Model Series: 42mm Stainless with 24mm Screw Lugs
Collected By: "Bones", Mint Hill, NC, USA
Dial: Mars Meteorite NWA6963
Bezel:Brushed
Movement: The marvelous Swiss Omega 2500C Co-axial automatic movement, 25 jewels running at 25,200 beats per hour with a 48 hour power reserve
Case:Stainless with display back
Crystal: Scratch-resistant Sapphire upper and lower
Retention: Hornback Crocodile leather with a double deployment clasp as the primary band, with an alternate ss bracelet with double deployant clasp
Hands: Silver Dauphine with white lume
This is a bespoke watch made for Michael Hamlet aka "Bones" (flew F-4 Phantoms) who had previously purchased number 51. He named it Planum Australe for the southern polar region of Mars. This region of Mars was intended to be explored by a probe in 1999 but it was lost during landing. The Mars Polar Lander's demise apparently occurred when the lander thought the jolt of its landing leg deployment was touchdown - and shut its engines off prematurely. Moments later it crashed into Mars.
This is made from a piece of the Mars Meteorite known as NWA6963 which was found in Morocco in 2011. The detailed meteoritical bulletin information on this particular meteorite can be found here:
The grain and color in this stone is fascinating to see under magnification. It is stony meteorite because it is from Mars basalt that got blasted off the planet. It is only weakly attracted to a magnet because there is only a small amount of iron in it.