Geneva Watch Days 2026: This Konstantin Chaykin SC02C Is A Mechanical Chronograph That Has Been Tested In Outer Space!

Some watches are designed to look like they belong in space. The Konstantin Chaykin SC02C has a far more compelling claim: it has been developed for space, tested in space and worn outside the International Space Station. After four spacewalks and years of testing with Russian cosmonauts, the mechanical chronograph is now making its way to civilian wrists, limited to just 28 pieces. Launched at Geneva Watch Days 2026, this is not a watch borrowing the romance of space exploration for its marketing story. The SC02C is the civilian evolution of a professional instrument created in collaboration with Roscosmos. Every detail, from its crystal construction and antimagnetic protection to its extended strap for wearing over a spacesuit, has been shaped by the realities of extravehicular activity. For collectors, it offers something increasingly rare in modern watchmaking: the chance to own a timepiece whose credentials have been earned far beyond Earth.

The story began in 2018, when Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture and Roscosmos embarked on a practical project to develop a mechanical chronograph capable of accompanying cosmonauts during extravehicular activity. What started as a technical challenge evolved into an ongoing research programme, with each generation being subjected to real spaceflight conditions. The results of every test have subsequently informed the next stage of development.

Four Spacewalks, One Continuing Experiment

The first result of this collaboration was the Space Conqueror. In April 2021, two prototypes were delivered to the orbital station. One remained inside the station for testing, while the other accompanied cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky outside the station during spacewalks on June 2 and September 9. Once the watches returned to Earth, the collected data was analysed and used to improve the construction. Among the changes was a redesigned method of securing the sapphire crystal, intended to provide greater reliability under extreme conditions.

The upgraded chronograph returned outside the ISS on August 17, 2022, this time with Oleg Artemyev. Then, on May 27, 2026, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev spent 6 hours and 6 minutes on a spacewalk wearing new-generation Konstantin Chaykin chronographs attached to their Orlan-MKS spacesuits. In total, over several years, Konstantin Chaykin watches have accompanied cosmonauts on four spacewalks outside the station.

The SC02C represents the next chapter of that experiment. Its 44mm steel case has been adapted for everyday civilian wear, while its owners effectively become part of the continuing research programme. The watches will be used in a variety of terrestrial conditions, with performance feedback contributing another body of data. That information will complement the results obtained in space and help shape future generations of specialised watches.

When Design Follows Function

At first glance, the SC02C has the reassuring appearance of a classical chronograph. Look closer, however, and almost every element reveals its professional origins. The design was developed around the demands of legibility in space and in consultation with cosmonauts themselves specialists accustomed to using instruments during long, physically demanding missions both inside and outside the station.

The deep black dial carries three counters, large hour markers and highly legible hands. The hour hand has a distinctive red tip, a visual detail carried over from the Mars Conqueror Mk3, but here it has a practical purpose. It makes the rotating bezel's 12-hour scale easier to read. At the beginning of a timing operation, the “12” marker is aligned with the hour hand, allowing the elapsed interval to be read from the hand's subsequent position. Visibility does not stop there. Luminescent material is applied to the hands, hour markers and bezel, while an anti-reflective coating on the sapphire crystal helps minimise glare. In a setting where readability can be a matter of function rather than aesthetics, these details become essential.

Built for Extreme Loads

The SC02C has been engineered around the realities of extreme environments. An antimagnetic cover protects the movement against magnetic fields of up to 4,800 A/m, while the sapphire crystal is held in place using a reverse “dovetail” construction. Its bevelled edge is designed to prevent the crystal from being forced out under overloads and changes in pressure.

The watch is water-resistant to 10 atmospheres, but its construction goes considerably further. It has been designed to function in high-vacuum conditions at a pressure of 1 × 10⁻⁶ atmospheres. Before any watches were sent to the orbital station, the Manufacture's R&D division subjected them to an extensive battery of tests, including centrifuge testing, vibration testing, exposure to extremely high and low temperatures and impact tests.

Every chronograph also passes through multi-stage quality control according to Konstantin Chaykin's strict internal standards. Accuracy is assessed in five positions, while power reserve, case water resistance and resistance to external factors are also tested.

Even the strap has been engineered with the SC02C's original purpose in mind. Its pins feature two additional locking threads designed to prevent accidental unscrewing. Each watch is supplied with two straps: a standard-length version for wearing on the wrist and an extended version designed to secure the watch over a spacesuit. It is perhaps the clearest reminder that this is not merely a space-themed watch, it began life as a working instrument.

The Calibre With a Soviet Connection

For the SC02C, Konstantin Chaykin made a deliberate decision not to develop an entirely new in-house movement, despite having the capability to do so. In a project intended for use in space, reliability had to take precedence over novelty. An unproven mechanism was simply not an option.

After an extensive search, the Manufacture selected the Poljot 3133, a movement with a long-established service history. It was then substantially modified, with 60 components produced by Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture added to the original movement. The resulting hand-wound K.20-5 calibre features a 12-hour counter and stop-seconds function, as well as a balance with micrometric adjustment by means of weights rather than a conventional index regulator. The system is designed to minimise the effects of vibration and overloads, while a damping ring provides additional protection for the movement.

The movement is housed beneath a solid caseback, another decision dictated by the need for protection. Yet beneath that utilitarian exterior lies a calibre finished to haute horlogerie standards. Its components receive extensive hand-finishing, even though much of that craftsmanship remains hidden from the wearer during normal use.

The Manufacture's confidence in the SC02C's durability extends to its servicing policy. Should an impact or fall cause the watch to malfunction, Konstantin Chaykin promises to restore it to full working order free of charge. Importantly, any resulting marks of wear will be preserved, creating a physical record of each watch's life and use.

There is also a fascinating historical reason behind the choice of the Poljot 3133. In 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first human to perform a spacewalk, wearing a Strela watch produced by the First Moscow Watch Factory. His watch was powered by calibre 3017, the movement that preceded the 3133 family introduced in the 1970s. The SC02C therefore carries an unexpected thread connecting contemporary Russian space exploration with one of the defining moments in horological history.

From the Moon to Mars

The SC02C does not exist in isolation. It is part of Konstantin Chaykin's much larger “Space Program”, which began in 2011 with the Lunokhod, a watch distinguished by its patented spherical moon-phase display. By 2017, Chaykin's ambitions had moved beyond near-Earth space. He began exploring the idea of creating watches for future explorers of Mars, setting off a series of proprietary developments devoted to measuring time on another planet. That work produced the Mars Conqueror Mk1, the more practical Mars Conqueror Mk3, a Martian perpetual calendar, the Martian Tourbillon and a mechanical module capable of indicating the distance between Earth and Mars using 270 components. The SC02C feels like a natural continuation of that philosophy. Its story is not about decorating a watch with the visual language of space; it is about asking whether mechanical watchmaking can genuinely function beyond the conditions for which it was originally created.

With only 28 examples being made, the SC02C is consequently more than a limited-edition chronograph. It is the civilian continuation of a real-world experiment one that began with cosmonauts, survived four spacewalks and is now returning to Earth in the hands of collectors. For Konstantin Chaykin, space is not simply a source of inspiration. It is the ultimate testing ground.