Mars Conqueror MkI

Konstantin Chaykin’s Martian Chronicles, Episode 2
Highly complicated watch mechanics of Mars Conqueror watch was obviously required to be meticulously proved and tested, especially if we will take into account 175 parts used for assembly of display module and the fact that the number includes as many as 30 wheels. Therefore, before disclosing information about the new Mars Conqueror watch to the public, Konstantin Chaykin had decided to perform it’s thorough all-around testing. Caliber K20-1, the original version of the Mars Conqueror MkI prototype movement, as well as the prototype itself were presented to public in a friendly privity manner in Moscow on July 27, 2018, at the very moment of the closest opposition of the Mars and our planet. Meeting the persistent interest to the project expressed by numerous collectors and friends of the brand during Basel World-2019 fair Konstantin Chaykin had finally decided to present to the public his Mars Conqueror watch. April 12, 2019, the date of official presentation, was chosen because it is the International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrated annually around the world in honor of anniversary of the first manned space flight, which was performed on April 12, 1961 by the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on the Vostok-1 spacecraft.
The development of the first truly Martian and fully mechanical complicated watch is a long and laborious process, while the same thing we may say about the preparation for the first manned flight to Mars. During testing the first prototype of the Mars Conqueror watch therefore described by Konstantin Chaykin as “Mars Conqueror MkI”, the performance and functions of the originally developed movement was confirmed entirely. The testing had revealed two minor technical bugs that, however, do not have a destructive effect on the overall functionality of the watch. Nevertheless, Konstantin Chaykin had decided to improve Caliber K20-1. In particular he eliminated the backlash of the wheel system of the Martian time dial as well as modified the design of the rocking bridge in the Martian time indication module, thus allowing to disengage wheel without switching the module to the correction of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), that was necessary in the original design of Caliber K20-1.

Waiting for Mars Conqueror MkII
However, presenting Mars Conqueror MkI prototype to the public, Konstantin Chaykin does not reveal all his trumps. He had already developed a new striking design of Mars Conqueror MkII watch, to be released in a limited edition and revealed in the fall of 2019.

Mars Conqueror MkI prototype Specifications
Caliber: | K20-1, automatic winding |
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Base movement: | Swiss made Eta 2836-2 |
Complication module: | completely produced by Konstantin Chaykin manufacture |
Movement dimensions: | 51.2 х 32.6mm; height 8.0mm (incl. module) |
Module parts: | 175 |
Case: | titanium |
Case dimensions: | 60 х 48.5mm (with lugs), 60 х 40mm (without lugs); height 15.0mm |
Watch crystals: | 3 sapphire glasses with antireflective coating, diameters 18.5mm, 15.7mm and 15.7mm |
Case parts: | 74 |
Caseback: | titanium, with sapphire glass; Martian time, Martian date and planets indicator correctors |
Dials finish: | matt black lacquer |
Dials parts: | 5 |
Strap: | white leather with inserts of white fabric of space suit, calf leather lining, orange stitching |
Buckle: | Konstantin Chaykin prong buckle in titanium |