Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. IWC Takes To Space, With The New Pilot’s Watch Venturer Verticle Drive (Incl. Video)
Engineered for a life in space, the Venturer Verticle Drive is IWC's first fully integrated GMT watch.
It goes without saying that IWC’s pilot watch-making legacy is second to none. The company has been making dedicated flight instruments for almost a century, and as such, it remains at the core of the brand. The Big Pilot is the proverbial poster boy, but the entire Pilot’s Watch collection is full of incredibly cool and robust watches aimed at aviation. For Watches & Wonders 2026, IWC is gearing up to explore the final frontier, as it collaborates with VAST and launches the all-new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. And it’s the first watch specifically engineered with space travel in mind!
Made in partnership with VAST, a company that is developing the next generation of space stations aimed to accommodate people for long periods of time, the all-new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive takes things much, much further than ever before. It’s developed from scratch and is a clear break from the classical Pilot’s Watch style IWC is known for. And to do so, IWC has closely worked with VAST’s engineers and scientists to develop the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, the first watch specifically created for life in space. But it works just as well on the ground, if you feel a life in zero-gravity is a bit too extreme.
VAST’s work is aimed at governmental, scientific and corporate use of space stations. The company has successfully launched its Haven Station 2025 demo, which makes VAST the only operational commercial space station company that’s flying its own spacecraft. The next step is Haven-1, which is set to launch next year and will eventually be expanded with additional modules to create a permanently inhabited space station by the year 2030.
The Pilot Venturer Vertical Drive’s case is made of white zirconium oxide, better known as ceramic, a material IWC is hugely experienced in, as it first started using it back in 1986 already. This is topped by a rotatable notched Ceratanium bezel, another innovative material IWC is known for, which combines the lightness and robustness of titanium with the hardness and scratch-resistance similar to ceramic. The caseback is also done in Ceratanium, as is the special rocker switch on the left, and the whole package measures 44.3mm in diameter and 16.7mm in height. And before you go off that’s way too big, do keep in mind this is designed for a very specific purpose where astronauts wearing thick gloves must still be able to use and set it.
A direct result of this unique purpose is the elimination of the traditional crown. The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive can be wound, set and adjusted through the special rocker switch on the left and the rotating bezel on top, even with gloves on. Astronauts, or us mere humans for that matter, can jump through various modes with the rocker switch, to either wind the movement or set home and mission times through the bezel. The rotating bezel can adjust the central hour hand in one-hour increments in either direction, to keep track of different time zones. The reason behind this system is very simple: life in space goes by at a very different pace. Astronauts circumnavigate the Earth in about 90 minutes, giving them the experience of about 16 sunrises per day. The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive helps keep track of time on Earth according to the GMT and UTC standardised time zones. When back on earth, the system doubles as a convenient flyer’s GMT function, enabling to track two time zones at once.
The deep matte black dial is designed to reduce glare as much as possible, so it’s void of any reflective elements such as applied markers and logos. Instead, openworked black Pilot-style hour and minute hands with white Super-LumiNova tips tell time in low light circumstances. The central GMT hand is finished with an arrow-like tip in white, which is also luminous, of course, and runs on a 24-hour scale. And to finish it all off, there’s a light blue lacquered central seconds hand and matching ring to add a touch of colour, a bevelled date window with a black disc and white numerals at 3’, and the printed logo and name of the watch at noon and 6’ in white.
On the inside, the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive relies on IWC’s new Calibre 32722, derived from the brand’s automatic 32-series of movements. And to be honest, it makes perfect sense as the rough challenges space flight and life might bring demand something robust! The dual time functionality is specifically developed for this watch and is integrated into the calibre instead of being a module on top of a base. The movement runs at a rate of 28,800vph and delivers an impressive 120 hours of power reserve. It’s wound through either the central rotor or by switching the rocker switch to the winding setting and rotating the bezel. The motion of the bezel is transferred into the movement through a special clutch system called Vertical Drive, which also explains part of the name of the watch.
To ensure a secure and comfortable fit, IWC puts the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive on a white FKM rubber strap with a Ceratanium pin buckle. It retails for CHF 24,000, and what’s also nice to know, and somewhat surprising given the niche-like style of the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive, is the fact that it is not limited.
For more information, please visit IWC.com or VASTSpace.com.
