IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN SUPPORTS THE POLARIS DAWN HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT MISSION WITH FOUR EXCLUSIVE PILOT’S CHRONOGRAPHS IN WHITE CERAMIC
Schaffhausen, 16th September 2022: Following the announcement of its partnership with Polaris Dawn earlier this year, IWC Schaffhausen presents the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn”. The chronograph in white ceramic with a space-blue dial was designed to support the upcoming human spaceflight mission, which is targeted to launch no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022. Each of the four timepieces features an engraving with the name of one of the four crew members. After travelling to space and returning to Earth, the watches will be auctioned to raise funds for the life-saving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, a leading institution developing treatments for childhood cancer and other paediatric diseases.
As previously announced during a signature talk at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, IWC Schaffhausen lends its support to the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three human spaceflights planned as part of the Polaris Program, led by Jared Isaacman, the U.S entrepreneur and mission commander of last year’s Inspiration4 mission.
The Polaris Dawn mission, targeted to launch no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022, will conduct science and research designed to advance human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration space flights. Over the course of five days, Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew will endeavour to travel to 1,400 kilometres – the highest Earth orbit ever flown – and attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
In addition to conducting research in space, Polaris Dawn will raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, a leading children’s hospital treating the most challenging childhood cancers and paediatric diseases. To support this goal, IWC has designed and donated four space-themed chronographs. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn” (Ref. IW389111) features a 44.5-millimetre case made of white ceramic. The bright white colour results from a complex manufacturing process in which zirconium oxide is mixed with other metallic oxides in a precisely defined ratio and then sintered at high temperatures in a kiln. The chronographs feature dark blue lacquered dials printed with countless stars and the mission logo. In addition, the titanium case backs are engraved with the name of one of the four crew members. Alongside Jared Isaacman, who will serve as commander, the crew consists of retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX Lead Space Operations Engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
The Polaris Dawn mission will launch from the historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After spending approximately five days in orbit, the spacecraft will return to Earth, and the four chronographs will be auctioned. Raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® previously marked a cornerstone of last year’s Inspiration4 mission. Four IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Editions raised $405,000, with the overall auction results and donations reaching more than $240 million.
To be notified of the auction, please visit this page https://www.iwc.com/en/specials/polaris-dawn-mission-auction-sign-up.html
POLARIS DAWN
The Polaris Program is a first-of-its-kind effort to further humanity’s exploration of space and to help solve the most challenging issues on Earth. The program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions. The first mission, Polaris Dawn, is targeted for no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022 and will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, an accomplished pilot and astronaut who commanded Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit that helped raise more than $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. “The Polaris Program is an exciting next step in space missions to advance human space exploration while helping to solve problems through the use of innovative technology here on Earth,” said Isaacman. “On Polaris Dawn, we endeavour to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown in addition to conducting the world’s first commercial spacewalk. Alongside these important objectives, we will be supporting scientific research to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights.” Building upon the Inspiration4 mission, Polaris Dawn will continue to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
IWC Schaffhausen is a leading Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen in the north-eastern part of Switzerland. With collections like the Portugieser and the Pilot’s Watches, the brand covers the whole spectrum from elegant to sports watches. Founded in 1868 by the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones, IWC is known for its unique engineering approach to watchmaking, combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge technology and processes.
Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust, and easy for customers to use. A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramics, IWC today specialises in highly engineered watch cases manufactured from advanced materials, such as coloured ceramics, Ceratanium®, and titanium aluminide.
A leader in sustainable luxury watchmaking, IWC sources materials responsibly and takes action to minimise its impact on the environment. Along the pillars of transparency, circularity, and responsibility, the brand crafts timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improves every element of how it manufactures, distributes, and services its products in the most responsible way. IWC also partners with organisations that work globally to support children and young people.