NASA-Approved Watch Comes Ticking With Real Moon Dust
Image via Interstellar
Got time to geek out about space? Interstellar, an offshoot of Belgian watch brand Col&MacArthur, is commemorating the moon with a timepiece, called the LUNAR1,622. The most lunar-tic bit? It’s adorned with authentic moon dust.
A stylish symbol of celestial possibilities, the tribute harks back to NASA’s Apollo 11 mission and concurrently turns its scope toward future lunar exploration, such as the Artemis 3 mission scheduled for 2025. The name “LUNAR” signifies its muse, of course, while “1,622” represents the moon's surface gravity, “a tribute to both celestial beauty and the precision that defines our timepiece,” notes its creators.
Image via Interstellar
A chunk of the moon lives in the sapphire three o’clock chamber of this earthbound accessory. The LUNAR1,622 watch incorporates rare meteorite moon dust that landed in Northwest Africa and was later certified by Britain-based MSG Meteorites.
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Talking to collectSPACE, Sébastien Colen, founder and CEO of Col&McArthur, says the crew wanted the dust to float freely in the watch, but it was so delicate that it kept clinging onto the glass due to static. As a result, the designers settled with containing it.
Image via Interstellar
A more basic model (shown below on the left) leaves out the rare lunar material, replacing it with the original shape of Neil Armstrong’s footprint.
Image via Interstellar
With the blessing of NASA, the piece is graced by the space agency’s emblems—such as on the back cover—along with NFC technology.
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The LUNAR1,622 further alludes to the historic Apollo 11 mission with the mission’s name, date, and Neil Armstrong’s initials. Inscribed on one side of the frame are his famous words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Meanwhile, the edge of the dial features a unique tribute to all Apollo missions. Those that successfully landed on the moon are marked in gold, while orbital flights around the moon are displayed in white.
Each timepiece arrives in a NASA-branded collector’s box and comes with a numbered certificate of origin to prove its authenticity. The serial number is engraved on the back cover of the LUNAR1,622.
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Whether you’re a space enthusiast or a watch collector, the LUNAR1,622 presents an otherworldly experience by letting you carry a piece of the mooon on your wrist. Three versions of the LUNAR1,622—with distinctions like Japanese Miyota and Swiss Sellita automatic movements—are available through Kickstarter pledges, priced at US$399, US$599, and US$999.
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[via collectSPACE, Yanko Design, Interstellar, images via Interstellar]
This article was crafted with assistance from an AI engine, and has been manually reviewed & edited.
