IWC and Hot Wheels continue their partnership with the exclusive IWC x Hot Wheels “Racing Works” collector’s set.
We all remember our first car, and for many of us, that first ride came in the form of a Hot Wheels whip. For 50 years, Hot Wheels, the first-ever trackable toy car has fueled our fantasies about muscle cars, motor racing, and the need for speed. Fast forward to today and while you might not play with Hot Wheels (the world’s bestselling toy with 20,000 designs and over 8 billion cars sold) anymore but we’re sure you’ll never forget your own collection.
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Tapping into that legacy, and coinciding with the 78th edition of the iconic Goodwood Members’ meeting, watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen has created the IWC x Hot Wheels “Racing Works” collector’s set. Limited to 50 pieces, the collector’s set contains the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “IWC x Hot Wheels Racing Works” timepiece as well as the Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Racing Works Edition” (as driven by IWC Racing), presented in a metal toolbox.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “IWC x Hot Wheels Racing Works” (Ref. I W377904) features a 43-millimeter case made of grade 5 titanium, a metal favored by the Hot Wheels and IWC design teams. It is lighter and harder than steel, highly resistant to corrosion, and often used in automotive engineering.
The dark grey matte colour results from an elaborate surface treatment in which the case components are first polished and then blasted. The case features a stunning engraving of the Hot Wheels flame logo on its side at 9 o’clock, while the black dial is decorated with a subtle chequered racing flag pattern around the chronograph totalizers. Depending on the incidence of light, the laser-engraved squares alternate between a lighter and darker shade, giving the dial visual depth and a textured appearance.
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Powering the chronograph is the IWC-manufactured 69385 calibre movement, which is visible through the smoked glass case back. The timepiece is fitted on a silver and black one-piece textile strap, which picks up the color scheme of the IWC Racing Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
The set also includes the Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Racing Works Edition”. This exclusive Hot Wheels model, one of just 50, was created by the Hot Wheels design team, sculpted, and detailed by Manson Cheung with graphics by Steve Vandervate and IWC designer Nicholas Schmidt. It’s one of the most detailed 1:64th Hot Wheels models ever created.
This version features opening gullwing doors, a faithfully reproduced interior complete with bucket seats, roll cage and red sill trims, full external detailing including clear headlights with the MB Star braces, and racing graphics. As this set will be a limited run of only 50 pieces, the car will take its place as one of the rarest official Hot Wheels models ever released.
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The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “IWC x Hot Wheels™ Racing Works” and the Hot Wheels Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Racing Works Edition” both bear the number 68 – a subtle nod to 1868 and 1968 respectively when IWC and Hot Wheels were founded. In addition, bespoke packaging makes the set even more exclusive: The chronograph and the model car are presented in a metal toolbox in silver and black.
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