We’re still working on the spaceships to get people to Mars, but our Martian wristwear is all set to go. Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin has created the aptly-named Mars Conqueror Mk3 Fighter — the first Martian mechanical watch in history. And holy cow, is it loaded with features.
Mk3 Fighter Features
Like everything with this watch, the titanium build is an intentional nod to the traditional aircraft and spacecraft material. Triangular edges complement the trapezoidal design, which resembles the mooring lock of a spacecraft docking system.
Guided by what he needed from a watch during his time in the military, Chaykin made the hands large enough to be clearly distinguished from the dial. And as a tribute to the vehicles that would be getting the explorers to Mars, he designed the hands with the distinctive shape of rockets.
Martian Time
One of the most interesting features of this watch is the “Mars Time” feature. To figure out Martian time, Chaykin had to actually work out a synchronization between Mars time and Earth time. On the watch face, the larger dial tells the terrestrial time, while smaller dials display the time and date on Mars. As a result, the watch can be used to show the duration of missions in sols (Mars-days).
While it’s a unique and showy piece, this “Mars Time” function gives the Mars Conqueror Mk3 Fighter some actual street cred. Its functionality as a potential timepiece for Mars explorers makes it one of a kind.
Universally Rare
Well, eight of a kind, anyway. If you’re looking to get one of these watches, you have about as good a chance of snagging one as you do of actually going to Mars, since only eight of the first edition have been made. Each Mk3 Fighter demands €19,710, or around $24,000 USD at the time of writing.
There’s no word on water resistance, but until we find water on the Red Planet, that shouldn’t be an issue.
