Earlier in 2013, a very unusual request arrived at the workshop from a customer who already owned several Grieb & Benzinger timepieces.

This particular gentlemen’s son happened to be huge fan of space, science fiction and aliens, with a wish to own an alien-themed watch along the lines of the legendary Area 51 coupled with Grieb & Benzinger’s famous horological techniques.

Within the horological world, we know that the team at Grieb & Benzinger are used to creating extraordinary and beautiful themed timepieces, but surely this would be a step too far even for them? Using well-known Hollywood movies featuring extraterrestrials for the basis of the theme, this extraordinary project came to fruition using materials that allowed for a metalized liquid appearance.

Thanks to the extreme talent of Albrecht Bolz, a master goldsmith, and the man responsible of all Grieb & Benzinger goldsmith needs, the final result looks unusual and amazing to say the least. Three-dimensional aliens with metalized surfaces and ruby-set eyes against a backdrop of a grey moon-surface dial with craters set with diamonds open the door to a new era of Grieb & Benzinger Boutique customer design.

One of the main features of a Grieb & Benzinger watch is that it looks great from both sides. The back of the Area 51 timepiece displays the mechanical movement with in-house modifications like all Grieb & Benzinger watches created in traditional craftsmanship using historical machines and tools: skeletonization, guilloché and engraving are all completed by hand to achieve an impressive movement with a great deal of character. This movement is also blackened and continues the extraterrestrial theme: three-dimensional planets – of course prominently including Mother Earth – are set on the bridges providing an impression of the depths of space.

The Grieb & Benzinger Area 51 timepiece is housed in a solid 18K palladium white gold case and secured using an extra-short strap with red stitching, this Area 51 watch will ensure its future owner, a very fortunate 12-year-old will carry his dreams and memories upon his wrist for many years to come.

And how much did this token of fatherly love cost?… Undisclosed, however, the price of the smile is something that money cannot buy.