Wearables

Blacklamp Carbon watch sports NASA-developed "Moonglow"

Blacklamp Carbon watch sports NASA-developed "Moonglow"
The Blacklamp Carbon has a simple exterior that hides its rather unique features
The Blacklamp Carbon has a simple exterior that hides its rather unique features
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The Blacklamp Carbon has a simple exterior that hides its rather unique features
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The Blacklamp Carbon has a simple exterior that hides its rather unique features
A Tritium gas light constantly glows at the crown of the watch
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A Tritium gas light constantly glows at the crown of the watch
Despite its high price tag the Blacklamp Carbon requires manual winding
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Despite its high price tag the Blacklamp Carbon requires manual winding
The watch mechanism is rather beautiful, as you would expect from a $16,000 timepiece
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The watch mechanism is rather beautiful, as you would expect from a $16,000 timepiece
The Blacklamp Carbon features a ring of Moonglow, a NASA-developed material that illuminates the dial
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The Blacklamp Carbon features a ring of Moonglow, a NASA-developed material that illuminates the dial
The Blacklamp Carbon is produced by the UK-based Schofield Watch Company
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The Blacklamp Carbon is produced by the UK-based Schofield Watch Company
View gallery - 6 images

The Blacklamp Carbon watch produced by the UK-based Schofield Watch Company lights up in two different, and rather unusual, ways. This goes some way to explaining, but probably cannot justify, the asking price of £9,900 (US$16,000).

On the surface, the Blacklamp Carbon is a classic black wristwatch requiring manual winding. But this ignores the new materials used to make this watch unique. It is forged from a proprietary material called Morta, described as a “special matrix of carbon fiber, hand-laid and formed into small billets.” A single billet of the material is used for each watch, making every single one slightly different than the others.

The lighting comes in two forms: a Tritium gas light sits in the crown of the watch, while a ring of Moonglow material sits around the rim of the dial. The Tritium gas light is self-powered and continuously emits a low-level glow that is invisible during the day but a constant presence during the night. The Moonglow is a luminous material developed by NASA that is able to emit light for much longer than the star stickers used to create virtual constellations on the ceilings of kid's rooms around the world.

The Blacklamp Carbon is a limited edition timepiece with just 101 available to buy. Still, with such a hefty price tag they're unlikely to sell out fast.

Source: Schofield via Hodinkee

View gallery - 6 images
4 comments
4 comments
Slowburn
It will lose half of its tritium glow in 12 years.
The Skud
No worries Slowburn - by then, thanks to Fukishima, the wearer will be glowing enough to read his watch without it!
dandrews1138
It never ceases to amaze me the silly things wealthy people spend their money on.
Slowburn
@ The Skud
Why Fukishima? there are numerous sunken nuclear submarines including the one the Russians intentionally scuttled in shallow water because it was to expensive to clean up properly.