IWC’s 2026 F1 Watches Swap Petronas Turquoise for the George Russell’s Signature Racing Blue

Arguably the most famous watchmaker-racing team partnership in the industry is that between IWC and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Since 2022, the duo has put out plenty of co-branded (and mostly turquoise) timepieces — many of which have been covered here at HICONSUMPTION.

However, for their latest endeavor, IWC has tapped Mercedes-AMG’s star driver George Russell for a pair of truly collaborative pieces that he actually helped design. Let’s dive into these two new Pilot’s Watch models in anticipation of the 2026 Formula One season.

The Color Story Behind The Collaboration

IWC and Mercedes have been engineering partners since 2013, churning out team-themed releases with regularity. But this marks the first time the Swiss watchmaker has worked directly with one of the team’s drivers on a design. Russell, who joined Mercedes in 2022 and has racked up five Grand Prix wins since, brought his personal racing identity to these watches through one defining element: his signature blue.

This isn’t the Petronas turquoise we’ve seen plastered across previous releases. Russell’s blue carries a cooler tone, lifted straight from his racing helmet — a design he reverted to after initially racing with a black helmet. Both watches feature this distinctive shade across their dials, hands, and rubber straps, with his racing number 63 (carried since his karting days) engraved on the titanium casebacks.

Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 George Russell

The three-hander (Ref. IW328107) sits in a 41mm black zirconium oxide ceramic case, which is a material IWC famously pioneered back in the 1980s. The matte black dial keeps things clean with blue-printed indices and numerals, while the hands get filled with matching blue Super-LumiNova.

What’s interesting here is the Ceratanium crown, IWC’s proprietary titanium-ceramic hybrid that’s both lightweight and scratch-resistant. Previous ceramic Pilot’s Watches used polished steel crowns that stood out awkwardly. But we love this color-matched approach, creating a far more cohesive aesthetic. Inside ticks the IWC-manufactured Cal. 32112 with a double-pawl winding system delivering a very practical 120-hour power reserve. Lastly, the blue rubber strap comes equipped with IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system for tool-free swaps.

Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 George Russell

Meanwhile, the chronograph version of the Pilot’s Watch (Ref. IW389411) bumps things up to a 41.9mm case (effectively 42mm) with a thickness of 15.5mm. It sports the same black ceramic case and Ceratanium crown, but here the pushers also get the material treatment, maintaining that dual-tone black-and-blue theme throughout. The dial layout includes chronograph subdials, day-date display, and all the blue accents we talked about.

Powering this variant is IWC’s in-house Cal. 69380 automatic chronograph with a 46-hour power reserve. It’s a column-wheel movement, which is a nice touch at this price point. The chronograph tracks elapsed time up to 12 hours, and like its sibling, features sapphire crystal secured against air pressure displacement — a hallmark of IWC’s aviation heritage. It also comes with the blue rubber strap with Ceratanium pin buckle.

Pricing & Availability

Both IWC x George Russell Pilot’s Watches are available now through IWC, limited to 1,063 pieces each — a nod to Russell’s racing number. The automatic comes in at $8,900, while the chronograph runs $12,900.

Recap

IWC x George Russell Pilots Watches

IWC teamed up with Mercedes-AMG driver George Russell to design two limited-edition Pilot’s Watches featuring his signature blue colorway from his racing helmet. Both the automatic and chronograph versions come in black ceramic cases with blue accents throughout, limited to 1,063 pieces each and priced at $8,900 and $12,900 respectively.

Learn More: IWC