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Soyuz 01 – the reinvented rocket watch
These watches embody an incredible story of space exploration – in a previous life, they were a real-life space rocket. The material comes from rocket parts that have left the Earth’s atmosphere. The watches are powered by mechanical Swiss movements.
Thanks to our enhanced quality standards, all watches featuring the new movements come with a warranty of five years.
Important information on this pre-sale shop:
Crowdfunding / Pre-Sale
Werenbach has chosen to finance the new Soyuz 01 collection by crowdfunding on Kickstarter.com. The financing target was achieved within just two minutes. 24 hours after the campaign launch, an incredible +400’000 CHF of project support has been pledged, giving the green light to production of the collection. The project is among the most successful crowdfunding projects ever to have been launched in the German-speaking world. Since information on the Kickstarter platform is available only in English, and because Werenbach has many German-speaking fans, the watches in the pre-sale campaign are also available on this website (subject to the same terms and conditions). The crowdfunding discount will end with the close of the project at midnight on 31 October.
Prices
The watches will be available on this website at the pre-sale campaign prices (i.e. at a discount of 45%) for the duration of the project on Kickstarter.com. Please note that small differences from currency conversions may arise.
Since the watches will be shipped worldwide from Switzerland, and because tax arrangements differ slightly on a country basis, prices are given exclusive of country-specific rates. Local VAT rates (currently 16% in Germany) must be paid to the courier upon receipt of the watch.
Delivery
As you read this message, production is not yet underway. The watches are planned to be delivered in April 2021. This is Werenbach’s third such crowdfunding project; for the previous two, all watches were delivered on time. Werenbach works exclusively with reliable production partners, all of whom manufacture extensively for Swiss luxury watch brands. Buyers will receive regular updates about the current status of production.
The production of a watch is an exceptionally complex process that necessitates the involvement of many different parties. Because of this, it is always possible that issues can occur and result in delays. To allow for this, we have incorporated a buffer into our planned delivery schedule. However, it is impossible to exclude unpredictable risks (e.g. Covid-19) and their potential knock-on effects for the project timeline.
The watches will be delivered via UPS courier. Customers will receive a tracking number when their watch is shipped.
5-year warranty
All watches featuring the new movements (Sellita and Soprod) are protected by a five-year warranty. If your watch suffers a mechanical defect, we will repair it free of charge provided that it has been serviced previously in accordance with our recommended service interval of 3 to 4 years. Otherwise, the warranty will expire after 4 years.
Please note that any previous servicing must have been carried out Werenbach or one of our international service providers. If the watch has been serviced or opened by another service provider, the warranty is void.
The warranty excludes the following:
Damage caused by user manipulation or failure to adhere to the instructions for use, e.g..
- Incorrect winding
- Setting of the date while the time is between 8:00 PM and 2:00 AM
- Failure to observe the specified water-tightness; failure to seal the crown
- Hard impacts
- Neglect
- Magnetisation of the watch
- Damage that does not impair the function of the watch (e.g. scratches, dents and corrosion)
- Strap modifications
- Any wilful or accidental damage
The new Soyuz 01 Collection
A new era of rocket clocks
Soyuz o1 Collection
This reinvented collection forms the blueprint for a new era of rocket watches. New for the collection are a new case, a new movement and a cast dial with unique 3D profile. The story behind the watches – and the unmistakeable look of the dial – transforms them into truly remarkable timepieces.
Soyuz o1 – Superlative Collection
The Soyuz 01 Superlative Collection is a special edition by request of our fans. It features a movement by manufacturer Soprod: a newly developed, technical tour de force that is truly impressive in its precision. A real treat for watch enthusiasts!
Swiss quality watches
High-end watches
Each watch is powered by one of two movements. One is the most famous Swiss mechanical movement par excellence; the other is a speciality movement for watch-lovers offering exceptionally high precision.
Soprod «Newton» High End
A movement for true watch enthusiasts (or those who simply prefer to take an uncompromising approach to quality), the Soprod ‘Newton’ is newly developed and comes in the high-end version. It is considered among the ‘premier league’ of Swiss watch movements. It features a bridge for added shock resistance – a feature exclusively used by Swiss luxury brands in the haute horology realm. The dial features the lettering “Superlative Automatic” as a mark of quality.
Sellita SW-200
A Swiss mechanical movement by Sellita. The SW-200 is an enhanced equivalent of the legendary (and probably best-selling) Swiss mechanical movement ETA 2824. Sellita movements have a reputation as solid movements with proven Swiss quality.
Swiss Made high-end mechanical clockwork – Soprod Newton
Design with an eye for detail
We’ve spent more than eight years on our quest to create the perfect rocket watch. Our achievements are neatly reflected in our newest collection, which contains a range of improvements on its predecessors.
New production process
The design of the watches is adapted to the properties of the rocket material. For the Soyuz 01 Collection, the material is melted down to form the dials, giving a recognisable ‘cast metal’ appearance. The dials are a world innovation – the first ever to be produced using aluminium injection moulding technology.
Dial with 3D profile
The result is a unique 3D profile. The logo and hour markers are raised, while other areas, such as the “ROCKET MATERIAL” and “ORBIT” lettering, are set into depressed grooves in the dial. This transforms the watches into truly unparalleled timepieces.
Unique casing
The watch cases are manufactured to the highest standards of production quality. Notably, they are designed to accommodate either of our chosen movements – the only difference is the case back. In the Superlative Editions, the back is ‘open’ to enable the wearer to inspect the Soprod manufacture movement. By contrast, models with the Sellita movement feature an embossed astronaut and an smaller opening displaying the balance wheel. All watches have a plaque on the side with the engraved word “SPACEBORN”.
Space rocket material
From Kazakhstan to Zurich to the world
Our dials are made from pure cast rocket aluminium. To produce them, we melt down the recovered boosters of Soyuz rockets following their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The rocket that carried Alexander Gerst
The material for our Soyuz 01 Collection comes from Soyuz MS-09, which began its journey to the International Space Station on 6 June 2018. It’s the rocket that carried astronaut Alexander Gerst on his second trip to the ISS.
Rocket boosters
Our dials are made from the rocket boosters – the ‘engines’ that power the rockets on their journey into space. The manned Soyuz rockets begin their journey at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and reach outer space in three so-called ‘stages’. The boosters are jettisoned at an altitude of 45 km and subsequently fall onto the Kazakh steppe.
Material recovery
Werenbach founder Patrick Hohmann travels to the Kazakh steppe to recover the rocket stages in person. This means that we can always be sure which rocket the material actually comes from.
The Story behind the rocket watches
How Werenbach was born
The concept at the heart of Werenbach is one that was long considered impractical and unworkable. It was an adventurous spirit and a love of fine watches that transformed a moment of epiphany into a reputable, ambitious young firm.
An epiphany on the jogging trail
The bold idea of building watches from space rockets came about in 2010. Two years later, Patrick Hohmann founded the company in a tiny, 8m2 watchmaker’s atelier in the heart of Zurich.
International attention
After a few years producing micro-series of 25 pieces or less, it was with the launch of its ‘Earth’ collection that Werenbach first began drawing international attention. The collection was financed via crowdfunded contributions from more than 2,000 fans. Today, more than 35,000 dedicated fans are signed up to the newsletter, and Werenbach’s collections have grown from 25 pieces to more than 1,000.
The Werenbach atelier
Thus far, all watches have been manufactured in our atelier. Thanks to rising production volumes, production will now be placed in the capable hands of established Swiss production partners. Going forward, our atelier will be devoted primarily to the development of new collections and the production of speciality designs.
Big crowdfunding records
Our current crowdfunding campaign has broken a number of records.We have reached our goal within 2 minutes.
The novel about the watches
The novel Werenbachs Uhr (Werenbach’s Watch) was written by founder Patrick Hohmann in 2012 and 2013. It is based on the real-life genesis of the brand and is the first adventure novel to be written on the theme of watchmaking. Readers are carried away on an entertaining journey through the story of the company’s eventful formation. “This is exactly how a good novel should be: it whisks us away from the banality of everyday existence. It takes us down gravel roads, through deserts and right to the very edge of the horizon. Werenbachs Uhr is a story that restores the reader’s faith in the potential of dreams: a captivating page-turner.” – Ricco Bilger, publisher The novel was published in 2015 by Swiss publishing house Bilgerverlag.
The second edition was published in 2018. The book can be found on Amazon or in selected bookshops. It is only available in German: https://www.amazon.de/Werenbachs-Uhr-Patrick-Hohmann/dp/3037620528
To see how the rockets are recovered, watch this short documentary film by Pro7. Have you ever seen images like these before?
Our customers are thrilled
“As an avowed fan of SciFi novels and films, it is a small dream come true for me to own something that has been in space before. Therefore it had to be a piece from the “Fairing” for me. The watch, packaging (leather case for the watch and with a piece of sheet metal from which the dial was cut out), service, delivery – everything is top and fair to the price. I am super satisfied and happy and also very proud of *MY* (B.T.O.) “space watch”.”
— Herbert W.
“In the true sense of the word (youth language) an abspaced clock. I received the watch before Christmas and was at first absolutely surprised by the valuable packaging. The watch came in a leather pouch with beautiful print and of course the watch, the matching part from which the dial was punched (B.T.O Edition) as well as a card and a nice cover letter. For someone like me, who had only digital watches (from Apfel) so far, everything is new in terms of caliber, stones etc. Therefore read, read the manual and set the watch. Everything works smoothly. The watch makes a very high-quality impression of the housing, over glass and the dial itself. The bracelet (Nato Black Grey) is optimal in size and well manufactured including the “Werenbach” embossing. I will wear the watch with pride and wish you continued success with your great idea! VG”
— Alexander R.
S P A C E B O R N
«TO SEE THE EARTH FROM SPACE, CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK.»
Frank White
Spaceborn is a mindset: the mindset of an astronaut. It’s experiencing the feeling of deep black space while looking back at planet Earth from above.
Every astronaut who looks at the earth from space sees its beauty and realizes how small it is in comparison to the universe, how relative everything is. He perceives himself as a small part of a big whole.
This realization can change our thinking. It is Spaceborn because it comes from space, and it is our way of thinking. It lives in the material of our watches. And in the spirit of its wearers.
Patrick Hohmann personally hides the space rockets in the Kazakh steppe. Since 2012 he has been working on the perfect rocket watch. Only high-end quality is good enough.
«Rockets are epic because they take us to worlds beyond our reach.»
Patrick Hohmann, Founder WERENBACH AG