Ed Rhee

Dear Reader: As a fellow initiate of the Conservatory of Watch Nerddom™️, you are no doubt already familiar with the Bulova Lunar Pilot. It’s a watch whose origins trace back to a prototype Bulova chronograph worn on the surface of the moon in 1971 by Apollo 15 commander David Scott. There have been a number of iterations of the Lunar Pilot since its reissue a decade ago, but none have been as wearable, or as incognito, as the new limited-edition Bulova Lunar Pilot Black Hole.

For nearly a century, IWC has been making watches for pilots. Now, for the first time, it’s made one for astronauts. The new IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive carries the brand’s proud aviation tradition into a new frontier, with a contemporary design language worthy of its place as IWC’s first watch specifically engineered and certified for human spaceflight.

Watch enthusiasts tend to associate Ceratanium with one particular corner of IWC’s catalog: the pilot’s watch. Of the last nine or so IWC Ceratanium references, all but one have been pilot watches (shout out to the lone Aquatimer, which holds the title of IWC’s first-ever watch made from the material). Using Ceratanium in a sports watch is a no-brainer. It’s lightweight, durable, and undeniably cool, but can it work in a dressier watch? If your answer is no, IWC would like to have a word with you.