Space time

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Space time - Comparison
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Meteorite dials give a unique appearance to watches that channel a cosmic vibe, thanks to the patterns formed by these fragments of asteroids fallen to Earth

The spectacle of a meteorite blazing across the sky fires human imagination. Now watchmakers are seizing on these fragments of asteroids and using them to add a cosmic dimension to the measurement of time. A meteorite is no ordinary piece of rock.

These space-time travellers carry information about the formation of the planets and the origins of life. Cut into thin slices, as with a hard stone such as malachite or turquoise, their surface reveals fascinating patterns which, in the hands of skilled artisans, become the material for spectacular dials.

Named Widmanstätten patterns, for the Austrian scientist who first observed them after treating iron meteorite with nitric acid, they are the consequence of the intense heat, followed by rapid cooling, experienced by a meteorite as it hurtles through space and into the atmosphere. An estimated two to five thousand meteorites of more than one kilo crash to Earth each year. Three quarters of them will disappear into the depths of the ocean or land in the middle of the desert… which makes the remaining quarter all the more coveted by watch enthusiasts who are seduced by the idea of carrying a fragment of the cosmos on their wrist and by manufacturers eager to satisfy this demand.

Awake uses this extra-terrestrial rock for its Mission To Earth Chapter III Time Travelers: specifically a piece of the Muonionalusta meteorite that struck Earth over a million years ago. Discovered in Sweden in 1906, it is thought to be the oldest known meteorite and, predating Earth by twenty million years, the oldest object on our planet.

Space time

Piaget has pimped its extra-thin Altiplano with a golden meteorite whose geometric texture could be a piece of contemporary art.

Space time

Omega is another member of the meteorite club and justifiably so, given that the Speedmaster blasted into space for the 1969 Moon landing. The dial of this cosmic Speedmaster uses part of the Gibeon meteorite that struck Namibia in the prehistoric period.

Space time

Bovet has chosen a fragment of this same meteorite and coloured it blue by physical vapour deposition.

Space time

Which brings us to Rolex. The brand has given the legendary GMT Master II, recognisable by its red and blue ceramic bezel, a grey meteorite dial.

Space time

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