IWC To Auction Last Toto Wolff X Mercedes Watch For Lewis Hamilton’s Charity

IWC Schaffhausen will auction the last Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.” Limited to 100 pieces, this timepiece recognizes the career and achievements of Toto Wolff, team principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, and recognizes his longtime relationship with the Swiss watch brand.

Numbered 50 out of 100, it is the last available watch in this limited edition. The piece will be sold through Bonhams on an online auction and the proceeds will go to Ignite, a joint charitable initiative operated by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Sir Lewis Hamilton to support greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport. In addition, IWC established an annual donation of 50,000 euro for Ignite.

Bidding has begun at Bonhams online and will run till July 7

Wolff, a former race driver, became a shareholder and executive director of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in 2013. During his time as team principal and CEO, Mercedes won eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021 – more than any other team in Formula One racing.

“Toto’s ability to create a dynamic team driven by a high-performance culture, has led to unmatched consistency and eight consecutive constructors’ titles over the last nine years of his tenure. We are proud to honor this outstanding personality with a unique Big Pilot’s Watch, and once again join forces with our longstanding motorsport partner in support of a good cause,” said Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition “Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team” (Ref. IW503607) features a Ceratanium case and crown, a titanium alloy made exclusively for IWC that combines the strength and lightness of titanium and the scratch resistance and hardness qualities of ceramic.

The case houses a dial with hands, hour markers, four subdial indicators and other details in PETRONAS green, including the luminescent finish. It is fitted with a black rubber strap with textile inlay.

“For me, it had to be a Big Pilot’s Perpetual Calendar,” Wolff said. “I had to add a subtle red collar around the crown and pay tribute to our friend and colleague Niki Lauda. The final design is exactly how I had imagined it to be, and I am delighted to donate this special timepiece to the auction and hope to raise as much as possible for the Ignite partnership.”

IWC’s distinctive perpetual calendar was developed by former head-watchmaker Kurt Klaus during the 1980s. The mechanical program automatically recognizes the different lengths of the months and the leap years, requiring no manual adjustment until 2100. The moon phase display shows the moon as seen from the northern and southern hemispheres and will only deviate by one day after 577.5 years. The calendar module is driven by a single nightly switching impulse by the IWC-manufactured 52615 caliber. This automatic movement features IWC’s iconic Pellaton winding system, which is reinforced with ceramic components and has a seven-day power reserve in two barrels. The movement can be view through a tinted exhibition caseback.