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The SXC spacecraft, pictured here on display at the 2013 Baselworld show, is set to launch into space in 2014 carrying the Luminox logo |
Swiss-made watch brand Luminox has announced a new timepiece collection based on its affiliation with space flight company SXC, which is to begin commercial flights into space from 2014.
The Pilot Professional, one in a series of four watch designs in the new SXC Space Collection, is scheduled for launch this Fall.
Dutch carrier KLM will be the official launch partner in travel retail, Mondaine Group Global Sales Manager Travel Retail Beat Schärer told The Moodie Report at the Baselworld show in April 2013.
The Moodie Report can also reveal that the watch brand’s affiliation with Netherlands-based SXC even had its beginnings in travel retail.
Barry Cohen, the Co-CEO and Founder of Luminox Watch Company, told a press conference held at Baselworld that an SXC executive had approached the company after seeing a Luminox watch in an inflight magazine.
“He thought it would be an ideal piece to affiliate with the space programme,” he said, referring to the brand’s renowned luminous feature. “This is a wonderful opportunity for the Luminox brand,” Cohen added.
The Luminox logo is writ large over the spacecraft, which was on display at the Baselworld show and is set to launch into space in 2014, offering one-hour trips above planet Earth for members of the public with US$100,000 to spare.
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The Pilot Professional is one of four watch designs in the Luminox SXC Space Collection |
New Pilot Professional timepiece
Designed with input from test pilots and astronauts, the Pilot Professional is an analogue watch with digital windows, multi-function capabilities and the added advantage of Luminox Light Technology. The Swiss Analog-Digital movement employed is the standard for pilots worldwide.
“Pilots need digital time to synchronise their operations and accurate timing down to the second is of great importance. They also travel a lot and the GMT function enables them to easily reference local or destination time zones,” said Harry van Hulten, SXC COO and test-pilot.
“However, when I am not in the cockpit I want to look at analogue time which is quicker and easier to interpret, especially in the dark. Analogue time also looks cooler!”
Pilot and astronauts also appreciate the stopwatch feature with lap capability as well as the easy to set and reset alarm, he said.
As a key partner in the space project of SXC (Space Expedition Corporation), Luminox is committed to making passenger space flights possible.
“We are now entering the era of the privatisation of space travel and SXC is enabling the common
man and woman to experience something never possible before – being in space,” said Cohen.
The Luminox Space watches will be worn by both the SXC astronauts and participants.
This summer XCOR Aerospace, the manufacturer of the SXC’s XCOR Lynx II spaceship, will be carrying out its first test flights within the atmosphere.
Training sessions and tests for passenger flights are under way. The first commercial flights are planned for 2014 and will depart from the Curaçao spaceport in the Caribbean currently under development. For US$100,000 passengers will be able to enjoy a view of the earth from 103km.
The SXC Lynx is unlike any other spacecraft previously developed. It is equipped with an independent take-off and landing system, enabling it to depart from a runway using rocket power and land like a plane after its flight. The entire flight takes a little more than an hour and there is only one passenger per flight, seated next to the pilot.
At the Baselworld show, Luminox presented a series of watches designed for the SXC Space Project. Some of them are limited edition but “all will be suitable for adventurers on Earth and in space”, the company said.
“Seeing Earth from space has been described as a life-changing experience. In space there will be total silence and complete darkness, except for the 24/7 glow of Luminox timepieces,” it added.
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About Luminox
Luminox, the self-powered luminous watch brand, is the watch used by US Navy SEALs, F-117 Nighthawk Stealth jet pilots and other elite forces. Luminox watches are said to glow 100 times brighter than most other luminous watches, giving them superior readability. Described as tough, powerful and accurate, Swiss-made Luminox is used as night vision gear by serious athletes, rugged outdoorsmen and other peak performers.
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About SXC (Space Expedition Corporation)
SXC will perform daily commercial flights into space as of 2014. Passengers will view planet Earth from 100km high and, having travelled to that altitude, they can be called astronauts. SXC’s XCOR Lynx II spacecraft is designed and built by XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, California, US. SXC is the launching customer of this space vehicle that takes off and lands like a normal airplane, from regular airports. The breakthrough technology of this reusable spacecraft is claimed to signify a new era for the aerospace industry, enabling super-fast, long-range, environmentally friendly travel outside our atmosphere. Visit www.spacexc.com
For details, contact Beat Schärer, Global Sales Manager Travel Retail, Mondaine-Luminox-Mywa, tel: +41 79 423 52 36 or e-mail beat.schaerer@mondaine.ch
Visit www.luminox.com and www.luminox.com/about/team/space-expedition
