Credits: IMAGO NurPhoto

Lewis Hamilton made his Hot Ones debut on May 30. The popular YouTube show saw the Briton brave through hot vegan wings with host Sean Evans for the first time. But his appearance on the show also gave Swiss watchmakers IWC Schaffhausen some really good screen time.

The seven-time world champion was sporting an IWC Big Pilot’s Watch AMG G-Class Edition in Armor Gold on the show as revealed by Riccardo Soliani Brivio on LinkedIn. Brivio is the Associate Director for Corporate Communications for IWC.

The watch that Lewis Hamilton was wearing costs a whopping $42,000. And the same was granted to the Silver Arrows’ driver courtesy of Mercedes’ partnership with IWC. As it turns out, IWC and Mercedes-AMG’s partnership dates back two decades. They’ve been associated with each other since 2004.

The Briton did some worthy publicity for the Swiss watch brand on the Hot Ones episode. But it is only a matter of time before the Briton changes his allegiance to a rival watchmaker as he embarks on a historic story with Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton will ditch IWC for Richard Mille in 2025

Formula 1 drivers and their watch selections are often dictated by the teams they represent. For instance, Max Verstappen can often be seen donning exquisite Tag Heuer timepieces in the paddock, owing to Red Bull’s long-standing collaboration with the company.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton has been the face of IWC for the longest time. But that is all about to change with the Briton’s move to Ferrari in 2025. Despite having signed a 1+1 deal with the Silver Arrows last year, Hamilton decided to not opt for the 2025 option.

This was because he was swayed away to Maranello by the project Fred Vasseur has been heading at Ferrari. This move would see Ferrari become the only team to host two seven-time world champions in their cars. But as Richard Mille sponsors Ferrari, Hamilton will now have to drop his allegiances with IWC.