AK Geneve HMS Automatic Warp Watch Is Nigh Indestructible, Inspired by Star Trek

Jack Loftus — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Timepiece designer Arny Kapshitzer is a big fan of Star Trek, and that shows in his latest creation, the HMS Automatic Warp Watch. While it won't take you Warp 9 anytime soon, it does have a ton of carbon fiber, and the perfluorinated, hypoallergenic rubber wristband is impervious to "all acids." From the sound of that last feature, it looks there's a head nod to Ripley in there, too.

There's actually a bit more to this space watch than mere looks. AK factored in the natural asymmetry of the human arm, and made the crown side of the watch thicker so it would fit snug. The super rubber that makes up the band is also used to seal the watch, and will last for 50 years, guaranteed.And lastly, the Star Trek influence (such as it is):

It looks like something straight out of the Star Trek series, uncannily reminiscent of the starship Enterprise. Located eccentrically towards the right of the dial, a cut-away metal piece reveals the jumping hours and minutes on two superimposed discs. The seconds are displayed at 3 o'clock on a cylinder linked directly to the crown. 9 o'clock forms the tail of the “spaceship”. Made of the same metal, it bears the name of the watch and is punctuated by a totally off-centre dot, where the brand logo is engraved.

[AK Geneve via Wrist Dreams]

Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Brings Out Your Inner Space Cowboy

AddyDugdale — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Just 100 of Seiko's Spring Drive Spacewalk watches, space-proof wristwatches being developed with a little help from the Russian Federal Space Agency, are expected to be made. Designed for Richard Garriott, the video-game honcho-turned-future space tourist, the titanium-encased timepiece weighs just 92.5 grams and is airtight, and waterproof to 100 meters. Seiko has developed a new luminescent material so that Richard will be able to see if it's teatime yet on the International Space Station, and it has large control buttons so that he doesn't have to take his space gloves off to adjust the time. Full specs are below.

Spring Drive 5R86 movement for accuracy under the extreme temperature swings of space (-20° to +70° Celsius, or about -4° to 160° Fahrenheit).
Titanium case with the sides etched out by a new CNC (computer numerical control) machine that Seiko built in order to help get the weight down to only 92.5 grams.
Completely air-tight case capable of surviving direct exposure to space.
Oversized buttons for use while wearing space gloves.
Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Waterproof to 100m, or 330ft (in case of a water landing, I guess).
12-hour chronograph.
GMT hand for 24-hour UTC time (which is used in both space and aviation).
New luminescent material that Seiko says is three times as bright as a typical luminescent watch.
A special dial and hand design for maximum readability.

The Spring Drive Spacewalk is expected to be "marketed" in December 2008, and until then we have no idea of the price. Cheaper than a return ticket to Mars, I expect. [Seiko via Watch Report]

Gizmodo: space watch

AK Geneve HMS Automatic Warp Watch Is Nigh Indestructible, Inspired by Star Trek

Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk Watch Brings Out Your Inner Space Cowboy