IWC Schaffhausen has launched the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. It is dedicated to Toto Wolff, F1 Team Principal. It is a limited edition of 100 pieces.
Image: Toto Wolff, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Principal.
“Formula One is a sport that demands everything from the drivers and their teams. In their narrow cockpit, the drivers are constantly being thrown around and exposed to high centrifugal forces when braking or cornering. However, the emotions also run high off the racetrack, all the way up to Toto Wolff. When the racing action on the track sparked maximum levels of excitement, the CEO and principal of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has been spotted wearing a prototype of the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL. These moments have inspired a watch that is engineered to withstand the enormous stresses of Formula One, also on Toto Wolff’s wrist.”
The Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is based on the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL (Ref. IW357201) launched in 2021 (above image).
Key Features
Functions and Operation
Image: Triangle with 2 dots at 12 o’clock is a historical pilot’s watch feature.
Central hours, minutes, and seconds.
Hacking seconds for precise time setting.
All operations via the crown at 3 o’clock.
Dial
Image: Triangular shaped hour and minute hands are a new IWC design feature.
Black dial featuring “a grainy technical structure, which is stamped into the brass base with a special tool.”
Triangular shaped black hour and minute hands are coated with Super-LumiNova “around their edges.”
Triangle with 2 dots at 12 o’clock and 3 hour-markers at 3,6, and 9 o’clock feature on the dial.
The brand’s name at 12 o’clock and “Shock Absorber Automatic” at 6 o’clock feature on the dial.
The minute scale is printed on the outer ring, graduated in increments of 5 minutes each. It “appears to be floating freely on lamellae attached around the dial.”
Case and Strap
Image: Toto Wolff’s signature is printed across the sapphire crystal.
Case and screw-in crown are made from Ceratanium. “Developed by IWC, this advanced material combines the lightness and robustness of titanium with a hardness similar to ceramic.”
Case diameter: 44 mm. Thickness: 12.60 mm.
Dial side features a convex sapphire glass, with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The sapphire glass “is secured against displacement by drop in air pressure.”
Toto Wolff’s signature is printed across the caseback’s tinted sapphire crystal.
Image: Ceratanium case (and crown) combined with IWC’s SPRIN-g PROTECT system.
Case features the brand’s SPRIN-g PROTECT system. It protects the movement from acceleration forces of more than 30’000 g.
“It combines IWC’s SPRIN-g PROTECT shock absorber system with a technical design inspired by the team’s black and PETRONAS green colour scheme. The spring that protects the movement against the extreme g-forces generated by impacts on the watch has been coated with Super-LumiNova in the team’s signature green and glows in the dark.”
Water resistant up to 10 bar.
Watch comes with an integrated green rubber strap. An additional black rubber strap with a textile inlay (above image) is provided.
Movement
Image: An all-black movement.
Powered by Calibre 32101, an automatic movement manufactured by IWC. It features an “efficient double pawl winding system.” It drives the hours, minutes, seconds, and hacking-seconds.
Parts: 154. Jewels: 21.
Frequency: 28,800 vph or 4 Hz. Power reserve: 120 hours.
The movement’s plates, bridges and automatic winding rotor are blackened to match the watch’s all-black design.
Our Thoughts
The Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is a big, bold, and badass watch, and certainly not designed for just anybody. Ideally, one would need the personality of Toto Wolff to carry off this watch.
My guess is that the high price of CHF 95K is primarily for the SPRIN-g PROTECT shock absorber system. For collectors who pursue activities such as motorsports, track days, and pilot acrobatic aircraft, to name a few, this watch will fit their lifestyle. It is also a compelling addition for those who appreciate the unique design and engineering of its case.
Additional Details
Name: Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL Toto Wolff x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team
Reference: IW356201
Price: Swiss Franc (CHF): 95,000
Please visit the IWC Schaffhausen website and Instagram page for more information.
Our recent coverage of IWC Schaffhausen includes the Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team.
SPRIN-g PROTECT® shock absorber system
Image: Cutaway diagram of the Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL (Ref. IW357201). It would be the same for the new Toto Wolff version.
“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 (Ref. IW357201) 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 movement 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 (BMG). Thanks to a complex manufacturing process, this advanced material is significantly more elastic than conventional crystalline metals.”
WANT!