Schaffhausen,
17
May
2023
|
22:30
Europe/Amsterdam

MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS FORMULA ONE™ TEAM PRINCIPAL TOTO WOLFF VISITS THE IWC MANUFAKTURZENTRUM TO CELEBRATE TEN YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP

Schaffhausen, 17th May 2023: Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team, visited the IWC Manufakturzentrum and headquarters in Schaffhausen. After receiving a tour of the facility, he joined IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr for an inspirational talk in front of IWC employees about leadership, development, challenges and sustainability.

To celebrate ten years of partnership between IWC Schaffhausen and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team, Toto Wolff visited the IWC Manufakturzentrum and headquarters in Schaffhausen. The Team Principal & CEO was greeted by IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr and given an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of this state-of-the-art production facility. IWC’s new Manufakturzentrum was inaugurated in 2018 to mark the company’s 150th anniversary. Since then, IWC combines components-making, movement assembly and case-making under one roof. The whole process, from raw metal to finished watch movement or case, is organised in logical and sequential steps and can be experienced in a completely transparent way. After the tour, Toto Wolff and Chris Grainger-Herr appeared for a “Leadership Talk” in front of IWC employees, covering various topics such as career and skills development. They also shared insights into their life stories and discussed overcoming challenges. Finally, both partners shared more details about their sustainability journeys.

 

“There are many parallels between the world of F1 and luxury watchmaking; engineering excellence, technical innovation, and attention to detail among others. In IWC Schaffhausen, we have a partner that not only share these qualities but also has a passion for sustainability, a desire to deliver a positive societal impact, and provide opportunities for future generations. These attributes have been key cornerstones of our long-standing partnership and it was fantastic to see them all in action at the Manufakturzentrum in Schaffhausen today. It’s always a pleasure to be given an insight into the inner workings of our official engineering partner, talk with employees, and mark our 10th anniversary together,” said Toto Wolff.

 

TEN YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP

IWC became the official engineering partner of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team in 2013. The partnership is one of the longest collaborations between a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer and a team from the elite class of motorsport. The collaboration is based on many shared values, such as a mutual passion for engineering excellence, precision, and attention to detail. Moreover, F1TM and watchmaking are both “team sports,” where the final result depends on the contributions of many skilled individuals.

 

A SYMBOL OF TEAM PERFORMANCE

To mark the occasion of the second Miami Grand PrixTM, IWC has just released a dedicated version of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team on a Miami Pink rubber strap. Eye-catching details in the same colour were also featured on the shoes and gloves of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell during the race weekend. The team watch comes in a bundle with the Miami Pink and the original green rubber strap and is available exclusively online on iwc.com for a limited time only.

MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS FORMULA ONE TEAM

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula OneTM Team is the works team of Mercedes-Benz, competing at the pinnacle of motorsport – the FIA Formula OneTM World Championship. Formula OneTM is like nothing else in the sporting sphere. It’s a demanding technical and human challenge, combining cutting-edge technologies and innovation, high-performance management, and elite teamwork. At Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula  OneTM Team, a group of passionate and determined people work to design, develop, manufacture, and race the cars driven by seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and young star George Russell. The team has set a new benchmark for F1TM success during the sport’s current Hybrid era, winning consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and the Constructors’ Championship in 2021. During those title-winning seasons, the team has scored 111 wins, 232 podium finishes, 118 pole positions, 81 fastest laps and 53 one-two finishes from 160 race starts.

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN

IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.

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 for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.

A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.