Lewis Hamilton’s days of being a Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 driver are numbered. The noise and excitement around him sporting Ferrari’s Rosso Corsa colors next season continues to build. It’s likely to be at its loudest yet next weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Right now, though, the seven-time world champ is still very much a Mercedes man—and with that comes a role he’s thoroughly embraced over the past decade—being IWC’s favorite wrist model.
Fresh from a summer break and ready to resume a five-way battle to bag second place in the 2024 championship, Hamilton looked in the mood to race as he rocked up to practice for the Dutch Grand Prix in typically Lewis Hamilton fashion. As per usual, he used the paddock as a catwalk, arriving in a midriff-baring Jawara Alleyne wool coat, Acne jeans, Dior clog boots, and his signature Port Tanger sunnies.
But it was zooming on his wrist that revealed the biggest flex at all. A closer look at the watch he’s wearing confirms it’s an IWC, but not the Big Pilot’s Watch that’s often his go-to. Neither was it another outing for the luminous ceramic Pilot’s Watch Chronograph concept he debuted earlier in the year.
Judging by the case design and crown, it looks like a Portugieser (the model that’s been the brand’s focal point in 2024), but the position of the logo on the dial at 3 o’clock to fit amongst what looks like three subdials is what throws this into unknown territory. After consulting IWC directly, that’s proven to be the case—it is another new watch, a one-of-a-kind Portugieser Constant-Force Tourbillon prototype with a black dial and slate grey detailing.
A month on from Brad Pitt being spotted wearing a vintage customized IWC at the Hungarian Grand Prix, it’s fair to say the brand is dominating the horological conversation in the F1 pit lane at the moment—and most importantly having fun keeping us watch nerds on our toes.
According to IWC HQ though, there are no plans for Hamilton’s prototype to be released in the future. Given Hamilton and IWC released a Portugieser Tourbillon together last year, perhaps it’s proof Hamilton wants to become more au fait with fine watchmaking and the more technical complications. Because in the watch stakes, his new team Ferrari is paired with Richard Mille—and we all know how complicated and bonkers those watches are.
This story originally appeared on British GQ with the title ‘Lewis Hamilton debuts another mystery IWC watch’
