Introducing: The SpaceOne Tellurium — Bringing The Sun, Earth, And Moon Within Everyone’s Reach

Watches and Wonders is just around the corner. Last year, while I was there, I also visited a smaller watch fair organized at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Geneva. There, I met SpaceOne co-founder Guillaume Laidet while he was showing people the prototypes of the SpaceOne Jumping Hour. That watch — or should I say “spaceship”? —  became a huge success. Now, almost exactly one year later, Guillaume, together with his partner in crime, independent watchmaker Théo Auffret, launches this brand’s second watch — the SpaceOne Tellurium.

The SpaceOne brand — or project — is all about bringing more advanced complications to the masses. That first SpaceOne Jumping Hour sells for roughly €2,000. That is, of course, a serious amount of money. But when you look at the interesting design and the jumping-hour module that Théo specifically developed for that watch, it’s definitely on the affordable side. With the Tellurium, SpaceOne is introducing another uniquely designed watch with a complication you’d rather expect in a much more expensive watch. Let’s find out what the two masterminds concocted this time.

The SpaceOne Tellurium

First of all, let’s talk about that smooth yet angular case design. Like the Jumping Hour, at first glance, the Tellurium also looks more like a spaceship than a watch. Its shape reminds me a bit of those vehicles in F-Zero, a video game I used to play on the Super Nintendo. It looks very aerodynamic, and the crown at 12 resembles a big jet engine. A large part of the case is polished, but there are also some brushed and sandblasted facets. Oh, by the way, the case measures 42mm wide, 50mm long, and 16mm thick with the domed sapphire crystal on top.

What’s also good to know is that the case is made from lightweight titanium. To make sure it doesn’t fly away, you can attach it to your wrist using a black fabric strap that starts at 22mm wide and tapers down to 18mm at the buckle. Just like the Jumping Hour, the Tellurium is also water resistant to 3 ATM.

An accessible miniature planetarium

Even though the case is already quite the conversation starter, the dial of the Tellurium provides ample inspiration to keep that conversation going. Yes, this watch has hour and minute hands, just like many other watches out there. But their length already indicates that they actually play a supporting role. You can also tell from the sparse hour numerals at 4, 8, and 12 o’clock. This dial isn’t really about showing you what time it is. It’s all about showing you how the Sun, Moon, and Earth relate to each other.

The sphere in the center represents the Sun, and the two others gracefully dancing around it represent Earth and the Moon. They do so in the middle of an aventurine dial, which also features canted blue apertures for the hours, jumping date, and sliding month. In this watch, the Earth takes exactly 365 days to revolve around the Sun, and it moves together with the month wheel. The Moon goes around Earth every 29.5 days, and here, it’s connected to the date wheel. The Tellurium, just like the Jumping Hour, is powered by an ordinary Soprod P024 automatic movement. This means you’ll have to manually set the date every two months or so. But that keeps the costs to a minimum, at least.

Auffret × Gamiette

The heliocentric planetary module on top of the Soprod movement was, of course, thought out by Théo Auffret. He seems to have a knack for adding interesting complications on top of a relatively uncomplicated automatic movement. But he’s definitely not a designer. That’s why Guillaume and Théo decided to ask Olivier Gamiette for help. Olivier is the lead exterior designer at the French car manufacturer Peugeot. But alongside his job in the automotive industry, he also designs futuristic watch concepts — just for the fun of it.

I’d say that if you’re into MB&F, go check out Olivier Gamiette’s Instagram profile because you’ll find some extraordinary designs there. Those designs also explain why Guillaume and Théo asked him to design their next watch. His style perfectly matches the neo-futuristic and extravagant aesthetics they were looking for.

Down-to-earth pricing

So, what is the Tellurium, a watch with a brushed, polished, and sandblasted titanium case designed by a renowned designer and featuring a miniature planetarium, going to cost? Well, if you’re thinking MB&F pricing, you’ll be positively surprised because the SpaceOne Tellurium will cost you “only” €2,990 (including VAT). That’s a sum that perfectly pays tribute to SpaceOne’s philosophy of offering high horology at down-to-earth prices.

The SpaceOne Tellurium has been available for pre-order since yesterday. You’ll still be able to get your hands on one until May 5th. For more information, check out the official SpaceOne website.

Let me know what you think of SpaceOne’s new Tellurium in the comments below