New Delhi: Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen known for its aviation watches has partnered with American spaceflight company Vast to introduce a tool watch specifically engineered for spaceflight, the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. Vast, a US-based New Space startup aims to be the first to deploy a commercial space station, Haven-1. The watch was unveiled at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, and has been certified for spaceflight by Vast after testing. All the watches that have flown into space are modified versions of terrestrial aviation watches. The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive has been designed from scratch for spaceflight.
Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. (Image Credit: IWC).
The watch has a 24 hour display because astronauts can experience up to 16 sunrises and sunsets in a day, with the watch establishing a familiar rhythm similar to Earth, allowing spacefarers to maintain a routine. The watch can show two time zones, either the home town of the astronauts, or of a destination time zone for frequent fliers on Earth. The dual-time uses the 32722 caliber automatic movement with a 120-hour power reserve. The case is made of white zirconium oxide ceramic. Only diamonds are harder. The bezel and case back are made from ceramicised titanium, or Ceratanium. The fluorinated rubber strap provides great thermal insulation and is resistant to UV radiation.
A human-centric approach
All functions of the watch can be controlled through a rotating bezel system, paired with a rocker switch to change between functions such as winding the movement or setting the home and mission times. The ‘Vertical Drive’ transmits the movements of the bezel to the winding stem. This innovation is patent-pending and replaces the crown. Max Haot, CEO of Vast said, “IWC’s dedication to engineering excellence, delivering uncompromising accuracy, reliability, and astronaut-focused design, aligns perfectly with Vast’s human-centric approach to developing Haven-1. We’re thrilled to see this tool watch go from design and testing to launch.” Vast has also recently introduced its utility-oriented spacesuits.