Konstantin Chaykin SC02C: A Chronograph Tested In Outer Space

Developed for Russian cosmonauts and tested during four spacewalks, the SC02C brings a space-proven mechanical chronograph to civilian wrists in a limited edition of just 28 pieces.

The Konstantin Chaykin SC02C is a mechanical chronograph with an unusual history. Developed as a professional instrument for Russian cosmonauts, the watch has been tested in real spaceflight conditions and is now being presented for the first time in a civilian version.

Limited to just 28 pieces, the SC02C allows its owners to become part of an ongoing research programme that began with the Manufacture’s collaboration with Roscosmos.

The project began with a practical objective: to create a mechanical chronograph capable of accompanying cosmonauts during extravehicular activity. Since 2018, the programme has evolved through successive prototypes and real-world testing, with information gathered from each stage contributing to further development.

The latest civilian SC02C represents the next step in that process. While its 44mm stainless steel case has been adapted for everyday wear, many of the technical solutions developed for the space programme remain at its core.

Four Spacewalks Behind The SC02C

The relationship between Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture and Roscosmos has resulted in watches being used outside the International Space Station on four separate occasions.

The first stage involved 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 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 resulting changes was a revised method of securing the crystal, designed to increase reliability under demanding conditions.

The upgraded chronograph returned outside the ISS on August 17, 2022, this time with cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev.

The most recent tests took place on May 27, 2026, when Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergey Mikayev spent 6 hours and 6 minutes on a spacewalk wearing new-generation chronographs attached to their Orlan-MKS spacesuits.

Across these four spacewalks, Konstantin Chaykin watches have therefore been exposed to the realities of working outside the station rather than being tested exclusively under simulated conditions.

With the SC02C, the Manufacture is now extending the programme to Earth. Owners of the 28 watches will be able to use them in different environments and provide feedback on their performance, creating another source of information for the development of future specialised watches.

A Design Driven By Its Purpose

Although the SC02C has a relatively classical chronograph appearance, its design is fundamentally dictated by its intended function.

The watch was developed around the need for clear and immediate legibility, with input from cosmonauts who use instruments during prolonged and demanding work both inside and outside the station.

The deep black dial features three counters, large hour markers and prominent hands. The emphasis is on making the information easy to read rather than adding unnecessary visual elements.

The red tip of the hour hand continues a design motif previously seen on the Mars Conqueror Mk3, but here it also serves a practical purpose. It helps with the additional 12-hour timing function provided by the rotating bezel.

At the beginning of a measurement, the “12” marker on the bezel is aligned with the hour hand. The elapsed interval can then be read using the position of the hand against the bezel scale.

Luminescent material is applied to the hands and hour markers, while the rotating bezel also incorporates luminous elements. An anti-reflective treatment on the sapphire crystal helps reduce reflections and maintain visibility.

Built For Extreme Conditions

The SC02C incorporates several solutions designed around the loads associated with spaceflight.

An antimagnetic cover protects the movement against magnetic fields of up to 4,800 A/m. The sapphire crystal uses a reverse “dovetail” construction, with its bevelled edge designed to prevent the crystal from being forced out of the case under overloads and changes in pressure.

The case is water-resistant to 10 ATM and has been designed to operate in high-vacuum conditions down to a pressure of 1 × 10⁻⁶ atmospheres.

Before being used at the orbital station, the watches underwent a series of tests conducted by the Manufacture’s R&D division. These included centrifuge testing, vibration testing, exposure to extremely high and low temperatures and impact testing.

Each chronograph also undergoes multi-stage quality control. Accuracy is assessed in five positions, alongside checks of power reserve, water resistance and resistance to external factors.

The strap was another detail requiring particular attention. Its pins feature two additional locking threads intended to prevent accidental loosening. Each SC02C is supplied with two black fabric straps: one standard-length strap for normal wrist wear and another extended version designed to be worn over a spacesuit.

The K.20-5 Calibre

For the SC02C, Konstantin Chaykin deliberately chose not to develop a completely new in-house base movement, despite having the capability to do so.

Reliability was the primary consideration. For a watch intended to be tested in space, the Manufacture considered a proven movement architecture essential.

The solution was the Poljot 3133, a movement with an established service history that was substantially modified by Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture.

The resulting hand-wound K.20-5 calibre incorporates 60 components manufactured by the Manufacture. Among the modifications are a 12-hour chronograph counter, a stop-seconds function and a balance equipped with micrometric adjustment by means of weights rather than a traditional index regulator.

The latter solution is intended to reduce the effects of vibration and overload, while a damping ring provides additional protection for the movement.

The K.20-5 operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour and provides a power reserve of 45 hours.

Despite its professional origins, the movement is finished to haute horlogerie standards. Its hand-finishing remains hidden beneath the solid caseback during normal use, but reflects the Manufacture’s attention to the mechanical construction inside the watch.

The caseback itself carries a themed three-dimensional engraving, while also providing additional protection for the movement.

A Watch With A Historical Space Connection

The choice of the Poljot 3133 also gives the SC02C a direct historical connection to mechanical watches used during the early era of human space exploration.

In 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first person to perform a spacewalk, wearing a Strela watch from the First Moscow Watch Factory. Those watches were equipped with the Calibre 3017, which was followed during the 1970s by the 3133 family.

The SC02C therefore connects several generations of Russian mechanical watchmaking with Konstantin Chaykin’s modern space programme.

Rather than simply borrowing the visual language of space exploration, the watch is built around a development programme in which mechanical chronographs have actually been subjected to spaceflight conditions.

Beyond Earth

The SC02C forms part of a much broader fascination with space within Konstantin Chaykin’s work.

The Manufacture’s “Space Program” began in 2011 with the Lunokhod, a watch featuring a patented spherical moon-phase display. Several years later, Chaykin’s attention moved further into the future, towards the possibility of mechanical watches operating during missions to Mars.

This direction resulted in a series of developments including the Mars Conqueror Mk1, the more practical Mars Conqueror Mk3, a Martian perpetual calendar, the Martian Tourbillon and a mechanical module designed to indicate the distance between Earth and Mars.

Some of these developments look beyond near-Earth space and towards a future in which mechanical watches could be required to operate in environments far removed from Earth.

The SC02C represents a more immediate stage of that philosophy. It takes technology developed and tested for spaceflight and places it into a limited civilian watch, while continuing the research process through feedback from owners on Earth.

A Space-Tested Chronograph For Civilian Wrists

The Konstantin Chaykin SC02C is not simply a chronograph designed to look like a space instrument. Its development has been shaped by the practical requirements of spaceflight, from crystal construction and magnetic protection to vibration resistance, extreme temperatures and high-vacuum operation.

Its 44mm stainless steel case, black dial and functional chronograph layout give it the appearance of a professional instrument, while the modified K.20-5 calibre provides the mechanical foundation for the watch.

Limited to just 28 pieces, each SC02C represents another stage in Konstantin Chaykin’s continuing space research programme.

The watch is therefore both a finished timepiece and part of an ongoing experiment: a mechanical chronograph whose story began outside the Earth’s atmosphere and now continues on the wrists of its civilian owners.

Technical Specifications

For more information, please visit the official Konstantin Chaykin website.

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