A monolayer of WTe$_2$ has been shown to display quantum spin Hall (QSH) edge modes persisting up to 100~K in transport experiments. Based on density-functional theory calculations and symmetry-based model building including the role of correlations and substrate support, we develop an effective electronic model for WTe$_2$ which fundamentally differs from other prototypical QSH settings: we find that the extraordinary robustness of quantum spin Hall edge modes in WTe$_2$ roots in a glide symmetry due to which the topological gap opens away from high-symmetry points in momentum space. While the indirect bulk gap is much smaller, the glide symmetry implies a large direct gap of up to 1~eV in the Brillouin zone region of the dispersing edge modes, and hence enables sharply boundary-localized QSH edge states depending on the specific boundary orientation.
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