The Polaris Program
The Polaris Dawn Mission
IWC Schaffhausen is proud to lend its support to the Polaris Dawn commercial spaceflight mission, the first of three spaceflights planned as part of the Polaris Program. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched the Polaris Dawn mission to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:23 a.m. ET on September 10, 2024. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew safely returned to Earth at 3:36 a.m. ET on September 15, 2024, splashing down off the coast of Florida. Dozens of science and research experiments from more than 30 partner institutions have been conducted during the mission.
The Polaris Program is led by Jared Isaacman, the US entrepreneur and pilot mission commander of the Inspiration4 mission in 2021. Alongside Jared “Rook” Isaacman, who served as the mission’s commander, the Polaris Dawn crew consisted of retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX Lead Space Operations Engineers Sarah “Cooper” Gillis and Anna “Walker” Menon.
The Cause
In addition to conducting research in space, Polaris Dawn aims to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® - a leading research institution and hospital treating childhood cancer and other pediatric diseases. IWC Schaffhausen and Christie’s are proud to partner with Polaris Dawn to support this goal.
The Watches
IWC Schaffhausen has designed and donated four space-themed chronographs, which traveled to space with the crew and have now returned to Earth.
The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn” features a 44.5-millimeter case made of white ceramic. Its dark blue lacquered dial is printed with countless stars. Stop times of up to 12 hours are displayed in two totalizers at 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock. The small seconds display at 6 o’clock features the Polaris Dawn mission patch. On the titanium case back, each of the four chronographs features an engraving with the name of one of the four Polaris Dawn crew members.
White ceramic is emblematic of IWC’s materials expertise. It is created in a complex process in which zirconium oxide is mixed with other metallic oxides, shaped to a “green body”, machined and then sintered at extremely high temperatures in a kiln. Ceramic is extremely scratch-resistant and remarkably light – making it the perfect material for a watch that has to withstand the extreme conditions during space missions.
Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn”
• 44.5 mm dial
• Ceramic case
• White rubber strap, strap width 21.0 mm
• IWC 69380 Calibre
• 46 hours power reserve
• 6.0 bar water resistance
The Auction
After having traveled to space with the Polaris Dawn crew and returning to Earth, the four chronographs have been auctioned to raise funds for the lifesaving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. The auction was conducted by Christie’s and resulted in total proceeds of 277.200 USD.
