This Is The Watch That’ll Be Worn By Civilians In Space

August 27, 2021

Cover Take a look at the watch that civilians will wear abroad the first private mission to space (Photo: IWC Schaffhausen)

IWC Schaffhausen has designed a series of space watches that will be worn by men and women travelling to space for the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit

Ordinary civilians boarding Inspiration4, the world's first all-civilian mission to orbit, will be wearing space watches designed by IWC Schaffhausen. The four unique Pilot's Watch chronographs represent the mission’s values of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity.

All four crew members will be wearing the watch on their journey into space, before being auctioned off as part of the mission’s aim to raise funds for and promote the work of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Each of the four watches on the titanium case back have been engraved with the name and mission value represented by the respective crew member. The unique colour results from a complex manufacturing process.

Above Photo: IWC Schaffhausen

The model boasts a Vickers rating second only to that of a diamond, meaning the engineering ceramic ranks among the hardest substances on the planet. The dark blue lacquered dial has been pad-printed with stars that capture the depth of space. It also includes the Inspiration4 logo.

Inspiration4 is named in recognition of the crew’s aim to support St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It also ushers in a new era for human spaceflight and exploration and represents hope and possibilities—the four space watches and its wearers will watch history unfold.

“From our founder Florentine Ariosto Jones, who journeyed from America to Switzerland to revolutionise watchmaking, to our endless appetite for innovation, IWC is a company of pioneers,” says Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “We are incredibly proud to partner with the Inspiration4 mission, which shares so many of our values, to make history together and raise funds for such a good cause,” he adds.