A watch made for out-of-this-world exploration

By Kate Youde, for CNN

(CNN) — Our Earthly concept of time looks very different in space. For astronauts on board a space station orbiting our planet roughly every 90 minutes, there are multiple sunrises and sunsets within 24 hours.

What watch then, should an astronaut wear? One Swiss maker has a new solution. Luxury brand IWC Schaffhausen’s latest watch – the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive – is its first specifically designed and engineered for timekeeping in space.

Unveiling at the world’s most high-profile watchmaking show – Watches and Wonders – in Geneva on Tuesday, it has received spaceflight qualification from the California-based space station developer Vast for use on Haven-1. This is expected to be the world’s first commercial space station on its planned launch next year.

An extreme environment demanded an innovative approach. The watch’s minimalist design does not have a crown (the small knob typically found at the three o’clock position that is used to wind a watch and set the time). This means “the watch cannot catch with any other elements in the space station or around your pressurized suit,” said Christian Knoop, IWC’s chief design officer.

Instead, there is a system with a rotating bezel (a moveable ring around the dial) to control the functions. These include: additional winding of the automatic movement; setting the mission’s reference time (indicated by the central hour and minute hands on the matte black dial, plus another hand on an outer scale with the 24-hour format); moving the hour hand, if needed, to display a second time zone such as that of the astronaut’s home on Earth; and setting the date.

The wearer uses a switch on the side of the case at the nine o’clock position to change between these functions.

“The advantage of this system is that it can be operated with gloves,” said Knoop, who explained that many of the watches previously selected or qualified for space were designed for use on Earth.

An extreme testing environment

For watchmakers, creating a piece that can survive in space is a hefty engineering challenge. “Having watches that can perform so well in that environment makes them the toughest watches you can buy,” said Paul Boutros, head of watches for the Americas at leading auction house Phillips.

IWC’s new design is made from white zirconium oxide ceramic and Ceratanium (a dark-finish material developed by IWC that combines the lightness of titanium and the hardness of ceramic). It has a white fluorinated rubber strap. These materials can withstand the UV radiation and temperature fluctuations in space (between roughly –150 degrees Celsius/-238 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade and more than 100 degrees Celsius/212 degrees Fahrenheit in direct sunlight).

The watch underwent testing at Vast’s headquarters in Long Beach, California, including exposure to forces of up to 10g, exceeding the vibrations typically experienced by astronauts during rocket launch. The piece’s resistance to changes in pressure was also assessed, along with the compatibility of the materials with the Haven-1 environment. The space station will cater for missions by government astronauts, private astronauts and businesses seeking to carry out microgravity research and manufacturing.

But while it was designed for astronauts, IWC is also hoping its new watch will have terrestrial appeal – for those who can afford it. It is priced at CHF 24,000 CHF ($28,200).

Time and space to learn

IWC became the official timekeeper of Vast in 2025, a role which followed a couple of other cosmic collaborations. The watchmaker provided modified Pilot’s Watch Chronograph pieces to the crews of SpaceX’s Inspiration4, the first all-civilian private mission to orbit Earth, in 2021, and the Polaris Dawn commercial spaceflight in 2024.

Knoop said the brand learned from those experiences that its watch movements and cases could withstand the conditions of space, but it “wanted to improve the ergonomics and the interaction with the watch.” As a result, the new model, made for the demands of human spaceflight, has a distinctly different look to watches the brand previously sent into orbit.

But in this age of advanced technology, does an astronaut need a mechanical wristwatch at all? Hillary Coe, chief design and marketing officer at Vast, said timekeeping is critical to operating in space and an “analogue timepiece is a simple but powerful way to stay grounded in the moment”.

“As an astronaut, your schedule is packed with important activities down to the minute,” she said. “Having quick, easy access to the time on your wrist keeps you focused and planning for what is next, whether it is conducting the measurements of a microgravity science experiment or checking on the station’s operational status.

“In addition to your mission schedule, you are also operating in an environment without a naturally occurring sense of day and night like Earth. Haven-1 will include circadian lighting to help ground the crew’s sense of time, but the timekeeping piece is another tool for helping the crew understand where they are on the 24-hour cycle.”

A sprinkling of stardust for collectors

Beyond IWC, the watch world has long had links to space exploration. The Omega Speedmaster Professional, which had been qualified by NASA in 1965 for manned space missions and extravehicular activity, became the first watch worn on the moon when Buzz Aldrin wore it on the lunar surface in 1969. Earlier this month, astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission, who travelled further from Earth than any humans previously, wore Omega’s Speedmaster X-33.

Boutros said watches with clear connections to space are sought-after and perform well at auction due to their rarity. Phillips sold a Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute (Ref.809), a model with alterations for spaceflight requested by Scott Carpenter for his Mercury-Atlas 7 mission in 1962, for $156,250 in 2019. Boutros said this is the second-highest auction result for a Breitling watch. The piece had belonged to another US astronaut, John Glenn.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of IWC’s first watch tailored to the demands of aviation. Knoop said that, just as some people who don’t hold a pilot’s license are fascinated by pilot’s watches and carry the “spirit” of aviation with them when they wear them, so a watch designed to spaceflight requirements can be happily worn in a more earthly setting.

That said, space seems to be the next frontier for luxury brands. Prada has already collaborated with Axiom Space on NASA spacesuits for the Artemis III lunar mission due to launch next year.

Meanwhile, space tourism company Virgin Galactic last month opened sales for a limited number of $750,000 spaceflights. “If space travel becomes more prevalent you can bet that watchmakers will be trying to design pieces that cater to that very elite market,” said Boutros.

Expect more watches that are out of this world — or at least designed to be worn there.

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