5 best futuristic, spaceship-inspired watches of tomorrow: from Kickstarter-funded Argon SpaceOne and MB&F’s HM8 Mark 2 to Urwerk’s UR-112, a brand loved by Michael Jordan and Robert Downey Jr
For much of watchmaking history, pieces have been made to tackle all sorts of scenario-based time keeping – from racing and diving to international travel and alarms. They have followed their wearers to every sort of endeavour imaginable, even onto the moon.
However, these days, precision instruments have taken the place of traditional wristwatches for many of these applications. As a result, watchmaking has pivoted to evoking a spirit of the frontier via design.
So, if there are watches that have been to the moon and that conjure a bygone era of space exploration, what about watches that look to the future? What about watches designed for an era where spacecraft is as ubiquitous as a performance racing car? We don’t have to wait decades to find out – already, there are watchmakers executing such visions to perfection.
Here are five of our favourite timepieces that evoke the future of spacecraft and technology.
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1. Argon SpaceOne
Founded by independent watchmaker and Fondation du Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2022 nominee Theo Auffret and 2018 Journe Young Talent Competition winner Guillaume Laidet, Argon Watches caused a stir among the online watch community when they launched a Kickstarter campaign in early May to raise at least €100,000 (US$112,200) to develop the Spaceone.
Crowdfunding sailed over five times that amount in the first three hours, and reached around €960,000 two days before the pre-order deadline, per Hypebeast. This would easily have been the most affordable spaceship-inspired watch “manufactured on Earth” on this list – in mid-May, prices sat at €1,500 for the stainless steel version and €1,900 for blue titanium. But punters may have to wait as the Argon SpaceOne page on Kickstarter is currently down and unavailable, allegedly due to an intellectual property dispute.
2. De Bethune Dream Watch 5
Likely to have inspired the former entry on this list, De Bethune’s Dream Watch is viewed by some as the definitive spaceship watch. The piece is simple, comprising a polished triangular case with a seamless crown, a small window for time and nothing more.
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Released in 2014, the current version of the Dream Watch looks like something straight out of mid-20th century sci-fi, following earlier iterations that have a comparatively more conservative design.
3. Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black
In the world of avant garde watch design, Urwerk is one of the great names. Since its inception in 1997, not a single one of the brand’s releases tell time in the traditional two- or three-handed way. Heavily leaning into exposed mechanics and sci-fi design language, Urwerk boasts Michael Jordan and Robert Downey Jr. (he was Iron Man after all) among its dedicated owner base.
For us, the most otherworldly of Urwerk’s designs has to be its UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black. Eyes are immediately drawn to the digi-analogue time display and the steel bonnet that reveals power reserve and seconds indicators. Pair those with a rugged steel and titanium construction and you get a piece that elicits a durable, modern spacecraft more than most other watches.
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4. MB&F HM8 Mark 2
MB&F evokes similar design language as Urwerk, but it leans towards traditional polished metals more. The brand, which stands for founder Maximilian Büsser & Friends, splits their catalogue into Horological and Legacy Machines.
5. SevenFriday Free-D
It’s rare to see brands that position themselves across lifestyle in a broad fashion build watches that look and feel spectacular. But such is the case with lifestyle brand SevenFriday and its immensely futuristic Free-D limited edition model, which is somehow still flying under the radar as far as avant garde (and spaceship) designs go.
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The titanium capsule case shows the time on rotating discs, leaving room for sustainable castor oil-based polyamide 3D printing protective elements. At the time of writing, only the red version of the watch is still available.
At US$4,750, it is one of the more reasonable choices on this list given the level of design.
- Many watchmakers, including lifestyle brand SevenFriday, are endeavouring to transcend the barriers of horology, creating avant garde timepieces that place spacecraft tech and design at the forefront
- UR-112 by celebrity-loved Urwerk, De Bethune’s Dream Watch 5, MB&F’s HM8 Mark 2 and Kickstarter project Argon SpaceOne satisfy those obsessed with spaceships – welcome to the future!