Watch Paparazzi

Pilot George Russell spotted wearing IWC

George Russell was photographed at the Bahrain International Circuit's Sakhir layout ahead of qualifying for the Sakhir Grand Prix, Mercedes overalls on and the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Ref. IW377709 visible on his wrist. The setting — a short, ultra-fast circuit where lap times fall inside the 55-second mark — makes the choice of a serious chronograph anything but accidental.

The IW377709 is built around IWC's in-house Calibre 69380, a column-wheel chronograph movement beating at 4 Hz with a 46-hour power reserve. The black dial is organised with a clarity that reflects the watch's aviation DNA: a 12-hour counter at 12 o'clock, a running-seconds subdial at 9, and a red chronograph seconds hand at the centre that sweeps against a printed minutes track. Pushers are positioned at 2 and 4 o'clock in the classical chronograph configuration. The 43 mm stainless steel case is water-resistant to 60 metres and finished with a combination of brushed and polished surfaces. Crucially, a soft-iron inner case surrounds the movement, providing anti-magnetic protection — an inheritance from IWC's Mark series of pilot watches developed for the RAF and commercial aviation.

The Pilot's Watch Chronograph sits within a lineage that stretches back to IWC's first purpose-built aviation timepieces of the 1930s. The IW377709 reference brought in-house manufacture to a segment of the catalogue that previously relied on ETA-based ebauches, and collectors noted the upgrade immediately. The move gave IWC full control over finishing, regulation and serviceability, and the column-wheel construction added a tactile crispness to the pushers that the older versions lacked.

Russell's affinity for precise instrumentation is well documented. He came through the Mercedes junior programme known for his meticulous data analysis, and he was the driver who famously jumped into Lewis Hamilton's car at Bahrain in 2020 with minimal preparation and qualified it on the front row. A tool watch with aviation heritage and an in-house column-wheel movement is very much in character.

At retail, the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph IW377709 is priced at approximately $8,700. On the secondary market it trades close to list, occasionally dipping slightly below in quieter periods, which reflects steady demand rather than speculative heat — the hallmark of a genuinely functional luxury chronograph with broad, enduring appeal.