New IWC Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive – the brand's first-ever human spaceflight-certified watch

IWC enters a new tier of aviation territory with its new Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive. When we think about watches in space, naturally, a long-established legend comes to mind. But as we enter a new era of space exploration, with new players beyond NASA, surely it's time for a new watch, designed from the ground up, that is dedicated to space exploration and travel, right? Today, with its partner VAST, IWC answers the call, debuting its Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive – the brand’s first-ever tool watch engineered and certified for human spaceflight. We spoke with IWC CEO Chris Grainger-Herr about this new space watch. With the goal being the ultimate tool watch for human spaceflight, IWC has created a very fluid case form utilising white ceramic and Ceratanium® that ensures comfort and removes protruding elements that can bump into and endanger equipment aboard the spacecraft. The key mechanism IWC developed to attain this goal is its new Vertical Drive mechanism. This efficient clutch system allows for the movement of the bezel to be transmitted to the winding stem, and, using the rocker switch on the left side of the case, the wearer can switch between various functions, including winding of the movement or setting the two different time zones. This system ultimately removes the need for a crown, a protruding element that could get bumped, while also delivering a mechanism someone can far more easily interact with – even while wearing gloves. The mission’s reference time is indicated by the central hour and minute hand, and also in 24-hour format by a dedicated hand on the outer dial scale, which runs from 00:00 to 24:00. The central hours and minutes hands are normally synchronized with this reference time. But, if required, the hour hand can be moved in one-hour increments to display a second time zone – providing a GMT capability you can appreciate on both the earth and in outer space. What do you think of this new release? Let us know down in the comments. ------------------------------- https://www.iwc.com/ ------------------------------- BRAND - IWC MODEL - PILOT'S VENTURER VERTICAL DRIVE REFERENCE - IW328601 CASE DIMENSIONS - 44.3MM (D) X 16.7MM (T) CASE MATERIAL - WHITE CERAMIC CASE, CERATANIUM® BEZEL AND CASEBACK WATER RESISTANCE - 100 METRES CRYSTAL(S) - DOMED SAPPHIRE FRONT, ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING ON BOTH SIDES DIAL - BLACK STRAP - WHITE RUBBER STRAP, CERATANIUM® PIN BUCKLE MOVEMENT - 32722, IWC-MANUFACTURED, AUTOMATIC POWER RESERVE - 120 HOURS FUNCTIONS - HOURS, MINUTES, SECONDS, DATE, GMT, VERTICAL DRIVE AVAILABILITY - NOW PRICE - A$45,400 ------------------------------- Read more articles: https://timeandtidewatches.com Shop: https://shop.timeandtidewatches.com ------------------------------- MB01OTIXZLPJ5VH INSTAGRAM @timetidewatches TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=timeandtidewatches T+T Shop Instagram https://www.instagram.com/timetideshop/