IWC Schaffhausen unveils the new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive

Part – 4: A new tool watch certified for spaceflight.

April 14, 2026

For Watches and Wonders Geneve 2026, IWC Schaffhausen (“IWC”) has unveiled the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, a new tool watch designed 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. They took a blank sheet of paper and worked to define from scratch what a tool watch for astronauts would have to offer in terms of functionality, ease of operation, time display and material execution. Every single detail of this watch has been single-mindedly optimized for the unique requirements of human spaceflight and timekeeping in space. It was crucial for us to put the final watch into the experienced hands of real space professionals. After undergoing rigorous testing by our partner, Vast, the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the first IWC watch that has received certification for spaceflight.” – Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.

Also Read: IWC Schaffhausen collaborates with Vast – a new space technology company

Dial

It features a matte black dial “that is reduced to the absolute essentials and avoids light reflections.” Two different times are displayed; mission reference time indicated by the central hour and minute hands and 24-hour format via a “dedicated hand on the outer dial scale.”

“The necessity for a 24-hour display comes from the fact that a spacecraft or a space station completes an orbital cycle around the Earth roughly every 90 minutes. This means astronauts experience as many as 16 sunrises and sunsets within a 24-hour period. To manage this rapid sequence of day and night, they adhere to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) or UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). These formats retain the familiar 24-hour rhythm of Earth time, enabling the crew to keep a consistent routine with work and sleep times while in space.”

Typically, the central hour and minute hands are synchronised with the 24-hour display. However, the hour-hand can be moved in one-hour increments to indicate a second time zone.

Case

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive features a case crafted from lightweight white zirconium oxide ceramic with the brand’s proprietary Ceratanium® bezel and caseback, “ensuring high durability and resistance to temperature fluctuations.” It measures 44.3 mm (diameter) * 16.7 mm (thickness). Dial side features a domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides. It features a closed caseback. It is water resistant to 10 bar or approximately 100 metres. The watch comes with a white FKM rubber strap fitted with a Ceratanium pin buckle.

There is no crown. All adjustments are done via a patent-pending rotating bezel system. “A rocker switch located on the side of the case enables the wearer to change between various functions, including winding the movement and setting the home or mission times.”

Movement

It is powered by the newly developed IWC-manufactured calibre 32722, a 4 Hz or 28,800 vph automatic movement that features an integrated GMT module. It drives the central hours, minutes and hacking seconds, 24-hour hour display and date. The movement comprises of 21 jewels and has a power reserve of 5 days or 120 hours.

What do we think?

Spaceflight just got exciting. At the time of writing this piece, Artemis II just splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, after a 10-day journey that took four astronauts around the Moon. It is the first space mission to journey back to the Moon in about 54 years, the last one being Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Spaceflight today is as much a private sector initiative as it is a government one. Unlike the past where it was mostly the latter. There are several private companies pushing the boundaries of spaceflight. One such company is VAST, a Long Beach, California based private corporation that is “building next-generation space stations.” IWC has both signed a strategic collaboration with and become their “Official Timekeeper.” It serves two purposes: to further improve the “durability and performance of mechanical watches on earth” and push horological boundaries in the unforgiving environment of outer space.

The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is a result of IWC’s partnership with VAST. It will be vital for the astronauts slated for VAST’s Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station scheduled for launch in 2027. And right here on Earth, it will serve as a super cool dual time watch on the wrists of watch collectors worldwide.