The Rolex Forums   The Rolex Watch

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Old 11 November 2007, 04:27 PM   #1
supra2nv
"TRF" Member
 
supra2nv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: cali
Posts: 355
Meteorite dials, what kind are they?

curious what kind of meteorite dial rolex uses. anyone know?
supra2nv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11 November 2007, 06:16 PM   #2
worktolivelife
"TRF" Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 1,365
SLICES FROM THE "GIBEON METEORITE" ARE USED IN ALL ROLEX DIALS

here's a google extract

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.
steve
__________________
MEMBER NO.142
worktolivelife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11 November 2007, 09:41 PM   #3
SPACE-DWELLER
"TRF" Member
 
SPACE-DWELLER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Real Name: Bo
Location: Denmark
Watch: Rolex, of course!
Posts: 22,436
Interesting info!

Thanks for sharing!
__________________
With kind regards, Bo

LocTite 221: The Taming Of The Screw...
SPACE-DWELLER is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11 November 2007, 09:55 PM   #4
mike
"TRF" Member
 
mike's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 22,683
Great Info Steve.
mike is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Wrist Aficionado

My Watch LLC

WatchesOff5th

DavidSW Watches

Takuya Watches

OCWatches


*Banners Of The Month*
This space is provided to horological resources.





Copyright ©2004-2024, The Rolex Forums. All Rights Reserved.

ROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEXROLEX

Rolex is a registered trademark of ROLEX USA. The Rolex Forums is not affiliated with ROLEX USA in any way.