IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN AND LEWIS HAMILTON CELEBRATE TEN YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP WITH A “BEST OF BRITISH” BOAT RIDE ON THE THAMES
Schaffhausen/London, 3rd July 2024: Ahead of the British Grand Prix™ in Silverstone, IWC Schaffhausen and Lewis Hamilton celebrated ten years of partnership. To mark the occasion, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer invited Hamilton on a “Best of British” boat ride on the Thames, passing some of London’s most famous landmarks. Upon his arrival at the exclusive cocktail reception overlooking the Battersea Power Station, the seven-time world champion shared fascinating insights into his career with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ team and recalled some of the most memorable moments lived as an IWC brand ambassador. The event at a rooftop bar was attended by many notable guests, including British actor Damson Idris.
In 2013, IWC Schaffhausen became the Official Engineering Partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ team. This milestone also marked the beginning of the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer’s shared journey with Lewis Hamilton, one of the most successful F1 pilots of all time, as well as a style and fashion icon with global appeal. To celebrate more than a decade of partnership, IWC invited Hamilton to a “Best of British” boat ride on the Thames. From Butler’s Wharf Pier to Battersea Power Station, where IWC has had a boutique since 2022, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ team driver passed by some of London’s most popular landmarks – among them Tower Bridge, the Shard, Tate Modern Gallery, Big Ben and the London Eye. Accompanied on the yacht by British TV presenter and broadcaster Roman Kemp, Hamilton recalled some of the most memorable moments from his ten years as an IWC brand ambassador – such as racing a fighter jet, driving with a thousand drones in Las Vegas or competing in entertaining golf and basketball challenges in Miami. During the boat ride, Lewis Hamilton wore the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team (Ref. IW388306) in Ceratanium® with a black dial.
AN EXCLUSIVE ROOFTOP COCKTAIL RECEPTION
After he arrived at Battersea Power Station, Hamilton joined guests at a rooftop bar for an exclusive cocktail reception. In an intimate talk hosted by TV presenter Lucy Hedges and British-Italian racing driver Vittoria “Vicky” Piria, he revealed personal insights and anecdotes from his racing career spanning more than 30 years – from his humble beginnings in karting at the age of eight to winning seven world championship titles in the elite class of motorsport. Hamilton also looked ahead to the British Grand PrixTM at the historic Silverstone circuit. The event was attended by many notable guests. Among them was British actor Damson Idris, who is featured on the cast of the upcoming Apple Original Films movie about a fictional F1 team called APX GP, which is supported by IWC Schaffhausen.
POP-UP BOUTIQUE IN FRONT OF THE BATTERSEA POWER STATION
In the immediate vicinity of its boutique at Battersea Power Station, IWC Schaffhausen installed a pop-up store in Malaysia Square. Designed as an open and transparent space and built with a re-usable inflatable structure, the pop up-features an exhibition of racing memorabilia, a selection of emblematic watches and a photo wall celebrating key moments from Lewis Hamilton’s incredible journey with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ team. The centrepiece is the Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+, the racing car contributing to Hamilton’s eleven first-place finishes in the 2019 season. Visitors can also marvel at Hamilton’s race suit from his Silverstone win in 2021, the trophy from the 2020 British Grand Prix™ when he crossed the finish line with only three working tyres, or a replica of his current racing helmet. Selected special edition watches Hamilton designed in collaboration with IWC’s creative team are also on display. These include the Lewis Hamilton Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Edition in black ceramic with a burgundy dial and gold accents, or last year’s Portugieser Tourbillon Rétrograde Chronograph Lewis Hamilton in platinum with an elaborately finished teal-coloured dial.
The IWC Schaffhausen pop-up boutique is open daily until 7th July from 10am to 5pm.
Visitors wanting to explore the space are encouraged to sign up via the IWC website: https://www.iwc.com/gb/en/home.html
IWC Schaffhausen is the Engineer of Watchmaking. In 1868, the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones established the ‘International Watch Company’ in Schaffhausen in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. By combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge industrial technology and processes, he laid the foundation for IWC’s unique engineering approach to watchmaking.
IWC’s distinctive and pure design is brought to life through collections ranging from elegant dress watches to sports and luxury sports watches, notably the Portugieser, Portofino, Pilot’s Watches and Ingenieur. Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust and easy to use.
A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramic, IWC specializes in performance materials such as Ceratanium®. IWC’s advanced engineering division XPL develops technologies that enhance the durability of mechanical watches and extend their applications to environments with extreme conditions such as jet aviation and human spaceflight.
IWC is a leader in luxury watchmaking, crafting timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improving every aspect of how it manufactures, distributes and services its watches responsibly. Empowering the next generation of engineers, the brand also partners with organizations that work globally to support children and young people. IWC. EngineeredTM.