The best watches for heading to outer space

Buffy Acacia

Space may be the final frontier, but there’s nowhere humans would dare go without a good watch. Over the years there have been hundreds of wristwatches granted the honour of space flight, but only a select few have reached fame for their active use. Affording ourselves a little bit of creative freedom in picking the watches (as some are modern references based on vintage models), and in celebration of World Space Week, here are the top five space watches that will have you seeing stars.

Seiko Pogue

With a cushion case, brilliant gold dial, and a Pepsi tachymeter bezel, the Seiko Pogue chronograph is possibly one of the most emblematic watches of the 1970s. NASA’s first-ever space station was called Skylab, and Colonel William R. Pogue was one of the members of its fourth and final crewed mission from November 1973 to February 1974. During this time, he wore a Seiko reference 6139-6005 that became the first automatic chronograph to be worn in space. Since then, that reference and similar models have been collectible for their space-faring connections and plain old good looks. Despite the collectibility, they remain one of the most affordable vintage Seiko chronographs out there, with a high production number and many in less-than-ideal condition. If you want to scratch the space watch itch or dip your toe into vintage Seikos, the Pogue is a great place to start.

Recently, Seiko incorporated the colourful ideals of that model into a new chronograph within the Speedtimer catalogue. It may not have been into space itself, but short of taking a risk on a used 1970s original, it’s a great watch to recognise Seiko’s astronaut connections. Price: US$700

Bulova Lunar Pilot

Although it may look like an homage to the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch to the uninitiated, the Bulova Lunar Pilot actually does have its own space story. Apollo 15 Mission Commander David Scott was on the moon and outside the shuttle when the crystal of his Speedmaster popped off, but thankfully he’d brought along a mechanical Bulova chronograph as a backup. The Bulova survived its moonwalk, and spent the next 44 years in a safe deposit box. Once he sold it at auction for $1.6M in 2015, Bulova reissued the design using their high-frequency quartz chronograph movement, giving it a mechanical-like sweep. Since then Bulova has come out with a reduced case version that’s still a hefty 43.5mm, but much more wearable for the masses. Price: US$875

Glycine Airman

Many watch enthusiasts will be familiar with the Glycine Airman as the first wristwatch to introduce multiple time zones, thanks to its rotating bezel that could easily be adjusted while flying. It also happens to hold a significant place in the history of space travel having been worn by Pete Conrad during NASA’s Gemini 5 mission in 1965. At the time, it broke the record for the longest manned space flight at 7 days, 22 hours, and 55 minutes. The purpose of the mission was to ensure astronauts would survive in space for the 8-day duration of flying to the Moon and back. Conrad actually wore three watches during the mission, with an Omega Speedmaster on each wrist and his favoured Glycine Airman doubled up on the right wrist. He’d do it again for Gemini 11 in 1966, with the Speedmaster on the left and the Airman on the right. Price: CHF 2,150 (ref. GL0370, ~US$2,540)

Sinn 140 ST

Sinn has a reputation as hardy as its tegimented steel, which raises its case hardness almost to the level of ceramic. The Sinn 140 chronograph has a history with space travel going back to Reinhard Furrer’s D1 Spacelab Mission in 1985. It used to be considered the first automatic chronograph worn in space, before the significance of the Seiko Pogue was realised in 2007. Aside from its overwritten legacy, the 140 is still an incredible watch, and the contemporary 140 ST version has been improved thanks to the tegimented steel treatment, a centre-mounted minutes counter, and the Sinn SZ01 calibre based on a Lemania 5100. Price: €4,390 (~US$4,880)

Fortis Stratoliner

The Fortis Stratoliner may be a controversial pick, because beyond the WERK 17 movements being tested in the Earth’s stratosphere, the Stratoliner itself doesn’t have an astronaut resume. Even the Fortis Cosmonauts Chronograph was worn by Russian astronauts on the Mir space station and ISS, but the Stratoliner represents something else. Its design is influenced by the retro-futurism of the jet-setting 1960s, an aesthetic style which has influenced not just science fiction but also the design of genuine space-faring technologies. The colours are crisp, the skeletonised case is captivating, and it’s the only watch on this list which will really grab the imagination of people who aren’t watch nerds. After all, it’s imagination which led humanity to the moon in the first place. Price: US$5,650

Omega Speedmaster Skywalker X-33

This may not be the Omega Speedmaster you expected to see on this list, but it deserves its own separate spot. As opposed to the Moonwatch that started out as a repurposed racing chronograph, the X-33 was designed from the ground-up for space exploration. The first reference was released in 1998, featuring a perpetual calendar, several alarms and timers, of course a chronograph, and a truly sci-fi inspired case necessitated by the pushers ability to be used through thick gloves. The Skywalker X-33 as we currently know it is now 10 years old, and houses its function-packed ana-digi dial within a lightweight titanium case. It also includes something called Phase Elapsed Time and Mission Elapsed time, which can be programmed to trigger different alarms or timers without the need for manual interference. And the X-33 was recently added to with the latest America’s Cup edition. Price: US$5,900

Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch

The Omega Speedmaster Professional is not just the most legendary space watch, but also undoubtedly one of the most iconic watches of all time. It won the contract with NASA with 1965 and has flown on all of their missions since, including the Apollo 11 Moon landing. It even helped save the lives of the Apollo 13 crew after a ruptured oxygen tank disabled the capsule’s computing, and Jack Swigert had to use his watch to time a burn of the propulsion system. This precise measurement allowed them to swing around the Moon and return to Earth, instead of drifting off into space. Countless versions of the Moonwatch have been released, ranging from the quartz-powered Swatch collaborations to works of incredible luxury. Price: US$7,000

Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi

Just because Omega has been NASA’s favourite for decades, doesn’t mean that astronauts haven’t slipped on their own personal favourites from time to time. It just so happens that the Rolex GMT-Master, a legend of air travel, is also loved within the vacuum of space. The ‘Pepsi’ version with its blue and red bezel has specifically been worn on Apollo 13 by Jack Swigert, Apollo 14 by both Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell, and on Apollo 17 by Ronald Evans. That latter example even likely made it to the surface of the Moon after being lent to Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. As it stands, most people wouldn’t associate a GMT-Master II with space travel specifically, but if you can get your hands on one, it may be nice for your personal connection to it. Price: US$10,900

Time+Tide Timeless Pick: IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Polaris Dawn

Even though these four watches are new for 2024, they’re not models you’re going to be able to buy at your local IWC boutique. The Polaris Dawn mission was one of the world’s first commercial space flights intended for researching humanity’s future as a space-faring species, testing emerging technologies and generally progressing the race to colonise the universe. As a donation, IWC made four unique Pilot’s Watch Chronographs in a white ceramic case with a star-studded blue lacquer dial which went up to space with the Polaris Dawn mission’s four astronauts. Now that they have returned, they’ll be auctioned off with Christies for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital later in the year.