F1, a star-studded Hollywood blockbuster, will be released in Malaysian cinemas on 26 June 2025. IWC Schaffhausen is not, by itself, as big a box-office draw as Brad Pitt or Javier Bardem, but the Swiss watchmaker still has a starring role in the film—the second such high-profile outing in only three years, actually. IWC Schaffhausen watches were seen on the wrists of various characters in 2022’s Tom Cruise-starring Top Gun: Maverick, something that arose naturally from the watchmaker’s association with aviators in the United States Armed Forces. Similarly, its inclusion in F1 is a natural extension of the watchmaker’s long association with motorsports, principally through its collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team—which has been ongoing since 2013.
The film is touted for its commitment to translating the authentic racing experience to the big screen, to the extent of filming at actual F1 races, and its actors actually driving on the track in F2 cars modified to look like F1 cars. In real life, IWC Schaffhausen’s logo is plastered on Mercedes-AMG cars and its watches are found on the wrists of their drivers and engineers. In the film, it is the same for the fictional APXGP team. Mercedes-AMG provided the prop cars; IWC Schaffhausen provided the prop watches—120 of them for F1’s production.
Real life sometimes takes after fiction, and this is now the case as IWC Schaffhausen has re-created the film watches as part of its 2025 line-up. Well, almost, anyway, as one is untouchable. In the film, the character of Sonny Hayes, played by Pitt, wears an authentic Gerald Genta-era IWC Ingenieur SL (Reference 1832) from 1976, modified with a custom green dial. In tribute to this watch, IWC has released a 1,000-piece limited edition of its latest Ingenieur Automatic 40 (RM55,000), with a green dial that reflects the film’s bespoke watch.
The film’s other protagonist is Joshua Pearce, portrayed by Damson Idris—his watch is one you can now buy. He wears a Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph 41 (RM113,000), equipped with a black lacquered dial, black ceramic tachymeter bezel, and red gold case—a colourway that takes after the livery of APXGP.
There is also a pair of Pilot’s Watch Chronograph APXGP timepieces, available in 41mm (RM30,400) and 43mm (RM31,500) diameters. Equipped with steel cases, their black dials with gold-plated hands and subdials also reflect APXGP team colours. Meanwhile, the APXGP logo is also found printed on the display casebacks.
These movie-themed watches are the latest step in IWC Schaffhausen’s ongoing close association with motorsports—a field that is very close to the heart of the brand. “It’s the engineering legacy. When we call ourselves engineers and storytellers of fine watchmaking, that is where we live,” explains chief marketing officer Franziska Gsell. Its partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, which has lasted 12 years and counting, has been a major force of inspiration for the brand’s innovations. “We are engineers, and there it resonates a lot. It’s pushing boundaries, materials, performance. It’s the best proof of our concept.”
Participating in the production of F1 has been one of Gsell’s more remarkable career moments, and her on-set experiences have left a mark. “It is fascinating that it is real and not CGI. It’s real craftsmanship, like we have real craftsmanship,” she says of witnessing the filming process. “To see this fictional team in action—you wouldn’t know that this is not real. They look so authentic, and that was, for me, unbelievable.”
