A new collaboration watch between a small independent and NASA: the Xeric Trappist-1 NASA Edition. We received early first information and got approval to release this now ahead of the embargo of 10am PDT July 16.
Link to Kickstarter program. Will be live after 10am PDT July 16, 2019.
Press Release
In 2017 Xeric launched the highly successful Trappist-1 Moonphase, celebrating the significant discovery of the Trappist-1 system of planets that hold potential for life. Now in 2019, they’re celebrating another significant milestone in the history of mankind — the 50th anniversary of our landing on the moon. They have teamed up with NASA to create a series of space-inspired watches that pay tribute to the Apollo missions and the day that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
The new Trappist-1 NASA Edition features orbiting Tritium + Super-LumiNova hands, sweeping star seconds, a miyota 82s0 with a custom rotor and a unique case construction machined from 316L stainless steel.
Available in 10 versions with either an automatic movement or a quartz movement (total of 10 versions).
Tritium+Superluminova Display
The Trappist-1 NASA Edition uses two orbiting planets to tell the time. The inner orbit indicates the hour while the outer planet points to the minutes. The planetary hands are back filled with Super-LumiNova to be easily legible throughout the night. The automatic versions also feature tritium gas-filled tubes on the hands. These glass tubes glow brightly and continuously for decades without having to be charged by any external light like traditional luminescent material used in watches.
ISS Cupola Grille
The grille was inspired by the Cupola module on the ISS, the largest viewing port ever placed in space.The Cupola is comprised of 7 windows to create the ultimate 3D observation deck, giving astronauts an incredible view of the earth below and the space that surrounds it.
Super-LumiNova Trappist-1 Constellation Dial
The stars on the dial are an exact map of the constellations surrounding the Trappist-1 solar system. The stars are printed in varying sizes using Super-Luminova, matching the relative luminosity and distance of each star in that slice of the night sky.
Custom Trappist-1 Rotor
The automatic version is powered by a miyota 82s0 and features a custom rotor inspired by the trappist-1 solar system. The positive/negative orbit paths represent 5 of the 7 planets that orbit around the central red dwarf star.
Apollo 11 anniversary Caseback
The quartz version features a limited edition caseback, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. The laser engraved graphic pays tribute to the original mission patch that was released after Apollo 11’s successful return home.
Hesalite Dome Crystal
The watch features a dome crystal made from Hesalite, a material that was originally developed for NASA. The material was introduced in the 1960s as a crystal replacement for space bound watches. The first watch to be worn on the moon by Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong had to withstand the harsh environment of space. A standard sapphire crystal poses many issues in the event of an impact in zero gravity as tiny fragments of floating glass could spell disaster for the cabin and onboard crew. To remedy this, NASA replaced sapphire crystals with Hesalite versions as they have a higher resistance to impact and do not shatter like traditional glass.
Horween Leather
The straps are made using full grain leather from a US based Horween tannery. The leather is textured and stitched to pay tribute to the articulated ridge-lines seen on space gloves.
Technical Specifications
Trappist-1 Auto
Price: Early Bird $289 / MSRP $450-550
Movement:
Miyota 82S0 Automatic
Custom Trappist-1 rotor
Functions:
Tritium + Superluminova Planetary hours / minutes / star seconds
Superluminova star map dial
Case:
Hand finished 316L steel case
Hesalite dome crystal
Water resistance: 5 atm
Dimensions: 44mm x 15mm (+4mm crystal)
Strap:
Horween Leather
Quick release spring bar system
Trappist-1 Quartz
Price: Early Bird $169 / MSRP $250-300
Movement:
Seiko VH31 Quartz
Functions:
Superluminova Planetary hours / minutes / seconds
Superluminova star map dial
Case:
Hand finished 316L steel case
Hesalite dome crystal
Water resistance: 5 atm
Dimensions: 44mm x 15mm
Apollo 11 anniversary caseback
Strap:
Horween Leather
Quick release spring bar system
Trappist-1 Information:
The backronym pays homage to the Catholic Christian religious order of Trappists and to the Trappist beer it produces (primarily in Belgium), which the astronomers used to toast their discovery.
TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star located 40 light-years from the Sun. A team of Belgian astronomers first discovered three Earth-sized planets orbiting the dwarf star with the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) at the La Silla Observatory in Chile and the Observatoire de l’Oukaïmeden in Morocco. On February 22, 2017, astronomers announced four additional exoplanets using the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope at Paranal. Of these 7 planets, 3 are considered to be in a habitable zone that could harbor environments very similar to earth. The planets orbit so close together you could look up at the night sky and see 6 other planets. On the closest worlds you could make out features more detailed than those on our own moon.
The next steps will be detecting the atmospheres of the TRAPPIST-1 planets, using the Hubble and James Webb Telescopes.
James Webb Space Telescope:
The James Webb Space Telescope will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. The James Webb is the successor to the Hubble Telescope and will be able to measure relative temperature of the planets, as well as detect the chemical composition of their atmospheres. Webb will probe deeper into the planetary atmospheres, searching for heavier gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water and oxygen. The presence of such elements could offer hints of whether life could be present, or if the planets are habitable.
