The Toxic Side of the Moon
Fine like powder, but sharp like glass.
Lunar dust has silicate in it, a material commonly found on planetary bodies with volcanic activity. Miners on Earth suffer from inflamed and scarred lungs from inhaling silicate. On the Moon, the dust is so abrasive that it ate away layers of spacesuit boots and destroyed the vacuum seals of Apollo sample containers.
A Watch Case Optimized for 3D Printing
The case of Barrelhand's forthcoming Monolith timepiece is the first I have seen that has been strategically fine-tuned to save on the material costs associated with 3D printing.
Reminiscent of the Linde Werdelin SpidoLite and more recent pieces from DeBethune, the hollowed-out lugs are an easy win. It is the arrangement of the material egress holes around the inside diameter of the case, to enable a hollowing out of the internal case structure, that caught my attention. Apparently, Barrelhand founder, Karel Bachand, was likewise pleased enough with this innovation to call it out directly in the marketing material, referring to the 3D-printable, scandium-aluminum-magnesium alloy that the case is composed of as being air-core insulated.
Image credit Barrelhand
Abrasion Rate vs. Coarseness
Coarser grits are, ostensibly, only faster at removing material than finer grits when sufficient pressure is used. Equal pressure yielded results in favour of finer grits for speed of material removal.
At this higher pressure, we begin to see the coarse hones outpace the finer hones. Even still, there is little advantage in the 320 and 1k grit stones over the 4k, when the greater apex damage caused by those coarse hones is considered.
Watchmakers’ Love-Hate Relationship With Tantalum
Ian Margerison, executive marketing manager and technical officer of the Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center:
To actually make a watch in tantalum is very difficult. It’s like trying to machine a metallic Plasticine.
Martin Frei of Urwerk:
Tantalum has a strange quality that destroys the tools—it’s almost sticky. They somehow get clumped and break because they get too hot. But the metal itself is beautiful.
Betakron
Situated in France, Betakron is Patek Philippe's only subsidiary that operates outside of Switzerland's borders. The staff there are responsible for manufacturing steel components, as well as carrying out finishing and pre-assembly operations.
Founded in 1990, the firm was acquired by Patek Philippe in 2004.
Linked article written in French (English translation).
Image credit Franck Lallemand
Lego Lathe
A functioning lathe built from Lego Technic pieces.
Building instructions available here.
Image credit Emmet Dash
The Inception of Omega
Founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt, it was not until 1894 that the watch brand, Omega, received the name we know it by today.
Named after a groundbreaking watch caliber that Brandt's sons conceived, which they had inscribed with the last letter of the Greek alphabet, Ω, the letter omega signalled the ultimate achievement. The end game. In Biblical texts, originally written in Greek, God was described as the alpha and the omega—the beginning and the end—the encapsulation of anything and everything that could possibly be described by mankind in the Greek alphabet. Alpha was where things began. Omega marked the finish.
While unequivocally hyperbolic in retrospect, given how much further the precision and reliability of mechanical timekeeping has progressed, the achievement that Louis-Paul and César Brandt made through the realization of their company's OMEGA caliber was, indeed, notable for its time. The newfound Omega Watch Co.'s premier caliber was among the very first in Switzerland to feature keyless winding and setting, and their system of fully interchangeable parts, via technologies borrowed from their American counterparts, paved the way for them to become the largest manufacturer of finished watches in Switzerland.
Image credit Omega SA
Muonionalusta Madness
Watch dials crafted from Muonionalusta meteorite—the first recorded fragment of which was found in northern Scandinavia in 1906—are prized among watch brands and watch owners alike for their unique, thatched aesthetic, borne of high-speed collisions in the vacuum of space.
A century onward, there has been a notable uptick in the number of watches debuting with Muonionalusta meteorite dials since the outset of 2024, with the release of Bulova's Lunar Pilot Meteorite in January, as well as Omega's meteorite-dialled lineup of Constellations in a wide range of colourways and Zenith's gold-plated, meteorite-dialled Chronomaster Sport in the first two weeks of February.
A range of more affordable offerings from the likes of Duxot, Zodiac, and Ballast have also appeared in the not-too-distant past, with Duxot's Vezeto Automatic Limited Edition being by far the most affordable entry point, sitting just a hair shy of $500 USD at the time of writing.
While meteorite dials are routinely chemically treated, including meteorite dials from Rolex, Zenith and Omega's novelties mark the first time I've ever seen meteorite treated in colours other than grey—and the occasional inclusion of naturally orange-brown resulting from iron oxidization.
Artwork composed of brands' official retail images for each timepiece
Flying Saucer Flats
Hovering above the Disraeli Freeway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on a previously undesirable sliver of destitute real estate, the 62M is a 41-unit residential development designed by 5468796 Architecture.
Elevating the living spaces up from the neighbouring industrial zone, residents are treated to picturesque views of the nearby river and surrounding cityscape.
Image credit James Brittain
First Functional Prototype of the Freak
David Ichim, writing for Watches by SJX, takes a deep dive into the history of the development of the Ulysse Nardin Freak, designed by Ludwig Oechslin.
It's interesting to note Oechslin's use of a Patek Philippe Gyromax balance and corresponding KIF anti-shock setting in the original prototype. These would later be replaced with Ulysee Nardin's own, in-house, free-sprung balance wheel and Incabloc shock-resistant jewelled bearings.
Not visibly evident in the finished product, as well, is that massive mainspring, which would ultimately provide the watch with its formidable 7-day power reserve—a notable improvement over earlier prototypes' approximately 10-hour power reserve.
Image credit Ulysse Nardin
Watchmaking's Watchmaker Problem
A situation that's been decades in the making, Rhonda Riche, reporting for Watchonista, breaks down some of what's at the root of the global shortage of watchmakers and the corresponding problems that entails for watch brands across the board.
Interestingly, Riche ties an aspect of brands' relatively recent refusal to sell spare parts to accredited watchmakers back to watch buyer's burgeoning demand for in-house watch calibers:
However, as brands moved toward the integrated manufacturing model, they also brought more and more aspects of the watchmaking process, including servicing, in-house. For repair places outside of the big cities, getting parts to fix watches became troublesome, with even jewelry stores authorized to sell and service specific brands having to send timepieces back to Switzerland for once-simple fixes like crystal replacements.
The cutting off of access to parts has been a keystone issue in the decline of competent watchmaking talent since the initial onset of brand-enforced parts restrictions around turn of the millennium.
Some amount of friction is necessary to gain momentum, but too much and even the best oiled machine will grind to a halt. An ample amount of friction in earning a living as a watchmaker already existed when brands cooperated with independent watchmakers. The cutting off of parts supply has unequivocally introduced too much friction into the system. So much so that even consumers are now starting to feel the heat.
Ambidextrous Watch Concept
Seiko is renowned for its "zaratsu" finishing that imbues many of their high-end timepieces the ability to interplay masterfully with light. Seiko designer, Kento Ito, has brought the very concept of interplay of light on a timepiece to an altogether different level with his Ambidextrous Watch. Employing bisected, duotone hands, a case and bracelet that are half-coated in black PVD, and a dial crafted in a manner akin to a lenticular display, the timepiece takes on a notably different look from the vantage point of its wearer depending on which which wrist it is worn on.
This Seiko Is No Bull
With a form factor reminiscent of Seiko's famed Bullhead chronographs, this panda-inspired concept designed by Kiyotaka Sakai goes to appreciable length to employ panda ears as pushers to operate the chronograph.
The Seiko Pandagraph is arguably among the cutest timepieces ever produced—right down to the panda-like tail on the caseback—while still remaining inherently useful.
With the exception of the Year of the Snake and, perhaps, the Year of the Rooster, I could see this sort of concept being rolled out very successfully in the Chinese market to commemorate each New Year. With a box set of all 12 years commanding a premium.
If any of the pieces from Seiko's 2024 'Incredibly Specialized Watch Exhibition' merit going into production, the Pandagraph is it.
Image credit Seiko Watch Corporation