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When the Lights Go Out, This Apollo 15 Watch Shows You Asteroid Impacts on the Moon

It was in 1971 when the Apollo 15 astronauts Dave Scott and Jim Irwin were exploring the Moon in a Lunar Roving Vehicle. They traveled 17.5 miles (28 km) in the first car that humans have ever driven on our natural satellite, documenting how the lunar surface looks like. Now, 50 years later, watchmaker Xeric wants to replicate that in a timepiece that incorporates all the details from the Apollo 15 mission.
Xeric NASA Apollo 15 watch 11 photos
Photo: Xeric
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The new watch features a 44mm wide case that wraps a unique display packed with action. What protects it is a curved sapphire glass that resembles the visor you'd see on an astronaut helmet, which offers scratch resistance and reduces glare.

Beneath is where you'll find a grille reminiscent of a spacecraft window through which the crew can see the blackness of space. But you won't get a simple, black canvas with the NASA Apollo 15 watch, no. The dial features a whole orbiting planetary system. You'll find orbiting moons for hands that rotate to indicate time and impact craters coated with a Super-Luminova layer to glow in the dark. And if you want to wear an actual slice of a meteorite on your wrist, the dial on select models uses the real deal.

Underneath all of this lies the beating heart of the timepiece. The wearer can choose between a Xeric Caliber X3.1 Americhron Automatic or an FTS Caliber 7129 Ameriquartz Moonphase. Depending on the choice of movement, the watch can display a realistic luminous moonphase function that shows, as the name suggests, the current phase of the Moon through its 29.5-day cycle in the center of the dial.

Located at the 3 o'clock position, the watch's crowns were inspired by the "Moon Buggy's" unique tires. Made from mesh, tread, inner frame, and hub, they resemble a skeleton of an Earth tire. And this is precisely what Xeric wanted to replicate. The top of the crowns was not left untouched either. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission, the watchmaker put the special insignia designed for the fourth lunar landing.

Turn the watch, and you'll see the lunar rover in action on the caseback. Each colorway will be limited to 1971 pieces and will be individually numbered. What finishes the whole look of the NASA Apollo 15 watch is a leather strap fashioned after astronaut gloves that feature articulated ridges.

Currently, the timepiece is the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, and it has long surpassed its $10,000 goal. Depending on the selected movement, the Moonphase watch can be pre-ordered for $269, while the pricing for the Automatic starts at $489.
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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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