In an industry where storytelling often outweighs substance, Diatom takes a different approach; one rooted in real engineering, scientific rigour, and materials expertise shaped in the space sector.
Before founding Diatom, both Dr Chris Rose and Dr Alex Baker spent more than a decade working in aerospace and space research. With PhDs in engineering materials, microscopic analysis and high-performance component design, they have a long history and understanding of all of the things that today make Diatom special. But the story didn’t stop when the first watch launched. Today, our founders remain closely connected to the space sector, consulting on material behaviour and spacecraft integration while continuing to publish research and collaborate with global teams.
Embedded in the Space Industry
You’ll find Diatom’s founders in labs as much as design studios. Their work with NASA astronauts, UK space organisations, and international research institutions isn’t just history, it’s ongoing. That depth of experience means we don’t rely on second-hand supplier promises or marketing-friendly half-truths. We verify the rare materials we use. We understand the stress behaviours of metals, the microstructure of meteorites, and the importance of provenance. If we say it’s a Gibeon meteorite, it’s because we’ve tested it, using the same care applied to flight-critical spacecraft components. That experience, and those active links to the space sector, give us access to materials and insight that very few watch brands, even high-end household names, can match.
Why That Background Matters
When you buy a watch from Diatom, you’re not just buying into a story, you’re buying into engineering integrity. We know how easily false claims circulate in the watch world. That’s why we take the same rigorous approach to verification that we used in our aerospace work.
Meteorite dials? We analyse them using electron microscopy, and elemental analysis. Rare aerospace alloys? We know the grain structure, heat treatment, and origin. Space-flown artefacts? We only use verified materials, from sources we can trace and stand behind.
For us, authenticity doesn’t start with marketing. It starts with a method.
How We Verify the Materials We Use
Material verification is the foundation of our process. Our lab experience means we’re able to examine meteorites using scanning electron microscopy, analyse surface composition via EDAX, and interpret microstructures that confirm both authenticity and origin. We’ve worked with meteorites containing Martian and lunar signatures, and we’ve analysed spacecraft alloys built to survive atmospheric re-entry or the vacuum of space. If a dial, rotor or embellishment includes a rare material, we’ve either personally handled the testing or worked with the lab that did. That’s the standard we set, and the only one we think is acceptable when working with rare or historic materials.
Science Over Hype
We understand that, as an engineering-led watch brand, we don’t always play the same game as other names in the space. There are louder brands. Bigger margins. More familiar marketing tropes. But what we offer instead is trust, science, and long-term value. We didn’t enter the watch world from fashion or design. We came into it from the world of spacecraft build engineering, planetary science, and precision manufacturing. That background changes what we value, and what we think customers should value too. It’s not about a logo on the dial. It’s about what that dial is made from and how confidently you can believe the story behind it.
A Different Kind of Watchmaker
Diatom represents a new generation of watch brands that’s merging the magic of storytelling with the authority of science. We continue to conduct research, maintain space agency partnerships and contribute to engineering projects for future missions. This means that when you select a Diatom Space Watch, you're choosing a timepiece created by engineers who've built spacecraft, analysed extraterrestrial samples and are still deeply rooted within the space industry.
If you’ve come across Diatom for the first time and wondered how our watches can incorporate such rare and storied materials, the answer is simple: we know what we’re doing. From ancient meteorites to Apollo-era relics, we don’t chase novelty. We pursue what’s real, verifiable, and significant, scientifically and historically.
This is Diatom – where science meets horology.