How about Rolex & meteorites....?

[entropydave]

Ok - i see that we saw some fantastic pics in the "Rolex & musical instruments" thread - some wonderful 6 string gods out there which showed me you folk have REAL taste....
I'd wonder if anyone can contribute to this thread?
My BIG slice of the Esquel pallasite (146g & largest specimen in private hands here in the UK ) and my AK - note that the light is coming through the meteorite. not reflected off it....
Sorry the pic is a bit shaky, but I hand held the camera rather than use a flash.
Even Rolex couldn't make a dial outta this stuff!

[entropydave]

No comments, folks?!
Surely there's some rock collectors out there!

[mdx77]

Sorry Dave....don't mean to offend, but I've never seen something like that b4....

[Prince]

Esquel Pallasite, Eh??? Very interesting. Tell us more about it, Dave. Very intriguing...

BTW, VERY nice AK!!!

[mdx77]

Originally Posted by Prince

Esquel Pallasite, Eh??? Very interesting. Tell us more about it, Dave. Very intriguing...

BTW, VERY nice AK!!!

x2....yes I'm sure we'd all like to know more!!!

[entropydave]

Originally Posted by mdx77

Sorry Dave....don't mean to offend, but I've never seen something like that b4....

Found in 1951 by cowboys digging a well in Chubut, Argentina... a large mass which, when sliced revealed a meteorite from the pallasite class (stony-iron) - it is a core-mantle sample - essentially the parent body was almost formed into an asteroid of planetary size when it was hit violently 4.5 billion years ago (the age of viurtually all meteorites) and fragmented - the molten olivine surrounding the iron core was smushed together to produce a stony iron meteorite (there are 2 types - mesosiderites and pallasites) as you can see there are crystals of olivine locked in iron. Esquel is probably the most beatiful of the pallasites and calls in about $40-$50 per gram in weight - this piece is 146g in weight and is a thick slice (5mm) - very rare and indicates this is an early slice (circa 1960s) - now they are cut very thin (1-2mm) so the olivines drop out and also you don't get the depth of colour you have in this type of thick cut.

Incidentally - sometimes one comes across olivines (aka peridot) cut and set - the price for carat is several times that of diamond as to get a clear, unfractured olivine is rare as most shatter internally on impact with the Earth.

Pallasites are a very rare sub-class of meteorites - around 2% of falls & finds.

I could go on about space rocks for ever...! I got loads including Lunar and Martian specimens as well.

[Letsgodiving]

Not a meteorite but how about a malachite dial.

[entropydave]

Originally Posted by Letsgodiving

Not a meteorite but how about a malachite dial.

BTW - I think I've seen a malachite dial on a Rolly

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Here's a google extract:


"SLICES FROM THE "GIBEON METEORITE" ARE USED IN ALL ROLEX DIALS"



The Fall:
Although no one knows for sure when the Gibeon meteorite fell to earth, everyone agrees it was in prehistoric times; some speculate it was about 12,000 years ago. The strewn field it fell in is among the largest on earth, 70 miles wide by 230 miles long



The Slices
Most meteorites with a high iron content - such as the Gibeon Meteorite - were formed in the cores of asteroids at temperatures up to and over 2,500EF and were originally completely molten.
Very gradually - at a rate of perhaps 18-180EF per million years - the liquid metal cooled and began to crystallize. In cases where the percentage of nickel to iron in the cooling mixture was "just right," two alloys, Taenite and Kamacite, would form slightly different crystal structures which grew into and over each other.
The resulting intricate designs created by this intergrowth are called "Widmanstatten Figures" and are characteristic of many iron meteorites. Radiometric dating indicates the crystallization of Taenite and Kamacite in the Gibeon Meteorite took place more than 4 billion years ago.


Gibeon Meteorite Facts, Information and Description

Since it was first discovered in 1836 in Great Namaqualand, Namibia, Africa, more than 25 tons of Gibeon meteorites have been recovered and although export and sale was banned by the Namibian government, it is still one of the most commonly available meteorites on the market today. The Gibeon meteorites come from broken asteroid fragments or an exploded star and radiometric dating places the age at around 4 billion years old.

Gibeon meteorites are composed of iron, nickel and small amounts of cobalt and classified as a fine octahedrite iron meteorite. Some other minerals that may be found in the meteorite are chromite, deabreelite, enstatite, kamacite, taenite, troilite or tridymite.


Lines and patterns are the result of cooling in outer space over billions of years and etching slices with dilute nitric acid allow these patterns known as "Widmanstatten lines" to be more visible.

Until recent years, most Gibeon meteorites that were recovered weighed between 200 and 1100 pounds. One of the largest masses ever found weighed over 1400 pounds. Probably due to better metal detection equipment, many smaller specimens have been recovered recently.

When a meteorite enters the Earth's atmosphere, friction raises the surface temperature above its melting point. As the meteorite descends, it slows down, and the heat from friction decreases resulting in a thin layer of dark glass. The surface on some meteorite's may develop shallow pits during the entry process and these pits resemble thumb prints and are known as regmaglypts. Imagine bread dough that has been kneaded which leaves finger imprints in the dough ball.

(originally posted by Steve (AKA "Worktolife").

[Welshwatchman]

Yes Dave, empart some of your knowledge.

The may not be collectors here but the are probably a few potential collectors who could be interested in all the facts and figures.

[Trainer]

So what are the "meteorite" dials on a Rolex made of?

Tempus Fugit,
Trainer

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Originally Posted by Trainer

So what are the "meteorite" dials on a Rolex made of?

Tempus Fugit,
Trainer

Make a qualified guess!

[True Brit]

I believe the largest private or public collection West of the Mississippi in the US. Just a couple of pics.

[entropydave]

Gibeon is one of the commonest irons, it's got a lovely Wid pattern, tends not to rust, relatively free of inclusions such as Troilite, Schreibersite, Graphite and cheap to buy. In fact I remember posting a pic of one of my pieces of Gib on a thread.
IMHO, I don't like seeing meteorite dials - I find it slightly tacky to be honest. They have enough wonder in themselves - to incorporate it into a watch is over egging the pudding.
However - it would be quite cool (but wasteful) to see a watch with a Lunar or Martian dial! But very pricey and fragile as they are basaltic in nature...

[entropydave]

They are nice big 'uns! Look like Canyon Diablo to me from here... am I right?

[Peter Messmore]

Dave,I have collected rocks since childhood,but do not have any meteorites. Lots of rocks,one Rolex, Peter

[entropydave]

Originally Posted by Peter Messmore

Dave,I have collected rocks since childhood,but do not have any meteorites. Lots of rocks,one Rolex, Peter

A bit like me! But I have to say I'd be tempted to sell or swap the Esquel slice for a sub or SD...

[MAC4130]

Very interesting read guys thanks for sharing!!!

[Thani]

i like that metiorite !!

[entropydave]

Originally Posted by Thani

i like that metiorite !!

Which one? the Gib or the Esquel?!

[Trev]

Very cool. I'd love to see some of the lunar or martian ones. Is there any good online market/sellers for these types of things?

[entropydave]

Originally Posted by southcreative

Very cool. I'd love to see some of the lunar or martian ones. Is there any good online market/sellers for these types of things?

...er...me? I am a member of the International Meteorite Collectors Association #0092.
I collect and I sell too - I can get some very rare rocks. Oooops, gone