Toledano & Chan creates a watch from a meteorite that crashed to Earth

In the realm of luxury watchmaking, the creation of unique timepieces often draws upon rich heritage and history. Toledano & Chan have taken this concept to impressive new heights by using material from the Muonionalusta meteorite, which impacted Earth approximately 1 million years ago. The remains of this meteorite were first identified in the early 20th century in Sweden and have since been scattered across northern Scandinavia following their collision with Earth. The design duo wanted to transcend conventional meteorite watch designs, which typically only use meteorite slices for dials, and instead integrate the entire meteorite into their creation. Their new wristwatch, named the B/1M, embodies a Brutalist aesthetic while showcasing the meteorite's natural beauty, characterized by its unique Widmanstätten patterns—a distinctive feature resulting from its iron composition. This watch features a case, dial, lugs, and other components crafted entirely from this ancient celestial material. Due to the rarity and high cost of raw meteorite material, which can be more expensive by weight than gold, creating a watch from meteorite is not only ambitious but also economically challenging. Toledano did not disclose the specific cost of the meteorite used in the B/1M but acknowledged the financial elements at play in their choice of material. As the duo prepares to present their prototype at the Time for Art auction in New York, they estimate the watch may fetch a price between $8,000 and $16,000, reflecting the premium nature of the design combining both artistry and history. Toledano explains that working with meteorite presents unique difficulties, particularly in terms of waste—unlike gold, leftover bits of meteorite cannot be recycled, making the process of crafting the watch even more costly and complex. The B/1M watch's design takes inspiration from the angular forms of post-war architecture, specifically the windows of the Breuer Building in New York City. This architectural influence, along with the watch's minimalist aesthetic, reflects a modern sensibility while eschewing traditional watch embellishments, such as numbers or symbols, in favor of pure form. As the watch design market welcomes new shapes and materials, Toledano and Chan hope their creation will inspire future innovations in the watch industry. With individuality being a key aspect of the B/1M, limited production is anticipated, allowing each piece to possess a unique appearance based on the meteorite characteristics. Overall, the endeavor of Toledano & Chan exemplifies a creative push within watchmaking, showcasing their dedication to exploring new materials and artistic forms in a field often rooted in tradition.