“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” Carl Sagan’s immortal words invite us to stare into the vast abyss of space, allowing our imagination to travel to distant galaxies, past black holes and nebulae, and ponder the incredible wonders that await. The unfathomable reaches of the universe have captivated humanity since time immemorial, inspiring artists, philosophers, scientists, and anyone who has stared up at the night sky in wonder. Atowak’s newest release, the Cosmofleet, dares us to imagine the possibilities that lie beyond the stars with a futuristic titanium case and an otherworldly approach to time-telling.

If the first thought that comes to mind upon seeing the COSMOFLEET is a spaceship, that’s no accident. From the case to the star wheel hands to the decorations on the dial, all are inspired by the star fleets that have graced the pages of the science fiction tomes. From Asimov to Zelazny, the genre captures the imagination, allowing us to join in on adventures to distant planets in sleek, technologically advanced starships powered by ion drives, warp drives, gravity drives, or other propulsion systems that still only exist in our minds — or on our wrists.

The case of the Atowak Cosmofleet is crafted from the same aerospace-grade titanium used by NASA and SpaceX for its incredible strength-to-weight ratio. The case is designed to evoke that of a command center from a space fleet, providing instant access to critical information — in this case: time. The sculpted case takes over 260 minutes to machine down to an accuracy of 0.02mm. Durable and light, the titanium construction keeps the watch’s weight down to a feathery 67.66g. The streamlined shape, complemented by geometric facets is crafted to evoke the layout of land carrier formations, while the open space beneath the cross-shaped, double-curved crystal reminds the wearer of the vast distances between the stars. Even the crystal is cut to a tolerance of 0.01mm and manually polished to allow the crystal to integrate seamlessly with the case.

The timekeeping complication that forms the beating heart of the Cosmofleet is Atowak’s self-developed Vectorial-Orbit Wandering Hour (VOWH) system. Atowak’s own take on a wandering hour complication is controlled by three sets of high-precision planetary gears that allow the three-dimensional hands to move with incredible precision, rotating along two separate axes. Briefly, as the lower-most hand sweeps across the bottom of the dial, its tip acts as a minutes hand, tracking from 0-60 while the hour is displayed on the hand itself. The next hand then moves into position, tracking the minutes while displaying the next hour. Because there are only three hands, the hour hands each rotate into a new position after each sweep. The minutes track and hands are all hand-filled with Swiss Super-Luminova — perfect for navigating the darkness of interstellar space.

Complex in design, but intuitive to read at a glance, the Atowak Cosmofleet is comprised of 44 components, each crafted from high-grade materials, including titanium alloy, brass, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, ruby, and SSG nylon. Given the minuscule scale of the components, tolerances are incredibly tight, up to 0.005mm.

Sometimes to move into the future, you need to look to the past. To craft the Single-Pin Joint structure that fastens the three-dimensional hands to the dial, Atowak utilizes a design inspired by ancient tenon-and-mortise joints. This simple design dates back to the Neolithic, yet is conceptually the same as the docking mechanism that joined the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft. The stakes might not be as high as docking in low earth orbit, but to fashion this aluminum structure, precision was key to ensure the components were perfectly aligned and operating seamlessly.

Given the weight and complexity of the VOWH system, Atowak’s engineers needed to optimize and manufacture a high-precision bearing system to minimize friction and wear. The best option was to include 24+3 rubies, with each hand supported by a ruby bearing, all powered by a self-developed and highly modified Miyota 9029 automatic movement. This Japanese no-date movement beats at 28.8kbph and features over 42 hours of power reserve.

The ATOWAK COSMOFLEET will be available for pre-order starting October 31, 2024, at a price of $2,999 USD and will launch on November 29, 2024. Due to the complexity of craftsmanship and limited production capacity, the brand will periodically offer early purchase opportunities to customers who place deposits during the pre-sale period, along with an additional $300 discount. ATOWAK will release purchase slots periodically throughout the pre-order phase. For more information on the ATOWAK COSMOFLEET and to pre-order, please visit ATOWAK’s official website: https://atowak.com/.