s American author Jack London so eloquently said, “I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” How fitting that this incredible material makes up the entire dial of a new Special Edition 19Thirty from Bovet 1822. Having a piece of something not of this Earth in your timepiece, there to admire whenever you want, is nothing short of miraculous – a true slice of heaven.

The Namibian government recently protected any newly discovered pieces of the Gibeon meteorite as national monuments. This means that the slices of meteorite used in the 19Thirty are now increasingly rare and in incredibly limited supply. The Gibeon meteorites are composed of iron, nickel and small amounts of cobalt. They are known to be the most stable of iron meteorites, with a highly distinctive structure.

The dial of this special Bovet 19Thirty timepiece is pure meteorite, part of the famous Gibeon meteorite that is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. The Widmanstätten pattern (the lines you see on the dial) is only revealed after the slice of meteorite is etched using nitric acid. These lines and patterns are the result of melting and cooling in outer space over billions of years. The blue coating over the meteorite – the first time blue has been used like this – is actually a blue-coloured PVD treatment, one that is transparent so the pattern of the meteorite is clearly visible.

The timepiece showcasing this incredible dial is the 19Thirty, which has seven days of power reserve from a single barrel. The manufacture movement is hand-finished just like Bovet’s high complications and can be admired through the exhibition back. The front dial, with its light-catching pattern, is absolutely unique, thanks to the way each piece of meteorite changes after cutting and etching. Contrasting this with the 42mm sand-blasted grade 5 titanium case, the result is a timepiece that is both dynamic and elegant.

Price: CHF 35,000

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