SJX Watches
Hands On: Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Meteorite
When it comes to planetarium wristwatches, Christiaan van der Klaauw (CvdK) has little competition, since it owns much of the intellectual property behind the complication. But that hasn’t stopped the brand from competing with itself, and the result the Grand Planetarium Eccentric Meteorite, the most complete model of the solar system ever put in a wristwatch. It’s a maximalist approach to the planetarium concept that’s almost overwhelming in look and feel, thanks to the rich texture of its solid 44 mm meteorite case and busy dial. Building on the Grand Planetarium Eccentric from 2024, the Eccentric Meteorite manages to squeeze in the astroid belt, which is itself embellished with chunks of meteorite that originated on Mars. Intended to be a limited edition of three pieces, it’s possible that just two will be made given the limited quantity of meteorite on hand. The sun at the center of the dial functions as a running indicator, rotating once per minute. Initial thoughts The planetarium is among the most romantic of all complications due to its inherent uselessness; unlike a minute repeater or perpetual calendar, there’s not much action that can be taken with the information provided. But mankind has sought to understand its place in the universe for millennia, and the planetarium offers an intuitive way to visualise our real-time location relative to the sun and the other planets in our solar system. There’s also a strange appeal to the glacially slow speed of...
