IWC Unveils Ultra-Exclusive Pilot’s Watch For Mercedes-AMG Owners
The high-tech timepiece celebrates the 1,049-hp Mercedes-AMG One, which has an F1 engine that doesn’t comply with U.S. emissions regulations.
For future owners of what’s perhaps the most ambitious roadgoing machines ever made, there’s only one watch to have.
Following the reveal of the F1-powered Mercedes-AMG One, IWC has crafted the Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition AMG One Owners, available exclusively to buyers of the absurd Silver Arrow.
The hybrid hypercar runs a version of the powerplant featured in Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 cars, consisting a 1.6-liter V6 with an electric motor-assisted turbo, plus two more motors on each of the front wheels. Total output is rated 1,049 horsepower, making it the most powerful Mercedes automobile ever.
The watch’s powertrain, however, is hinted at by its name. According to IWC, the Swiss luxury watchmaker’s patented constant-force complication (Ref. 590502) “disengages the escapement from the direct flow of power through the wheel train and transmits completely even impulses of energy to the escape wheel. As a result, even as the torque in the mainspring diminishes, the balance wheel oscillates with virtually the same amplitude.”
This murdered-out manually movement stores 96 hours worth of power in its twin barrels, which are visible through the sapphire glass back.
Structurally, the technical timepiece employs two high-tech titanium alloys. The case back is Ceratanium, an IWC-developed material that’s light and rigid like titanium but as hard and scratch-resistant as ceramic. The case is made of titanium aluminide (TiAl), which is lighter and harder than conventional titanium, highly resistant to corrosion, and biocompatible. The material is used for turbine blades of modern jet engines, as it’s extremely heat-resistant.
There are of course aesthetic nods to the AMG One, including a louvred, ring-shaped structure of the outer dial ring in Mercedes-AMG F1 Petronas green that takes inspiration from the hypercar’s air inlets. In addition to a double moon phase display for the northern and southern hemispheres, the black dial features a power reserve display at 4 o’clock, reminiscent of a tachometer. The two-tone rubber strap is also adorned with Mercedes stars in Petronas green.
The Mercedes-AMG One hypercar is banned in the U.S., as the German automaker said that “in order to preserve the unique character of its Formula 1 powertrain, we have concluded that meeting U.S. road standards would significantly compromise its performance and its overall driving character,” per Fox News.
That effectively ensures no U.S. residents will ever own the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition AMG One Owners. Those who have ordered one of the 275 F1-derived vehicles for $2.7 million each will be contacted by IWC with ordering information regarding the watch.
Read This Next
