The new fake Badollet La Stellaire tourbillon watch is built using ultra-expensive materials, including those that came from the outer space.
However, like a golden zippo lighter that was used by F.D. Roosevelt is light years away from the same object owned by a Texas oil tycoon, the extraterrestrial material is not just an alloy or a gem.
From the practical point of view, there is no difference between a mineral or a metal that came from the Russian Ural Mountains and the same material that travelled million years in space before hitting our mother planet at an enormous speed with 90 percent of its mass totally vaporized when the meteorite pierced the atmosphere.
It has a history behind it. It is in a short supply, like the rusty sheet metal from RMS Titanic that lies on the ocean floor and is not as readily accessible as some retired ship waiting to be sold as scrap metal.
And that’s why the tourbillon carriage of the movement has also been adorned with olivine gems that, while readily available here on Earth, were outsourced from some other celestial body that happened to hit our planet.
Well, that’s why Badollet, the centuries old Swiss made fake Badollet watchmaking brand that came into oblivion in XIX century, but was successfully resurrected a couple years ago decided to use metal from the famous Cape York meteorite to make the baseplate of the BAD1630 hand-wound movement.
To provide a better view at the heavenly baseplate, La Stellaire’s engine-turned dial has a huge cut-out in its northern and western parts.
The opaline-colored dial is further adorned with 72 baguette-cut diamonds and 12 sapphires totaling 2.67 carats.
Photos: Badollet
Badollet La Stellaire Tourbillon hand-wound watch specification
Price: N/A, very expensive
Movement: Manual, BAD1630, 29.90 mm in diameter, 21,600 vph, in-house, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Set with olivine gems
Functions: Hours, minutes, tourbillon, power reserve
Power reserve: 120 hours (5 days)
Case material: 150 palladium-coated white gold
Bezel material: 150 palladium-coated white gold
Case shape: Round
Bezel shape: Round
Case size: 44.00 mm
Lug width: 24.00 mm
Case height: N/A
Dial: Openworked gold base, opaline-colored
Numerals: N/A
Hands: Leaf-shaped
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Entirely hand-stitched black alligator leather strap with folding clasp in 150 palladium-coated white gold
Crystal: Sapphire, antireflective
Case back: Sapphire, extra-hard
You can’t see it on the pictures, but, besides the tourbillon, as well as leaf-shaped rhodium-plated hour and minute hands, the Badollet La Stellaire copy watch also has a power reserve indicator, which is only visible through the timekeeper’s sapphire case back.