News 
As the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team gears up for the new season, IWC unveiled the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff X Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Issued in a 100-piece limited series, it combines the manufacturer’s Sprin-g Protect shock-absorbing system with a technical design inspired by the team’s colours, coated with Petronas green Super-LumiNova.
The patented Sprin-g Protect shock absorber system was developed by IWC’s engineering division XPL and first introduced with the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL in 2021. Taking movement shock protection to the next level, it is based on a cantilever spring that cushions the movement inside the case. If the watch suffers an impact on the case, the calibre and the case typically are subjected to high g-forces. The spring absorbs a large portion of these forces before they can reach the movement. Designed with a special form allowing it to evenly spread the stress across its length and width, the spring is manufactured from a bulk metallic glass. Thanks to a complex manufacturing process, this advanced material is significantly more elastic than conventional crystalline metals.
This timepiece features a case and crown made of Ceratanium. Developed by IWC, this advanced material combines the lightness and robustness of titanium with a hardness similar to ceramic. The black dial features a grainy technical structure, which is stamped into the brass base with a special tool. The newly designed triangular black hands also feature Super-LumiNova around their edges. The outer ring with the minutes scale appears to be floating freely on lamellae attached around the dial.
The watch is powered by the IWC-manufactured 32101 calibre with a double pawl automatic winding system and a power reserve of 120h. The movement is visible through a tinted sapphire glass caseback featuring a print with Toto Wolff’s signature, former Austrian racing driver and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team.
March 06, 2025