Tag Archives: meteorite

Girard-Perregaux’s Luxury Timepiece Features 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite on its Dial

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There’s a certain poetic beauty in seeing how well a 4.5 billion-year-old cosmic rock blends so seamlessly with some of the most brilliantly modern timekeeping technology in the world. A gadget that measures time, adorned with one of the oldest remnants of space-time ever.

Imagine strapping a piece of outer space to your wrist, where timekeeping transcends mere functionality and becomes a cosmic journey. Girard-Perregaux, the venerable Swiss watchmaker with over two centuries of horological heritage, has just unveiled its latest masterpiece, the Free Bridge Meteorite: a watch graced with a dial forged from an actual 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite. This wrist-bound marvel connects us to the silent ballet of our solar system’s past, offering not only an instrument for measuring time but also a tangible link to the unfathomable vastness of space itself.

Designer: Girard-Perregaux

The watch is housed in a 44mm diameter stainless steel case, striking a balance between robustness and elegance with its 12.2mm thickness. It features a highly domed box-style sapphire crystal that not only safeguards the dial but also enhances the watch’s visual appeal, offering a distinct view from different perspectives. The case showcases a harmony of brushed and polished finishes, reminiscent of the interplay of light in the cosmos.

Central to the allure of the Free Bridge Meteorite is its dial, where Girard-Perregaux’s craftsmanship shines brightest. The black flange and luminescent metallic hour indices offer a contemporary flair, improving readability while maintaining sophistication. The design forgoes a 6 o’clock mark to accommodate the variable inertia balance, with the GP logo at the 12 position serving as a subtle homage to the brand’s history and design ethos.

The crown jewel of the Free Bridge Meteorite, as its name suggests, is the inclusion of meteorite plates flanking each side of the barrel, secured by two screws. These plates, crafted from the Gibeon meteorite found in Namibia, bear unique Widmanstätten patterns, serving as a tangible connection to the cosmos. Composed primarily of an iron-nickel alloy and estimated to be approximately 4.5 billion years old, these meteorite inlays beautifully represent the enduring passage of time and the wonders of the universe.

Technologically, the Free Bridge Meteorite is no less impressive. The movement, visible through the sapphire crystal case-back, is the Girard-Perregaux in-house automatic caliber GP01800. It operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and offers a 54-hour power reserve, embodying the brand’s dedication to precision and endurance. The use of silicon in the escapement and balance wheel components not only boosts the watch’s functionality but also its longevity, thanks to silicon’s anti-magnetic qualities and resistance to deterioration.

A black calfskin strap with a fabric-like texture and white stitching near the lugs, secured with a steel triple-folding clasp, completes the ensemble. This strap choice lends a modern vibe to the watch, ensuring it fits a wide range of settings, from formal gatherings to everyday wear. The watch boasts a price tag of 27,100 EUR (~$29415 USD), which may sound a little outrageous but hey, that’s the price of wearing a fragment of space and centuries-old Swiss timekeeping technology on your wrist. Girard-Perregaux does sweeten the deal with a 5-year extended warranty, though…

The post Girard-Perregaux’s Luxury Timepiece Features 4.5 Billion-Year-Old Meteorite on its Dial first appeared on Yanko Design.

This oddly-shaped Finnish cabin was made with cross-laminated timber to withstand subarctic cold!

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This cabin in the woods is an otherworldly, all-black, geometric structure built to provide cozy refuge even in harsh Finnish winters. It was designed for a California-based CEO who returned home to Finland with her family to be closer to her ancestral land so she could maintain it. The cabin is aptly named Meteorite based on its unique shape and is set in a clearing surrounded by spruce and birch trees. The cabin is made entirely from cross-laminated timber (CLT) which is a sustainable alternative to other construction materials.

The three-story home is built entirely from 272 prefabricated panels of cross-laminated, locally sourced timber—a sustainable material that lends itself to digital design methods and follows the Finnish tradition of timber construction. Air gaps of various sizes behind the facade keep the interior warm without conventional insulation, even during Finland’s freezing winters, and give the Meteorite its out-of-this-world shape.

Inspired by the Ice Age rock formations found throughout the region, the Meteorite is a faceted dwelling designed by Kivi and Tuuli Sotamaa, the brother-and-sister duo behind Ateljé Sotamaa. They designed the faceted structure as a guest house for the family, although during the pandemic it has served also as an office for, a recording studio, and an after-school playroom for children.

The Meteorite’s black-tinted exterior provides a stark contrast to the warm, all-wood interior. “Everything on the outside is designed to dramatically stage the inside,” says Kivi. “It’s a mysterious object, and you don’t quite know what is going on within.” Part of the mystique lies in the deceptive nature of its size—the interior spans only 807 square feet of floor space, yet its total volume is 10,594 cubic feet.

Its envelope contains no plastic or insulation; it’s simply two sheets of wood, and the air gap in between them helps to regulate indoor temperature even when the subarctic climate outside drops to single digits in winter. The “between space,” as Ulla describes it, also hides storage and the building’s technical systems, preserving the minimalist feel of the interior.

The Meteorite’s interior is clad in spruce from floor to ceiling, and all the furniture for the living areas were hand-selected works by Finnish designers that the couple picked out themselves. The dining area features a built-in corner sofa designed by Ateljé Sotamaa with slipcovers and pillows by Klaus Haapaniemi & Co – a local artistic brand with works inspired by traditional Finnish folklore.

The Meteorite was originally envisioned as a guesthouse, but with the pandemic keeping them at home, it now serves as a more permanent, multipurpose space for the family. The traditional separation of work and home has disappeared, and it’s beautiful that they are merged within this single building.

My favorite part of the home – and I’m sure also the kids’ – is the giant net on the top floor. It ties the home together visually while adding connectivity without having to be in the same space. It is also extremely well light thanks to the multiple windows and skylights that are placed on unconventional angles because of the unique shape of the cabin.

The warm wooden interior complements the black timber exterior very well. The cabin is a beautiful blend of Finnish and Scandinavian elements in the finer details as well as the overall aesthetic which is minimal and monochromatic. Meteorite is an elegant picture example of modern architecture and interior that has been woven together with local traditions, simplicity, and sustainability.

Designer: Ateljé Sotamaa

This YouTuber made a Green Lantern Ring out of an actual meteorite rock

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Patrick Adair isn’t your regular silversmith. In his own words, he makes rings “to stand out, not fit in”, and is known to stray away from common elements like gold, silver, or platinum. Instead, Adair’s jewelry is crafted from things like carbon fiber, damascus steel, titanium, a variety of highly eye-catching gemstones, and in this instance, an actual meteorite. While Adair’s methods, materials, and designs definitely set him apart, he even documents his ring-making processes on YouTube for his little-short-of-a-million fans. The video above remains one of my favorites, and has garnered nearly 5 million views. In it, Adair builds a lifelike replica of Green Lantern’s power ring using a block of meteorite rock, and an Emerald fitted into it. The result is nothing short of stunning, although the two-part video should truly fascinate any DIYers interested in the ring-making process.

The ring was pre-ordered by a client who sent Adair a replica of the Green Lantern ring for reference. Making the necessary measurements and design considerations, Adair started by water-jet cutting a piece out of a block of meteorite, before drawing the profiles of the design details on it. A few details (like straight lines, etc) were carved out using a milling machine, while other curved lines and profiles were hand-carved using a sanding disc and drills.

Once the entire ring was carved out of the meteorite rock, deburred, and polished to make it smooth and glossy, Adair proceeded to etch the ring by dunking it in an acid bath. The etching would reveal the meteorite rock’s ‘windsman pattern’, caused by the iron-nickel crystals forming a long structure. The etching process affects all the metals in the meteorite differently, resulting in the unique crisscross pattern that makes the ring look so otherworldly. Finally, an emerald gem was fitted in the top to complete the project before being handed over to the customer. Adair’s meteorite rings can go north of a grand, and I’m sure this one didn’t come cheap (considering he actually bought a CNC milling machine for this) but then again, people spend millions on NFTs and those things aren’t even real…

Designer: Patrick Adair Designs

This YouTuber made a Green Lantern Ring out of an actual meteorite rock

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Patrick Adair isn’t your regular silversmith. In his own words, he makes rings “to stand out, not fit in”, and is known to stray away from common elements like gold, silver, or platinum. Instead, Adair’s jewelry is crafted from things like carbon fiber, damascus steel, titanium, a variety of highly eye-catching gemstones, and in this instance, an actual meteorite. While Adair’s methods, materials, and designs definitely set him apart, he even documents his ring-making processes on YouTube for his little-short-of-a-million fans. The video above remains one of my favorites, and has garnered nearly 5 million views. In it, Adair builds a lifelike replica of Green Lantern’s power ring using a block of meteorite rock, and an Emerald fitted into it. The result is nothing short of stunning, although the two-part video should truly fascinate any DIYers interested in the ring-making process.

The ring was pre-ordered by a client who sent Adair a replica of the Green Lantern ring for reference. Making the necessary measurements and design considerations, Adair started by water-jet cutting a piece out of a block of meteorite, before drawing the profiles of the design details on it. A few details (like straight lines, etc) were carved out using a milling machine, while other curved lines and profiles were hand-carved using a sanding disc and drills.

Once the entire ring was carved out of the meteorite rock, deburred, and polished to make it smooth and glossy, Adair proceeded to etch the ring by dunking it in an acid bath. The etching would reveal the meteorite rock’s ‘windsman pattern’, caused by the iron-nickel crystals forming a long structure. The etching process affects all the metals in the meteorite differently, resulting in the unique crisscross pattern that makes the ring look so otherworldly. Finally, an emerald gem was fitted in the top to complete the project before being handed over to the customer. Adair’s meteorite rings can go north of a grand, and I’m sure this one didn’t come cheap (considering he actually bought a CNC milling machine for this) but then again, people spend millions on NFTs and those things aren’t even real…

Designer: Patrick Adair Designs

A tiny space rock holds clues about the evolution of life

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Back in 2012, a team of Japanese and Belgian researchers in Antarctica found a golf ball-sized space rock resting in the snow. Now, NASA astronauts have had a chance to study a piece of that meteorite, Asuka 12236, and they say it may hold new clues...