Let’s go back to the good old days of our childhood, a time when there were no worries about catching a killer virus and the biggest problem we had was mandatory afternoon nap time.
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After Lego and Nintendo paired up to create the ultimate nostalgia machine, a Lego NES console that plays World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros (we’re saving up for this one), IWC and Mattel join hands for a grown-up set of Hot Wheels.
You might think the Swiss watchmaker and American toymaker have nothing in common (and thus have no business being in business with each other), but the two share a tradition of making things bigger and even better.
A little history: Engineer F.A. Jones started the International Watch Company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 1868, while Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler (wife Ruth Handler was the inventor of Barbie) released Hot Wheels 100 years later in 1968. Jones for IWC combined Swiss know-how with American industrial technology to create the best mechanical watches. Meanwhile, inspired by the hot-rod culture and space-age trends, Handler for Hot Wheels wanted to make die-cast toy cars that went faster and further (and looked cooler, too).
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No need to underline how their separate but common visions made the companies successful. We all know about IWC and its handsome wrist-candies that evoke precision engineering (see the Big Pilot). As for Hot Wheels, the idea that started in a garage has led to six billion die-cast cars (or 20,000 designs) sold, becoming the world’s best-selling toy.
The dreamers, which came together two years ago, now present this 1:64-scale replica of IWC’s race car, a 1955 300SL Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing.” The watchmaker boasts that the toy car is faithful to the original big machine, from the bucket seat interior to the racing rims. Other details include the number 68, which allude to the two brands' founding years and its packaging that evokes the Goodwood Motor Circuit, where the IWC Racing 300SL saw victory in 2019.
“We want to bring our brand to much younger consumers and seed the interest for mechanical watches and the world of IWC,” says Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. Indeed, this is a great introduction to the noble pursuit of watches and cars for kids. Or it can be for you. If you can’t afford IWC’s luxury watches just yet, get this.
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