IWC pilot watches are at the center of the Next Space Age Exhibition in Hong Kong, marking the 90th anniversary of the brand’s pilot watch line and unveiling new space-certified models, IWC said.
The event opened at Elements shopping mall in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and was supported by IWC collector and Hong Kong entertainer Pakho Chau (周柏豪), IWC Northeast Asia managing director Hak-yin (赫然), and Adrien Guiraud, the great-nephew of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who jointly led the ribbon-cutting, IWC said.
The exhibition, which uses a space-station design concept, traces IWC pilot watches across nine decades while incorporating motifs from The Little Prince, including a statue of the Little Prince, space-themed photo stations, and a preview screening of the short film “Odyssey Through Time,” the brand said.
IWC pilot watches, museum pieces, and new releases
One highlight of the show is a group of nine historical pieces from the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, including the brand’s first pilot watch introduced in 1936, the Special Pilot’s Watch, model IW436, IWC said. The IW436 was designed specifically for aviation and helped establish the design language for later pilot watches.
The most talked-about new release is the Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive special edition, model IW328601, which IWC said it developed in collaboration with the aerospace company Vast. IWC described the watch as its first tool watch certified for human spaceflight, and said it will be used on commercial flights to the Haven-1 station.
Space-ready design details
The IW328601 replaces a traditional crown with a patented Vertical Drive rotating bezel clutch system, which IWC said allows adjustment while wearing thick space gloves. The case uses white zirconia ceramic and Ceratanium® to withstand extreme temperature swings in space, the company said.
Also on display is the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®, model IW505801, which applies IWC’s in-house Ceralume® luminous ceramic technology to the pilot series for the first time. It features a perpetual calendar with day, date, month, and moon-phase displays across four subdials, and the case, dial, and strap are treated with Super-LumiNova® so the entire watch glows in the dark, IWC said.
New movement tech and precision
The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet, model IW329602, introduces the new IWC-ProSet® perpetual calendar system. IWC said the mechanism allows bidirectional calendar adjustment using only the crown, eliminating the need for separate pushers, and that the moon-phase display is accurate to approximately 1,040 years before deviating from the actual lunar cycle by one day.
To mark two decades of collaboration with the estate of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, IWC introduced several Le Petit Prince special editions, including a Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar ProSet Le Petit Prince special edition, a Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Le Petit Prince, and a Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince special edition. The series uses deep blue sunburst dials and gold-toned luminous hands; the Portofino model adds a small Little Prince motif standing on the moon at the 6 o’clock position, IWC said.
Exhibition dates and registration
The Next Space Age Exhibition is running in Hong Kong through July 12 at Elements mall in Kowloon, Level 1, Gold Zone, IWC said. The exhibition will then travel to Galaxy Macau, Pearl Lobby, from July 22 to Aug. 23, 2026, and to Taipei 101, 4th floor Urban Plaza, from Aug. 19 to 30, 2026.
Registration: https://live.eventtia.com/en/nextspaceageexhibition_hongkong
Tickets and additional program details are available on the event registration page, IWC said. Collectors and the general public attended the Hong Kong opening, and the brand said it expects the traveling exhibition to draw international watch enthusiasts.
