IWC Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive IW328601 Watch

Engineered for the final frontier, the Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive represents IWC's most ambitious tool watch to date. Drawing on more than 90 years of precision instrument-making for aviation, IWC's engineering division XPL has designed this timepiece from the ground up for human spaceflight, purpose-built for astronauts operating in the demanding conditions of a space mission. At the heart of its innovation is a patent-pending rotating bezel system that replaces the traditional crown entirely, allowing full control of all watch functions while wearing a space suit with gloves. A rocker switch on the side of the case enables switching between winding the movement and setting the time. The highly legible black dial displays two time zones simultaneously: a dedicated 24-hour hand on the outer scale tracks mission time, while the central hour hand can be adjusted in one-hour increments to show a second time zone whether home time in orbit or local time back on Earth. The 44.4 mm case is crafted from white zirconium oxide ceramic, with the rotating bezel and case back made of Ceratanium®, a combination that is both scratch-proof and immune to the extreme temperature fluctuations encountered in space. The watch is fitted with a white integrated FKM rubber strap, offering excellent thermal insulation and UV resistance. This watch has been officially certified for spaceflight by Vast, IWC's pioneering space habitation partner and the company behind Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station.