Today marks the anniversary of the Apollo 11 crew embarking on a journey into the unknown to change the world – and the moon – forever. To celebrate this historic date, we’re thrilled to announce the release of our brand new lunar-themed Grey Dot timepiece. This fresh design boasts 316L stainless steel construction, a moon-grey meteorite dial and an Apollo 11 flown Kapton foil inclusion, merging cosmological relics with space-age engineering materials in true Diatom style.
From Blue Dot to Grey Dot
Back when Diatom Watches launched its inaugural Blue Dot timepiece, our design philosophy was simple: pay tribute to Earth and the fragile brilliance of life on this pale blue dot we call home. Grey Dot takes things a whole lot further – 384,400 kilometers, to be more specific – and shifts the focus to the Moon. While Blue Dot captured Earth’s colour and vitality, Grey Dot leans into the Moon’s quiet resilience, with its muted grey palette a deliberate nod to the lunar surface. However, the real magic lies in what it’s made of...
The Dial That Fell From Space
At the heart of Grey Dot is a slice of Muonionalusta meteorite, which aside from being a brilliant icebreaker at parties is also one of the oldest materials you can physically hold. This chunk of iron-nickel alloy landed in northern Scandinavia over a million years ago but was actually formed around 4.5 billion years ago when a long-lost planetary body was pulled apart in the early solar system.
What really sets the meteorite dial apart though is its Widmanstätten pattern, a natural crystal structure that forms as the metal cools incredibly slowly while floating through the endless expanse of space. Furthermore, each dial is a complete one of a kind, boasting a unique version of this mesmerising pattern formed on truly cosmological timescales. 
A Hidden Piece of History
Beneath the dial lies another secret, an actual piece of Kapton foil from the Apollo 11 spacecraft. This high-performance insulation material rode alongside Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins as they ventured to the Moon and back, enduring everything from the vacuum of outer space to the furnace-like temperatures of atmospheric re-entry.
It’s a subtle nod to spaceflight’s unsung heroes, the space-age materials that made the impossible possible. It’s also a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful stories are the ones hidden in the details.
Built for Earth. Inspired by Space.
Of course, even a watch with such cosmological credentials needs to function flawlessly here on Earth, and that’s where its ultra-precise mechanism comes in. Grey Dot’s beating heart is a Swiss-made movement, chosen for its precision, reliability and seamless performance in a crisis (though hopefully not an Apollo 13-level one).
Every element of Grey Dot has been carefully chosen to pay tribute to the past, while ensuring that the watch is tough enough to withstand anything the future can throw at it. For example, the case is crafted from corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel – certainly tough enough for everyday missions – while the sapphire crystal glass is treated for clarity and scratch resistance. 
A Taste of the Truly Tangible
In a world of disposable smartwatches that only last a handful of years, we believe that quality, endurance and legacy should still count for something. So, if you’re after a watch that champions the truly tangible – something with real texture, history and meaning – Grey Dot may be just what you’re looking for.