Formex Essence FortyThree Chronometer with Space Gold Meteorite Dial #0330-1-6395-100

The Essence watch combines elegance and robustness in a Swiss mechanical high precision timepiece. The Essence has a patented Case Suspension System, a waterproof case, a COSC-certified Swiss Automatic movement, and flawless hand-finished surfaces. On top of that, unique features, such as Formex’s patented Micro-Adjustment System, will make the Essence exceptionally comfortable on your wrist.

Powering the watch is COSC-certified Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement featuring 26-jewels, a glucydur balance wheel, and a custom-built skeleton rotor with thermally blued screws. The movement is certified by the COSC (the official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) and undergoes the meticulous 15-day rate test to ensure extraordinary levels of mechanical accuracy and precision. The movement also provides you with 42 hours of power reserve when fully wound. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal provides you with a clear view of the dial details. A sapphire crystal is also used for the exhibition case back. The hands and hour markers are filled with Swiss Super-LumiNova BGW9 (glows a blue in the dark). The stainless steel case is 39mm in diameter and 10mm in thickness. Lug to lug measures 45mm. Water resistance is 100 meters. Hand-finished with undiluted passion, the Essence ThirtyNine is crafted with an execution only found in high-end timepieces.

Some four ice ages ago, an iron meteorite blasted into the Earth’s atmosphere and slammed into a 25 x 15 kilometer area that sits north of the Arctic circle, centered at 67°49’ N, 23°9’ E in what is now northern Scandinavia. Besides their remote location, finding these meteorite fragments is extremely difficult as the ground is completely frozen solid most of the year, and the area is also covered in 24 hours of darkness for several months at a time. To make a dial from this unique extraterrestrial material, special machining and treatments are required to reveal the distinct characteristics of this ancient iron-based meteorite. The beautiful equilateral triangles that create the naturally occurring Widmanstätten pattern are the result of a very slow cooling process that takes place over the course of millions of years, during which the crystalline structure of the minerals within the core of the asteroid changes. After being cut, the dial is plated with 18k rose gold.

Formex utilizes the meteorite’s high iron content to facilitate depositing real gold via electroplating – a groundbreaking feat in dial manufacturing. While coloring meteorite is not a new concept, applying precious metals diverges from the conventional PVD coating approach. Through the application of real gold, the meteorite’s inherent patterns are accentuated, enriching each dial with a mesmerizing depth. Given the organic texture, each dial becomes a one-of-akind marvel crafted by nature’s hand.

Formex further increased the thickness of the dial to allow soldering the dial feet, which attach the dial to the movement, directly into the meteorite. The standard process when working with stone dials is to glue the stone dial onto a brass plate. Having a thicker meteorite dial allowed Formex to carve out a beveled date window, a signature design element across all Formex timepieces. This development is a product of intense prototyping carried out in Formex’s dial manufacture located in the Swiss Jura mountains.