SPECIAL EDITION TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MERCEDES-AMG
Schaffhausen, 30 May 2017 – Mercedes-AMG is turning 50. The performance sports car brand from Mercedes-Benz has been synonymous with outstanding engine expertise, automotive performance and a dynamic driving experience for half a century now. IWC Schaffhausen is celebrating its partner’s anniversary with a special limited edition from the Ingenieur family. The sporty IWC-manufactured chronograph in a titanium case features magnetic field protection designed in the style of a brake disc.
IWC unveiled the new Ingenieur collection in spring, with a design that is starkly reminiscent of the first generations of the stylish classic from the 1950s. The collection will be available from autumn, but the watch family is already getting one new member: “The sporty chronograph combines precision engineering with spectacular design, so it embodies precisely the values that unite our two companies. We would like to offer Mercedes-AMG our warmest congratulations on reaching this milestone. Even if it wasn’t enough to gain a place on the podium this time round, we are convinced that future successes await Mercedes-AMG,” says Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
Limited to 250 watches, the Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition “50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG” (Ref. IW380902) is driven by the IWC-manufactured 89361 calibre with flyback function. The case is made of titanium and the dial with tachymeter scale is silver-plated. Like the first Ingenieur from 1955, this timepiece features a soft-iron cage for protection against magnetic fields. The lower part of the cage is visible through the sapphire-glass back and emulates the appearance of an AMG brake disc with indentations arranged in a radial formation. The engraving “A TRIBUTE TO ONE MAN, ONE ENGINE” is a reminder that the performance components from Mercedes-AMG are assembled from the bottom up in the engine manufacturing department by a single mechanic.
Launch at the Nürburgring 24 Hours
The watch was presented last weekend at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring north loop track known as the “Green Hell”. As a special highlight, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Edition 50 at this event – an exclusive special edition with a limited run of only five cars to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. Every buyer of the car also receives an Ingenieur Chronograph Sport Edition “50th Anniversary of Mercedes-AMG”. The dial design of the IWC timepiece is modelled on the typical colour combinations of racetracks such as the Nürburgring – with red and white for the kerbs and black for the asphalt. IWC also made an appearance at the event as the sponsor of the Mercedes-AMG team HTP Motorsport, with Dominik Baumann (Austria), Maximilian Buhk (Germany), Edoardo Mortara (Italy) and Edward Sandström (Sweden). The AMG pilots were in a promising position when, just prior to the end of the race, rain set in – and the GT3, with its slick tyres, skidded on the racetrack.
A long-standing, intensive partnership
Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher founded AMG in 1967 in Großaspach, Stuttgart. The company took its name from the initials of the founders and the town. Today, it represents the performance sports car brand of Mercedes-Benz and is known throughout the world for its independently developed vehicles, such as the Mercedes-AMG GT. Performance sports cars from Mercedes-AMG as well as mechanical watches from IWC combine precision engineering with exclusive design to the very highest level. These shared core values provided a decisive impetus for the intensive partnership that has united the two companies since 2004. IWC has already launched various AMG special editions – with features such as case materials like black zirconium oxide ceramic inspired by high-performance cars.
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.