The Swiss watchmaker joins forces with the the pioneering space habitation technology company to push the limits of horology in space
IWC Schaffhausen has announced a landmark partnership with Vast, a California-based firm building the world’s first commercial space station. As Vast’s official timekeeper, the Swiss watchmaking titan is taking its prowess in high-performance watchmaking into an entirely new dimension: orbital exploration.
At the heart of the collaboration is Haven-1, Vast’s ambitious project to establish a human-focused space station. Ahead of its scheduled launch in 2026, Vast will debut Haven Demo, an in-orbit platform to test key systems. These missions will provide a setting for astronauts to carry out research, develop technologies, and explore in-space production that could influence life back on earth.
For IWC, the endeavour is more than symbolic. The company will be refining and testing mechanical prototypes in partnership with Vast’s engineers, exposing them to simulated launch conditions and evaluating their resistance to spaceflight environments. The watches, designed to keep terrestrial time, will serve not just as precise tools but also as emotional anchors for astronauts separated from earth.
Max Haot, Vast’s founder and CEO, describes the alliance as a milestone in developing timepieces fit for life in orbit. “As Vast advances humanity’s presence in low-earth orbit and unlocks a new era of scientific progress in space, we’re excited to collaborate with IWC on timepieces that capture this ethos of exploration and discovery,” says Haot.
“This collaboration will enable IWC Schaffhausen to intensify its research and development efforts for watches that are tested for spaceflight. During future, long-duration space missions, a mechanical watch showing earth time can also be the object that emotionally connects the astronauts to their home,” says Chris Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen.
IWC has already tasted space. Its timepieces have accompanied crews on the Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions, offering valuable insights into how mechanical watches behave in microgravity. The partnership with Vast formalises that pursuit, ensuring rigorous trials and giving the watchmaker a direct role in space innovation.
