Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg announced as new ambassadors of IWC Schaffhausen
The Swiss watch manufacturer became the Official Engineering Partner to the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS team earlier this year.
IWC Schaffhausen and the Mercedes-Benz performance brand AMG entered into a special agreement almost ten years ago, in 2004. It was a venture between two companies with a long and successful history in precision engin eering, founded on a shared commitment to pushing back the boundaries of mechanics and high technology.
IWC Schaffhausen’s appointment as Official Enginnering Partner to the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team this year was confirmation of the close ties between the two companies. Now, in a move that will further cement the partnership between the luxury watch manufacturer and the racing team, the two drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have become friends of the brand.
THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION
Commenting on the appointment of the brand’s two newest ambassadors – the first racing drivers in a select group of world-famous celebrities – Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen, proudly said: “Lewis and Nico are two amazing personalities who work every day at getting that little bit more performance out of themselves and their cars. In their own inimitable way, the two of them represent all that is best about IWC Schaffhausen. I am deeply moved that I am now able to call them Friends of the Brand.” In their pursuit of racing success for themselves and the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team, Lewis Hamilton and Nico rosberg are relentless in their quest for perfection – a quality they share with IWC’s designers, technicians and master watchmakers. Lewis Hamilton is a declared aficionado of the fine watchmaking and clearly recognizes the similarities between his profession and the watches made by IWC Schaffhausen: “I love wristwatches, and it seems to me that those made by IWC have a lot in common with Formula One™ drivers:they’re unique, high-performance watches and are among the best in their field. Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to our partnership with the company.”
But watches from IWC Schaffhausen are more than complex, state-of-the-art technology: they are also about passion and emotions, and each of the six families has its own tales to tell as part of the company’s long history.
Nico Rosberg has ties with the watch manufacturer from Schaffhausen that started when his father gave him an IWC years ago. “From that moment on I was hooked, especially on watches by IWC: the designs are simply unique. But it isn’t just the outside: the cases are packed with state-of-the-art technology and high performance. Becoming a Friend of the Brand is like being reunited with an old acquaintance. My first watch an IWC, a gift from my father.”
CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
The two drivers in the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS FORMULA One™ Team are in the spotlight 20 times a year as the Formula One™ circus rolls from one venue to another all over the world. Behind the scenes is the painstaking work carried out by the team’s engineers and technicians, who work to ensure that everything on race day runs with the precision and predictability of a watch movement. As Georges Kern points out: “There’s a sense of pride in the craftsmanship, the innovation and the pioneering spirit that goes into everything we turn our hands to. And the proof of our success is in the reception our products receive on a global platform. Like MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, the force that drives us constantly is the will to be world champions at what we do.”
IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design.
MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS FORMULA ONE™ TEAM
The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One™ Team competes in the FIA Formula One World Championship™ and is based at the team’s Operations Centre in Brackley, Northamptonshire. the engines for the team’s cars are provided by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire.
