Here at Diatom, we’re proud to honour the legacy of historic space flights by integrating mission-flown materials into our watches. We believe that these rare and special pieces of legendary spacecraft should be given the continued dignity of serving a specific purpose – to have function as well as form – just as they would have had during their respective missions. What better way to continue their legacy for many years to come.
Elevating history
While impressive from a historical perspective, the majority of these space-flown materials aren’t suitable to be machined into watch components in their raw form. For example, a sheet of Kapton foil designed to protect astronauts from cosmic radiation wouldn’t possess the structural integrity or have the necessary mass to function as a rotor. That’s where our founders’ decades of engineering experience comes in. Dr. Chris Rose and Dr. Alex Baker apply their comprehensive materials-science expertise to pinpoint desirable microstructural properties for each component, and then alloy the original material with additional elements to optimise its properties for its new horological role.
Forging never-before-seen materials
Creating new materials is an incredibly informed undertaking and requires a mixture of heavy engineering and advanced manufacturing techniques. A proprietary Diatom alloy is formed by fusing a range of metallic elements with carefully preserved material from a specific space mission. Through the controlled application of heat and pressure, these disparate materials are fused together at a microscopic level to create a homogenous structure that’s optimised for performance, while preserving the original material’s historical significance.
Made to measure
Once an alloy has been formed into an ingot, it’s then hot-rolled into plates and quench hardened to imbue it with a high-strength microstructure. The plates are subsequently precision machined into the components in question using state-of-the-art CNC equipment, with each piece subject to strict quality control measures that ensure a perfect fit during the assembly process.
Part of our DNA
Developing never-before-seen alloys and crafting them into bespoke watch components is truly part of our brand DNA, with our unique multi-stage manufacturing process allowing us to breathe new life into our collection of historic artifacts and share them with fellow enthusiasts. It isn’t without its challenges, that’s for sure, but we continue to do it because it’s part of what makes Diatom timepieces so special.
Be sure to check out the entire Diatom range to discover the extraordinary materials incorporated into each and every timepiece.