There are space watches, and then there are watches that have actually been to space.
British independent watch brand Diatom has unveiled its new Inner Worlds collection, a five watch series inspired by Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon and Mars. But as you might expect from Diatom, simply making a watch that looks like it belongs in space wasn't enough.
Each Inner Worlds model incorporates genuine space flown or extraterrestrial material, while every watch Diatom produces is sent on its own journey beyond 100,000 feet before it reaches its owner.
Yes, your watch has literally been to the edge of space.
Powered by the Swiss ETA 2892 movement, the Inner Worlds collection brings together five distinctly different designs, each taking its visual cues from its celestial namesake. And with each model limited to just 450 pieces, Diatom is keeping the collection firmly on the exclusive side of the Solar System.
A Watch That Actually Goes To Space
Before getting into the individual watches, it is worth stopping to appreciate what Diatom is doing differently.
Every timepiece is subjected to thermal vacuum testing at temperatures as low as minus 60°C and pressures approaching zero. Once the watches have demonstrated that they can handle conditions that would be rather unpleasant for most of us, they are placed inside a custom carbon fibre launch vehicle.
The watches are then launched beyond 100,000 feet, passing the Armstrong Limit where humans cannot survive without a fully pressurised suit.
During the descent, the watches reach speeds of more than 200mph before parachutes bring them safely back to Earth. Diatom tracks the flight and retrieves the watches after landing before they are sent to their new owners.
So while plenty of brands use space as a source of inspiration, Diatom has gone considerably further than putting a few stars on the dial.
Credit - Diatom
Inner Worlds Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet in the Solar System and one of the harshest, with a surface covered in ancient impact craters and exposed to enormous solar radiation.
Diatom's Mercury takes that hostile landscape as its inspiration, with a dial designed to reflect the scorched and barren appearance of the planet.
The really interesting part, however, is hidden inside the watch.
The custom rotor incorporates genuine material from the Liberty Bell 7 spacecraft, which formed part of NASA's Mercury programme and helped pave the way for the crewed space missions that followed.
The material has been stabilised using alloying agents before being forged into the rotor, giving the wearer a physical connection to one of the earliest chapters of American human spaceflight.
Credit - Diatom
Inner Worlds Venus
If Mercury is brutally exposed, Venus is the opposite. Its surface is hidden beneath an incredibly dense atmosphere and clouds, with temperatures and atmospheric pressure making it one of the most hostile environments in the Solar System.
The Inner Worlds Venus captures that contrast with a dial that plays with subtle shifts in colour, reflecting the planet's luminous atmosphere and scorched surface.
Inside, the custom rotor contains genuine material from an Atlas Agena launch platform. The launch vehicle belongs to the same family used to send Mariner 2 towards Venus, the mission that became the first successful spacecraft to encounter another planet.
Once again, Diatom has managed to turn a rather remarkable piece of spaceflight history into something you can wear on your wrist.
Credit - Diatom
Inner Worlds Earth
Of all five watches, Earth is perhaps the most understated.
Rather than concentrating on dramatic craters or rusty landscapes, Diatom looks at the softer side of our planet. The dial takes inspiration from oceans, weather, changing light and the constantly shifting textures of the Earth's surface.
But beneath that relatively tranquil appearance is another extraordinary piece of history.
The rotor incorporates genuine material from Apollo 13's Command Module Odyssey, specifically its space flown Kapton thermal insulation.
Apollo 13 needs little introduction. What began as a lunar mission became one of the most famous survival stories in spaceflight history after an onboard oxygen tank exploded. The crew ultimately returned safely to Earth after NASA and the astronauts overcame a series of potentially catastrophic problems.
Having material from that mission inside a watch is quite a story to have tucked underneath your wrist.
Credit - Diatom
Inner Worlds Moon
The Moon gets perhaps the most literal treatment of the collection.
The dial takes its inspiration from the lunar surface, with its ancient craters, volcanic plains and fine grey regolith creating an appropriately monochromatic aesthetic.
The watch incorporates material from the NWA 11788 lunar meteorite, a piece of the Moon that made its way to Earth naturally after being blasted from the lunar surface.
Petrographic analysis has identified the meteorite as feldspathic breccia, confirming its lunar origin.
Diatom applies a fine coating of the material to the dial, creating a direct physical connection between the watch and the Moon itself.
It is difficult to get much closer to wearing part of another world on your wrist.
Credit - Diatom
Inner Worlds Mars
And then there is Mars.
The Red Planet has been inspiring watch designers, science fiction writers and just about everyone else for generations, but Diatom takes the concept considerably more literally.
The Inner Worlds Mars uses a subdued rust coloured palette inspired by the planet's famous landscape, with the dial designed to evoke the undulating terrain of the Martian surface.
The dial incorporates material from the NWA 13187 Martian Shergotite meteorite. Scientific analysis of its isotope ratios and mineral composition confirms its Martian origin, meaning this isn't simply a dial that looks like Mars.
It contains material that actually came from Mars.
Five Worlds, One Collection
The Inner Worlds collection is an interesting proposition because Diatom hasn't simply produced five watches with different colours.
Each model tells a different story.
Mercury connects the collection to the earliest days of crewed spaceflight. Venus looks towards humanity's first exploration of another planet. Earth celebrates Apollo 13 and the ingenuity required to bring its crew home. The Moon uses genuine lunar material, while Mars contains material that originated on another planet entirely.
And then every watch gets launched beyond 100,000 feet before reaching its owner.
That makes the Inner Worlds collection about more than aesthetics. It is an attempt to put a tangible piece of space exploration onto the wrist.
Specifications
Dial: Textured Enamel finish
Space flown: 120,000ft+ above earth
Movement: Space tested Swiss ETA 2892-A2
Power reserve: 42 hours
Case & Strap material: Stainless steel 316L
Case diameter: 39.5mm
Lug to lug: 48mm
Thickness: 9.35mm
Lug width: 20mm
Glass: Double Domed sapphire, anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 100m (10ATM)
Price: £2200
Winding Things Up
Diatom is clearly not interested in making another watch with a vaguely space themed dial and calling it an adventure watch.
The Inner Worlds collection takes the concept considerably further, combining Swiss mechanical watchmaking with genuine spacecraft material, meteorites and a rather unusual delivery process involving a trip beyond 100,000 feet.
With each model limited to 450 pieces, the collection is unlikely to be for everyone. But if you have ever looked at your watch and thought, "This is nice, but I wish it had actually been to space," Diatom may have finally solved the problem.
