“You don’t find too many watchmakers at 3000 metres below sea level. There are even fewer at 30,000 metres above. So that’s where we’re going.”
Frank Huyghe has a way with words. Which is lucky for him, because he’ll need quite a few to explain why his company, a dive watch specialist (Huyghe is a former professional diver himself) is now looking at space exploration.
If you can do more…
At first glance the transition seems abrupt. After all, the constraints of the underwater environment, which is subject to extreme pressures, are the total opposite of the challenges of space, where air pressure is virtually non-existent.
And yet, despite the apparent lack of logical continuity, there is a natural technical progression at play. The concept can be summed up in the sentence “If you can do more, you can do less”. In watchmaking terms, when you’re able to build a watch that can operate several thousands of metres below sea level (in real-world conditions, not in a testing lab), outer space doesn’t pose much of a problem. Conditions out there are comparatively gentle and slow and free of shocks. As a rocket accelerates into the stratosphere there are significant G-forces, but they are temporary, gradual and much less disruptive for a watch than several tonnes acting constantly on the dial in an underwater environment.
The human touch
The catalyst for Frank Huyghe’s leap into space was, as is so often the case for the Ralf Tech founder, a human connection. “The project was born a year and a half ago, in early 2023. A friend in the special forces introduced me to a high-ranking officer from the Air and Space Force. I brought up the idea of working together, but the branch already had a number of watchmaking licences in place. That’s when we broached the idea of working with the CNES [France’s space agency]. It was approved in 30 seconds. After several months’ work I provided two prototypes. The CNES liked them both. So I suggested an approach that would encompass three watches over three years. The first would be a CNES-specific batch, along with a 100-piece limited series for the public.”
Space Invader
This limited series is the Space Millennium being launched today. The name “Millennium” might seem strange for a 2024 watch, but in fact it’s a nod to a piece released exactly 10 years ago, in 2014: the WRX “T” Millennium, designed specifically for combat swimmers, on which this new space watch is based.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of differences between the two models. The 2024 version is made from Grade 1 titanium, a material widely used in aerospace applications due to its versatility. However, to save mass, which is a crucial factor in the cost of a space launch, Ralf Tech decided to completely hollow out the case and opt for a honeycomb composite dial. As a result, the Space Millennium has shed over 50% of its weight, shrinking from 200 grams to 95 grams.
Lost in space
True to form, where the movement is concerned, Ralf Tech is all about functionality. Given that movement in space is limited and slow, an automatic movement would be inappropriate because the rotor would not turn sufficiently to wind the movement. Instead, the brand chose a hybrid electric movement manufactured by Ronda, which has a power reserve of around twelve years.
The 47.5 mm Space Millennium is available from 18 June, priced at 4,500 euros, in Ralf Tech's forty or so points of sale. 100 pieces – many of which have already been sold – will be offered to the general public. Three straps are supplied as standard and the watch, although designed for space, remains water-resistant to 1,000 metres. Old habits die hard...
