IWC Pioneers a New Kind of Space Watch for the Next Era of Astronauts

The company rethinks the role and purpose of the pilot’s watch for a new generation of space travelers.

Side view of a sleek black and gray smartwatch with a glowing curved light above it on a black background.

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By Jack Seemer

Published April 14, 2026

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Updated April 21, 2026

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To go where no watch has gone before, IWC started from the ground up.

The all-new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the latest in a long line of aviation watches from the 158-year-old company, albeit the first designed specifically for human spaceflight.

“When our engineering division XPL developed the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, they did not simply adapt an existing watch design for use in space,” says IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr.

“Every single detail of this watch has been single-mindedly optimized for the unique requirements of human spaceflight and timekeeping in
space.”

Black dial IWC Schaffhausen Vertical Drive Venturer watch with white hands and white strap against a dark blue background. — The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is IWC’s first watch designed for explicit use in space.

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No crowns

One of unique challenges in designing a genuine space watch is how to address astronauts’ use of gloves.

IWC’s solution was to drop the crown in favor a patent-pending rotational bezel system.

White IWC Schaffhausen Vertical Drive Venturer watch with black dial, white and blue hands, and date display. — Instead of a crown, the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive features a rocker switch built into the left side of the case.

A rocker switch built into the left side of the case toggles between functions, including setting a secondary time zone, while rotating the bezel anti-clockwise winds the watch.

Woman using a handheld ultrasound device on her neck while a man views the scan on a tablet in a modern room.

Time’s up

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive also has a matte black dial that reduces light reflections, however, more unique is its approach to time itself.

In space, an astronaut can experience over a dozen sunrises and sunsets, as aircrafts complete an orbital cycle around the Earth roughly every 90 minutes.

Person in a white shirt wearing a smartwatch looking out a large circular window at Earth from space. — In space, astronauts can experience as many as 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24-hour span.

Around the edge of the dial, the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive displays a mission’s reference time using a 24-hour scale, while the hour hand can be moved in one-hour increments to display another time zone.

Close-up of a black IWC Schaffhausen Vertical Drive Venturer watch face with white and blue hands and a date window showing 25. — The watch displays time using a 24-hour scale.

The watch is powered by IWC’s in-house 32722 calibre with a 120 hour power reserve, and it features green Super-LumiNova on the hour and minute hands.

A blue ring matching the seconds hand nods to Earth’s horizon, as seen by astronauts from outer space.

Refined yet rugged

Leaving the Earth’s atmosphere presents its own physical challenges, not just to humans but the inner workings of a watch.

Beyond radiation and extreme fluctuations in temperature, traveling in a rocket generates significant vibrations and up to four times the force of gravity.

Black dial IWC Schaffhausen Vertical Drive Venturer watch with white strap on a white wrist model against a perforated metal background. — IWC enlisted Vast, the company building the Haven-1 commercial space station, for testing and ceritification.

The case of the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is comprised of white zirconium oxide ceramic, while IWC used its proprietary ceramic-titanium blend called Ceratanium for the bezel and caseback.

IWC’s ceramic-titanium blend, Ceratanium, is used for the bezel and caseback.

IWC

It also enlisted Vast, the company building the first commercial space station, Haven-1, for robust pressure and vibration testing.

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the first mechanical wristwatch certified for human spaceflight by Vast.

Availability and pricing

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is available now for $28,200. The case measures 44.4mm, with a thickness of 16.7mm.

Black dial IWC Schaffhausen Vertical Drive Venturer watch with white hour and minute hands, blue second hand, date display, and white strap.

IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive

$28,200 at IWC

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

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