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Why the new IWC Mark XX F1 Mercedes Team watch is my current favourite in the brand’s catalogue

Why the new IWC Mark XX F1 Mercedes Team watch is my current favourite in the brand’s catalogue

Zach Blass

As the driver’s license-less, NYC-born editor for Time+Tide, I can honestly say I am not a car guy. I have never watched even a second of an episode of Top Gear, and I do not feel an ounce of excitement when a trailer for a new season of Drive to Survive comes out. I could not tell you who won the last Grand Prix, and it would be a crapshoot for me to correctly state when the last big race was even held when asked. The only reason I have any level of familiarity with Formula 1 is because I am in the watch industry, and that watches and cars, despite my lack of intense fascination with automobiles, are very intertwined. So, you could read all of this and think I am completely unqualified to talk about this watch… Rather, the opposite is true, as my degree of separation from the world of F1 allows me to have an opinion of the new IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ref. IW328210 (and breathe) based entirely on the merits of the watch itself.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team ref IW328210 2

When the news first broke of this watch, I have to say I was very enticed. Normally, I would never reveal such a verdict this early in an article, but I mean… C’mon. I think the title gives it away here anyway. This write-up is not so much about whether or not I like the watch, rather it is about why I like it and why. When looking at IWC’s releases over the last few years, this is the most tempted I have ever been to bring a modern IWC into my collection for the first time.

Firstly, the Petronas green brand colour (which has become a de facto team colour for Mercedes), this sort of electric, Tiffany blue-adjacent, turquoise green has always caught my eye. I remember thinking when the Mercedes team watch Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 came out in 2022 that it could be my first IWC. However, a 50mm lug-to-lug span was deathly terrifying to me at the time. Now, considering anyone who has seen my most worn watches of 2024 video knows, I am currently debating if I want to purchase a 51.5mm lug-to-lug Tentagraph – so a fear of the Chronograph 41 being too big seems irrational now. Though, camber and case form go hand-in-hand with lug-to-lug, it is not just about the measurement alone. Another Mercedes collab then followed that Chronograph 41, the Performance Chronograph 41, in 2023 – but, while it looks great, its splash of colour is just a bit too subtle for me.

IWC Mercedes Team Watches

Of all IWC models, despite its chronographs and Big Pilots being IWC’s marquee staples, the Mark lineup has always been my most likely point of entry. I had long considered pieces like the 36mm Mark XVIII because I love a classically sized compact case. But with more sterile black and white pieces like the Submariner and Explorer in my collection, I felt such an addition would be a bit too repetitive, and that both the movement spec (which had not yet reached the current 50 hours of power reserve offered by the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic 36 ref. IW324010) and the sub-100-metre depth rating were not ideal.

This is why I was very happy to see the IWC Mark XX make its debut, which introduced a five-day calibre, a range of dial colour configurations, IWC’s EasX-Change strap system, and a refined case with a more compact lug-to-lug span that was also 100 metres water-resistant. I recall niche criticisms being thrown at the Mark XX by a minority of the watch community, but the majority were excited, like me, by its release.

At 40mm in diameter, 10.6mm thick, and 49mm lug-to-lug, the proportions of this pilot’s watch are rather pleasing. Add a millimetre in diameter and a few millimetres in thickness, it would then have similar dimensions to the Grand Seiko SBGA211 Snowflake I wear very often. The reason I mention the Snowflake as well is because this new Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ref. IW328210 (god, that’s a long name) is also made of titanium – grade 5 to be exact.

As I mentioned before, in recent years, I have been wary of bringing more sterile black and white dial pieces into my collection. However, the sunburst finishes of Mark XX’s more colourful options, while handsome, don’t deliver the same pilot’s feel a matte dial does – in my opinion, at least. So, I found myself in a stalemate. Fast forward to the present, with a collection that no longer includes a Rolex Submariner or an Explorer, I don’t own a watch with a black dial and white indices any more – at least not one I am reaching for with any regularity and should probably part with. This is ultimately the nature of watch collecting, right? As you fill one hole, another opens up (that you probably don’t need to fill but inevitably start to want to).

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team ref IW328210 3

So, why now? Why this Mark XX? Well, I like the modernity and lightweight nature of titanium for this watch, and the purpose it would hypothetically serve if I owned it: a summertime go-to daily, ripe for the beach and beyond. I like that it has your tried-and-true matte black dial, but with a Petronas green twist that adds flavour and visual intrigue. It’s less military-focused, but still military-rooted in the way I would like. It’s more me. As a side note, it is great to see IWC was detail-focused enough to match the colour of the date window to the Petronas green accents of the dial (as IWC also did with the Pilot’s Chronograph 41 Editions). Also, as I am known to often be clad in all or nearly all black, I like how this watch would blend with my attire but also catch the eye with just the right amount of colour.

With a five-day automatic calibre, the watch feels very competitive in an age where three-day power reserves are more common, and more basic 38-42 hours of power reserve plague offerings in the current market. With all the above considered, the last thing to evaluate is the price. In the context of IWC and the brands we would consider its level of competition, US$6,100 seems like a fair price for a five-day titanium wristwatch from one of the most celebrated and storied brands in watchmaking. It strikes a great balance between the historical sterileness of the brand (which I will concede has been greatly foiled by its recent coloured ceramic offerings) and playing with colour.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team ref IW328210 1

Based on my reaction to this release, I would also add that I think IWC does not need an F1 partnership as a catalyst or excuse to inject a more playful side into the Mark XX. Again, while the coloured sunburst dials are nice, I would be keen to see IWC pivot to coloured lacquered dials that are not too reflective, with a matte sensibility, that could inject bold colours like this into the mix. I also could imagine a world in which IWC utilises the ceramics it creates for cases for the dials, offering that pop of matte colour to liven the Mark XX in a neat way.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ref. IW328210 pricing and availability

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team is available now. Price: US$6,100

Brand IWC
Model Mark XX Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Reference IW328210
Case Dimensions 40mm (D) x 10.6mm (T) x 49mm (LTL)
Case material Grade 5 titanium
Water Resistance 100 metres, screw-down crown
Crystal(s) Sapphire front and back
Dial Matte black, Petronas green accents
Lug Width 20mm
Bracelet and strap Petronas Green EasX-Change rubber, titanium pin buckle
Movement Calibre 32111, ValFleurier Baumatic base, automatic
Power Reserve 120 hours
Functions Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Availability Now
Price US$6,100