OUR STORY
Diatom was founded by aerospace engineers deeply rooted in materials science, component design and extreme-environment engineering, giving us unprecedented access to extraordinary materials and the expertise needed to transform them into truly discussion-worthy timepieces.
Who are we
Aerospace Experts
Following on from their materials science PhDs, Diatom co-founders Dr. Chris Rose and Dr. Alex Baker entered the space sector to facilitate affordable and rapidly deployable spaceflight technologies. They designed and developed a bespoke launch platform to gain access to the Near-Space environment at a fraction of the cost associated with conventional rocketry.
Why Diatom
Groundbreaking Research
In 2015, Alex and Chris developed a scientific probe and launched it into Near Space aboard their proprietary platform to sample stratospheric particulates. This flight led to a remarkable discovery: the presence of diatoms (microscopic algae-like organisms) in the outer reaches of Earth's atmosphere, something at odds with well-accepted theories of how high such particles can travel. This raised the intriguing prospect that these microorganisms could have originated somewhere beyond our home planet.
Why we're unique
Access to extraordinary materials
After over a decade of launch operations and collaborations with cutting-edge research institutions, space agencies and astronauts, Chris and Alex now have an extensive aerospace network from which to source extraordinary natural materials and rare mission-flown artefacts, as well as the scientific knowledge to forge never-before-seen alloys and craft them into bespoke watch components.