We sat down with IWC’s Design Director, Christian Knoop, to discuss the brand’s Watches and Wonders 2026 novelties from the Pilot’s Watch Venturer Vertical Drive created for Vast’s manned spaceflight mission to models inspired by The Little Prince.
This year, IWC Schaffhausen’s exhibition stand at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2026 proved every bit as captivating as the watches themselves. On one side stood an immersive installation dedicated to The Little Prince, the timeless literary masterpiece by French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; on the other, a striking digital display depicting a spacecraft drifting through the depths of space. From the very moment visitors stepped into the stand, they were transported into the universe of IWC’s latest creations.
Naturally, this distinctive design language extended far beyond the booth itself. Seamlessly blending high horology with engineering, IWC presented its new timepieces through a compelling aesthetic vision where functionality and form existed in perfect harmony. To explore these novelties in greater depth, we met with Christian Knoop to discuss both his personal connection to watchmaking and the design philosophy behind IWC’s timepieces.
Before discussing novelties, I would like to ask how your journey with watchmaking first began?
My background is industrial design. Before joining IWC Schaffhausen, I have worked on various products like consumer electronics, furniture, industrial products or even aircraft interiors. What fascinates me about the watch industry is that mechanical watches are highly emotional products. As soon as I start talking to customers, collectors, or friends about mechanical timepieces, they all share their personal and often touching stories about the watches they own. No other product I have worked with has anywhere near the same emotional power. Working with a product that has such an impact and meaning for the lives of our customers, is satisfying and fascinating at the same time.
Can you tell us the key steps while creating a timepiece?
Every development project starts with an idea, followed by the first sketch, a drawing, or a rendering. Watch design, in general, has changed fundamentally in recent years. Some decades ago, a designer and a watchmaker were the only people involved. Nowadays, there are many more disciplines: designers, movement and case engineers, material scientists, product management, marketing and sales, after-sales, and purchasing. The fact that you have all these people around the table not only makes the process more complicated but also contributes to a far better product. The process then goes from prototyping to serial production, followed by extensive testing and quality control.
For you, what does it mean to be the chief designer for IWC?
This role in general means to safeguard the creative identity of the brand and at the same time pushing its’ boundaries and making sure the brand will be relevant in the future. It means being the keeper of a visual identity that has to hold across five very different collections – from the instrument design of a Pilot’s Watch to the classical elegance of the Portugieser. But it’s actually even more than that. As Creative Director, my responsibility spans beyond actual watch design. It is rather a 360-degree artistic direction, which also includes corporate design and the visual footprint of the brand at every touchpoint.
How would you describe the design language of IWC in three words?
Purposeful, precise, enduring.
There is a dialogue between engineering and craftsmanship in IWC watches. How is this dialogue reflected in design language?
Engineering to functional requirements often leads to specific expressions in the design. For example, the characteristic dial of our Pilot’s Watches was created in response to a functional requirements from aviation: pilots needed to be able to read the time at just a glance, even when visibility was limited. The result is the dial in the style of an easy-to-read cockpit instrument, which places legibility first. A more recent example is the new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. We created this watch for a scenario where an astronaut would wear a pressurized space suit with gloves, hence the need to set and operate the watch without using a traditional crown. This purely functional requirement led to the creation of the rotating bezel system, which is also one of thewatch’s defining visual features. Pure from the functional perspective the watch could look very different, but we decided to give the watch a distinctive and forward looking aesthetic language – the one of future space aviation.
Can you tell us about novelties of this year?
To mark 90 years of Pilot’s Watches legacy at IWC Schaffhausen, we extend that legacy into space. The Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the first tool watch engineered from the ground up for the unique demands of human spaceflight. From its innovative rotating bezel system replacing the crown to the 24-hour mission time display, every detail has been designed for timekeeping in orbit. We also celebrate this landmark year in Pilot’s Watches with our most expansive Le Petit Prince collection to date. The highlight of this collection is the new Perpetual Calendar ProSet. Addressing one of the final challenges in perpetual calendar design, it can be adjusted both forward and backward through a single crown position. This innovation is made possible by a completely new module architecture, based entirely on gears and protected by five patents.
This year, we also present the first Le Petit Prince edition outside the Pilot’s Watches collection: The Portofino Automatic Day & Night 34 Le Petit Prince. We are also extending the Ingenieur collection, introducing the first model with a tourbillon and a new version of the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 with a titanium case and bracelet. Finally, our Ceralume® luminous ceramic technology debuts in the Pilot’s Watches collection with the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®. Marking the continuation of our four-decade ceramic journey, it’s a watch with two entirely different expressions: subtle interplays of polished and matte white surfaces during the day and a strong greenish glow in the dark.
As a final question, which IWC model is your personal favorite?
I would go for our Pilot’s Watches. Their functional purity allows us to add so many stories and visual touches without ever compromising the recognizability of the design. The most recent example of this is the Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume®, our first Pilot’s watch manufactured using our proprietary Ceralume® luminous ceramic technology.
