping.

The watch’s bezel, crown protection and crown are also crafted from 5N gold. The five screws that secure the bezel to the case are made of 18-karat Armor Gold, which is harder than normal gold. The olive green “Grid-patterned” dial beautifully complements the gold shade that dominates the timepiece.

Ingenieur Automatic 42 in Dark Olive Green Ceramic

After 40 years, you would have thought that IWC has drained all its creative juices for new ceramic models – especially when, compared to steel or even precious metals, this high-tech material is so challenging to work with in watchmaking. But no. A non-stop push for innovation and the wonders of new technology have kept IWC’s expertise in ceramic growing.

The result is yet another horological novelty in this lightweight but hard and scratch-resistant material: an all-dark olive green ceramic watch, including the integrated bracelet and “Grid-patterned” dial. The crown, however, comes in 5N gold, while the five screws that attach the bezel to the case are made from 18-karat Armor Gold. The gold offers a striking contrast to the olive green ceramic. The case and bracelet flaunt a combination of satin, polish and sandblasted finish.

Powered by an in-house automatic movement, the new Ingenieur Automatic 42 in Dark Olive Green Ceramic is the second ceramic watch in the Ingenieur collection and the first in bright coloured ceramic.