IWC Schaffhausen Announces the Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive, a Tool Watch for Manned Spaceflights

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At Watches & Wonders Geneva, IWC Schaffhausen unveiled a next-generation tool watch custom-designed from scratch for manned spaceflights, featuring an innovative crownless bezel system.

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At Watches & Wonders Geneva, IWC Schaffhausen unveiled a next-generation tool watch custom-designed from scratch for manned spaceflights, featuring an innovative crownless bezel system.

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Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000015.000163741.html | Date: Date unavailable

Schaffhausen/Geneva, Switzerland, April 14, 2026. IWC Schaffhausen introduces the "Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive" at Watches & Wonders in Geneva. This next-generation tool watch was specially designed and developed entirely from scratch to meet the unique demands of manned spaceflight and timekeeping in outer space. Inspired by astronauts wearing spacesuits and dedicated gloves, this watch allows control of all its functions without a crown, thanks to an innovative, patent-pending rotating bezel system. A rocker switch located on the side of the case enables the wearer to toggle between various functions, such as winding the movement or setting the home time and mission time. The "Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive" is crafted using lightweight white zirconium oxide ceramic and Ceratanium®, ensuring high durability and resistance to temperature fluctuations. This tool watch has undergone rigorous testing by Vast, an IWC brand partner and developer of next-generation space stations. It has achieved spaceflight certification from Vast for future flights to Haven-1, which will be the world's first commercial space station. IWC Schaffhausen boasts a 90-year history of manufacturing tool watches specially designed to meet the needs of the aviation sector. In recent years, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC has participated in the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn manned spaceflight missions, gaining its first experiences in space. However, the watches that traveled to space until now were modified versions of Earth-based aviation watches. As commercial space exploration enters a new era, IWC Schaffhausen pushes the boundaries with the "Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive" (Ref. IW328601). This groundbreaking piece is the first IWC watch designed and developed from scratch to meet the harsh environments and strict demands of manned spaceflights. "When our engineering division, XPL, developed the 'Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive,' they did not just adap

IWC Schaffhausen Announces the Pilot's Watch Venturer Vertical Drive, a Tool Watch for Manned Spaceflights

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