BY JOVAN K
IWC and Mercedes have been together for a long time, but as he enters his 10th year with the brand, George Russell finally has his name on the watch. Well, on the case back at least. These two new releases aren’t just another team watch with a logo slapped on it. Instead, they focus on Russell’s personal identity as a F1 driver, specifically using the bright blue he’s been wearing on his helmet since his karting days.
Black zirconium oxide ceramic is common for both models, a material that IWC has been shaping for years. The Automatic 41 IW328107 measures 41mm x 11.4mm and the Chronograph 41 IW389411 measures 41.9mm x 15.5mm. The thickness is the main visual difference here, and it makes sense given the added chronograph function. On the chronograph, the crown and pushers are Ceratanium, IWC’s titanium-based material that hardens like ceramic. Inside both cases sits a soft-iron inner shell for magnetic protection, with a sapphire crystal designed to stay put if pressure changes. Both are 100m water-resistant.
The dials are classic Pilot’s Watch at first glance, matte black with large numerals and clear spacing. Look closer and the blue printing and blue Super-LumiNova set these apart. This shade links directly to Russell’s helmet and has followed him through his racing career. The hands match the lume colour, keeping everything easy to read without visual clutter. The automatic keeps things simple with a date at three, while the chronograph sticks to IWC’s familiar tri-register layout.
Inside the Automatic 41, there’s the Calibre 32112 quietly doing its thing. It runs at 4 Hz and has a double-pawl winding system that can store up to five days of energy. Pretty handy, right? The Chronograph 41 ups the ante with the Calibre 69380. Also 4 Hz, but this one adds a column wheel and vertical clutch to manage the stopwatch functions smoothly. IWC has relied on this movement family across multiple Pilot’s chronographs, so it’s not an experiment; they know it works and it shows in the way the watch feels ready for daily use, on the track, or off.
Both watches come on blue rubber straps that tie back neatly to the dial accents, fitted with Ceratanium pin buckles and IWC’s EasX-CHANGE system. Costs are $8,900/€9,200 for the Automatic 41 and $12,800/€13,000 for the Chronograph 41, with 1,063 pieces of each made, linking directly to Russell’s number.
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