toledano & chan carves meteorite as b/1m watch prototype inspired by brutalist architecture

b/1m watch prototype by toledano & chan using metorite

Toledano & Chan brings out the prototype of their b/1m watch, a timepiece carved from meteorite and inspired by the Brutalist window designed by Marcel Breuer in Manhattan. The accessory comes to life after Phillips Watches asked the brand to participate in the TimeForArt auction in New York City on December 7th, 2024. The edition of the auction focuses on contemporary art, and Toledano & Chan bring their own architectural take to the artistic brief by shaping the meteorite into a Brutalist-inspired watch, which they’ve done before.

Design-wise, there’s a jutting part on the right side of the timepiece, which references the window designed by Marcel Breuer at the Whitney Museum of American Art and gives the watch a more angular look. There are no numbers or symbols indicating the time inside the dial. It’s purely instinctual, as if the wearer already knows the position of the hours and minutes. The minute hand has a sharp tip, while the hour hand is less pointed. What may look like rock scratches appear around the dial, but these are innate to the meteorite that the brand has used.

all images courtesy of Toledano & Chan, unless stated otherwise

Brutalist architecture inspires the timepiece’s design

Many may consider Brutalist architecture as a form of art itself, and Toledano & Chan might fall in that line. The brand carves the meteorite into the b/1m watch prototype’s case, dial, and lugs, retaining and respecting the rock’s raw look by not mixing in other components. The dial resembles the window that Marcel Breuer designed at the Whitney Museum of American Art (now under Sotheby’s), following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the B/1.

Aside from the meteorite, Toledano & Chan add a pair of gray ostrich leg straps to the timepiece to match the color of the meteorite. So far, the brand says that the prototype is a one-off model set to be auctioned at TimeForArt in December 2024. After that, they plan to do a limited run of the Brutalist-architecture-inspired timepiece in 2025. The team adds that while the production version will keep the same design basics as the prototype, other visual elements will differ. As to what parts those are, Toledano & Chan have yet to mention them.

Brutalist-inspired b/1m watch made from meteorite to be auctioned at TimeForArt | image courtesy of TimeForArt