Auctions

Four spacefaring IWC Polaris Dawn watches to be auctioned off for charity upon their return to Earth

Zach Blass

IWC has designed and donated four Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition Polaris Dawn watches for charity auction.
The white ceramic and space-blue dialled watches will travel to outer space on the Polaris Dawn mission launching on August 26.
Upon returning, the watches will be auctioned at Christie’s New York to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

On August 26, Jared “Rook” Isaacman, who will serve as commander, retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX Lead Space Operations Engineers Sarah “Cooper” Gillis and Anna “Walker” Menon, will embark on the Polaris Dawn commercial spaceflight mission. The first of three flights that are part of the Polaris Program, these trips into outer space aim to advance human spaceflight capabilities, demonstrate new technologies, and conduct research that will expand our knowledge “of humans adapting, living, and working in space”, according to IWC. Why am I mentioning IWC? Well, if you look closely at each of the four members of the Polaris Dawn crew, you’ll notice special chronographs on their wrists: the IWC Pilot’s Chronograph Edition Polaris Dawn ref. IW389111.

The 44.5mm watches, cased in white ceramic, feature a special, dark blue lacquered dial printed with white stars scattered across the surface. The most distinct branding that signals the special nature of the watch is the Polaris Dawn mission logo embedded within the 6 o’clock-positioned small seconds. Considering previously declared specifications for 44.5mm ceramic IWC chronographs like the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun, it’s fair to assume the case is 60 metres water-resistant, with a screw-down crown and 15.7mm thickness. I also expect a 46-hour, IWC-manufactured 69380 automatic chronograph that drives the hours, minutes, small seconds, day, date, and chronograph complications.

All of the watches are outfitted on a case-matching white strap with a titanium folding clasp, and on their titanium casebacks each watch is engraved with the Polaris Dawn mission logo and the crew member’s name. As much as I’m sure the crew would like to keep these, the four pieces will actually head to auction upon the mission’s completion and the crew’s return to Earth.

IWC explains: “In addition to conducting research in space, Polaris Dawn will raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a leading research institution and hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, treating childhood cancers and other pediatric diseases. In support of this goal, IWC has designed and donated four space-themed chronographs: the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition Polaris Dawn. After returning to Earth, the watches will be auctioned to raise funds for the lifesaving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The auction will take place at Christie’s in New York City.”

The crew will travel into outer space aboard the Dragon spacecraft and spend up to five days in orbit. According to IWC, the crew will aim, alongside their research, to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown, and perform the first-ever commercial space walk – so these four IWC watches will not be mere passenger princesses. It’s no secret that space-worn watches are very attractive lots when they surface at auction, so it’s lovely to know that, whatever the final result of the sale of these four watches is, the money will go to a worthy cause.