The Swiss Sports Watch Brad Pitt Just Made Impossible To Buy

• Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie character Sonny Hayes wore the IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40, sparking unprecedented demand.
• Retail price sits around $15,000 AUD, but secondary market listings now push past $35,000 AUD.
• The Ingenieur has now joined the ranks of the Royal Oak and Nautilus as one of 2025’s hardest-to-get sports watches.

When Lewis Hamilton’s shock move to the scarlet stable of Scuderia Ferrari broke, fans and rivals alike were left wondering who would fill the vacuum at Mercedes; not just on the grid, but as the team’s cultural and commercial figurehead.

George Russell was the natural heir, stepping into the number one driver role and fronting Mercedes’ big brand activations at this year’s Australian Grand Prix alongside Kimi Antonelli, the fresh-faced rookie finding his feet in his debut F1 season.

We were there at the IWC launch. Russell looked right at home, enjoying the limelight, happy to inherit the mantel from the sport’s most decorated driver and play the polished ambassador role. Mercedes had replaced their star; Swiss luxury watchmaker IWC had too.

But no one could have predicted another driver, one not bound by contracts or constructors, would soon hijack the spotlight. A driver by the name of Sonny Hayes, played by Brad Pitt in F1: The Movie.

His meteoric rise (albeit fictional) in the world of Formula 1 also ignited a frenzy around IWC’s Ingenieur, the watch strapped to his wrist on the big screen. And that’s where things have gone sideways for collectors.

The watch in question is the IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40: Gérald Genta’s industrial-chic masterpiece reimagined for modern wrists.

Its iconic grid-patterned dial, five functional bezel screws, and signature integrated bracelet, finished to within an inch of its life, has made Ingenieur one of the watch world’s great sports watch, combining a classic design, grounded in 70s horological heritage, for today’s discerning market.

On paper, it’s just another reference in IWC’s refreshed Ingenieur line. In practice, thanks to Pitt, it’s become one of the most unobtainable watches of 2025. Try walking into an IWC boutique in Australia to ask for one; you’ll DNF before you even get to the desk.

At retail, the Ingenieur Automatic 40 lists around $15,000 AUD. But on Chrono24 and other secondary marketplaces, the very same watch is now trading hands for well over double that, with some examples topping $35,000 AUD.

A movie prop turned must-have, the Ingenieur has joined the likes of the Royal Oak and Nautilus in the category of “you’ll need connections, patience, or a very fat wallet,” to get one on the wrist, transforming this careful product placement into a full-blown market phenomenon. And whether you thank him or not, it’s all Brad Pitt’s fault.