Once there, the travelling timepiece is poised to mark another milestone by becoming the first watch to remain permanently on the Moon - a lasting symbol of humanity’s presence beyond Earth.
To celebrate this joint venture, a full-scale model of the Astrolab FLIP rover is taking centre stage at the Bremont booth during Watches & Wonders Geneva (April 14-20). This year’s salon marks the Swiss city’s largest-ever watchmaking gathering, with 65 brands in attendance.
“We are incredibly excited by the prospect of becoming the first British watch brand in history to go to the Moon and stay there indefinitely,” says Davide Cerrato, CEO of Bremont. “Bremont and Astrolab share deep synergies in their values, particularly around innovation, exploration and a relentless pursuit of new frontiers. The Supernova Chronograph brings those shared principles to life.”
The watch’s arrival on the Moon coincides with a global effort to establish Coordinated
Lunar Time (LTC) by the end of 2026. The NASA-led initiative aims to provide a precise, atomic clock-based standard to ensure seamless navigation and communication for the growing number of international and commercial space missions.
The Astrolab FLIP rover is due to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1), with the Bremont Supernova Chronograph integrated directly into its chassis.
Once delivered to the Moon the 480kg autonomous rover - fitted with four HD cameras - will survey the rugged terrain. By capturing vital data on dust mitigation and surface operations, it will provide insights needed for the design of future lunar logistics platforms.
“This mission is all about demonstrating critical technologies in the harsh environments found at the lunar south pole,” says Jaret Matthews, founder & CEO of Astrolab. “We look forward to putting the Supernova through the ultimate engineering test.”
Founded in 2002 and based in Henley-on-Thames in the English county of Oxfordshire, Bremont specialises in highly robust engineered tool watches built for every environment. .
The Supernova Chronograph will undergo a comprehensive Spacecraft Protoflight Qualification program to ensure it can withstand the rigours of launch, flight and survival on the Moon. Designed to be more severe than the expected mission conditions, tests include exposure to extreme temperatures, noises and vibrations, as well as the kind of shocks released by pyrotechnic and pneumatic devices.
