Space watches, redefined for a new era of exploration, from Omega and more

Any discussion of watches in space inevitably begins with Omega. The brand’s Speedmaster, launched in 1957 and one of the most legendary and collectible watch models in the world, boasts an association with Nasa that dates back to the mid-1960s, when the iconic chronograph was subjected to a punishing series of tests and subsequently selected as official flight-qualified equipment for all manned missions. Sixty years on from that qualification, the Speedmaster’s role in space remains the reference point against which other space watches are measured. It was never designed specifically for space, but its robustness and legibility meant that it outperformed its competitors at a time when electronic and quartz timepieces had not yet demonstrated the reliability needed for space flight. The Speedmaster would go on to shape Omega’s legacy and influence how space flight was represented in watchmaking. The Speedmaster’s defining moment came during Nasa’s Apollo 13 mission in 1970, after an explosion crippled the spacecraft’s power supply and forced the crew to shut down non-essential systems, including their on-board digital timers. As the damaged spacecraft drifted off course, the astronauts were required to perform a precisely timed engine burn to correct their re-entry trajectory. With no electronic instruments available, command module pilot Jack Swigert used his Speedmaster to time the burn while mission commander Jim Lovell manually guided the spacecraft. The manoeuvre proved successful, and the crew returned safely to Earth. That mission cemented Omega’s association with Nasa in the public imagination. In the decades since, this has influenced how all watch brands have engaged with space, most often through commemorations or limited-edition models. Today, however, that approach is beginning to change, as a growing number of brands look to redefine what a space watch can be through more direct involvement in the new era of exploration. Take IWC Schaffhausen, for example, which has recently been announced as the official timekeeper of space habitation technology company Vast. The partnership centres on Haven-1, Vast’s commercial space station, which is currently in development and scheduled to launch later this decade. Founded in 2021 by blockchain pioneer Jed McCaleb, the California-based company is focused on developing artificial-gravity space stations and expanding human activity in orbit. As Vast’s official timekeeper, IWC is involved in testing programmes alongside flight hardware, with its watches subjected to simulated launch vibrations and other mechanical stresses designed to replicate aspects of space flight. The collaboration focuses on how the watches’ materials and mechanics perform, with findings used to develop future IWC models. Fortis watches have been worn by Russian cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station, and later the International Space Station, since the 1990s. Established in Grenchen, Switzerland in 1912, the brand has long focused on straightforward tool watches, prioritising legibility and mechanics capable of withstanding shocks, temperature changes and prolonged use in microgravity, an approach that led to the qualification of its Official Cosmonauts Chronograph for space flight. Today, the brand continues to develop mechanical chronographs and pilot’s watches rooted in that legacy. That includes models powered by its in-house Werk 17 movement and tested in near-space conditions, such as the Stratoliner S-41 Gravity Black, with a DLC-coated case and Super-LumiNova dial design, and the Stratoliner S-41 Reentry Edition, whose hand-treated dial displays a unique burnt-titanium finish. Barrelhand takes a more ground-up approach with the Monolith, a mechanical astronaut tool watch scheduled to launch this year. Karel Bachand, founder and CEO of the California-based technology company, notes that historical examples of space watches were never specifically engineered with use in space as their primary objective. “The original contract put out for an EVA [extra-vehicular] tool watch during the Apollo programme was on a tight schedule,” he says, pointing out that brands therefore submitted existing models with little opportunity for tailoring. “When the Speedmaster was finally selected, it was never designed with space in mind, it just happened to pass the tests better than others, but there was still plenty of room for improvement.” Bachand points to documented issues ranging from timing drift and performance degradation to sealing failures, all recorded in Nasa technical reports. Electronics, he says, are not a simple solution either. While Omega’s X-33, introduced in the late 1990s and developed with astronauts as a quartz mission timer for use inside spacecraft rather than during spacewalks, marked a step forward, “it is only capable of IVA [intra-vehicular] use due to the electronics on board, and the liquid crystal display would essentially freeze up on a spacewalk.” For Barrelhand, the decision to build an offline, mechanical system was driven by the need for the Monolith timepiece to operate reliably in the harsh conditions of space. “Mechanical redundancies and offline devices are critical to space exploration, especially on essentials like timekeeping, as we’ve seen during the Apollo 13 life-saving 14-second burn,” he says. Designing for space introduced challenges rarely encountered in traditional watchmaking. “The biggest challenge is definitely temperature,” Bachand says. “Not only does the device have to perform at -120 degrees Celsius to +120 degrees C in a vacuum, but this also means the entire assembly will expand and contract through this temperature range.” The company’s response includes a 3D-printed air-core chassis that acts as insulation, a suspended engine mount to protect against shocks up to 1,000g and materials that expand and contract uniformly under extreme temperature changes. Even minor components of a traditional timepiece have been reconsidered. Screws, for example, are chosen to be compatible with tools used on the International Space Station, allowing the watch to be serviced beyond Earth. Rather than referencing the aesthetics of space watches of the past, Bachand wants Monolith to be an improvement on their limitations. “Getting a watch in space is one thing,” he says. “To ensure it operates reliably and optimally for that environment is an entirely different challenge.” The watch has already been worn and evaluated by an astronaut and is now progressing towards structured testing for use both inside spacecraft and during spacewalks, with Bachand viewing it as the first step towards developing other aerospace tools. As cosmic exploration enters a new phase, so too does the role of the space watch. Shaped by extreme environments and longer missions, mechanical watchmaking continues to hold relevance where reliability matters most, with electronics still vulnerable to radiation and temperature swings. “Space is incredibly harsh and is ripe with opportunities for mechanical innovation,” adds Bachand.

Space watches, redefined for a new era of exploration, from Omega and more

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Omega’s Speedmaster has long been Nasa’s go-to, but other space programmes are exploring partnerships with the likes of IWC Schaffhausen, Fortis and Barrelhand

Omega’s Speedmaster has long been Nasa’s go-to, but other space programmes are exploring partnerships with the likes of IWC Schaffhausen, Fortis and Barrelhand