Berlin Wall watch

The watch, currently a project on Kickstarter, gets pieces of the Wall, torn down on November 9, 1989, from John Gaps III, a photographer, who was on the ground at the time the Wall came down. He managed to cover the next few days as people took down pieces of the border that divided East and West Germany, collecting some chunks for himself. Now, some pieces of his collection find his way into the watch’s crown — a hollow piece with a glass lid on it. Gaps certifies each watch himself. The dial is made of genuine marble to honour the Brandenburg Gate, and is decorated with graffiti inspired by those on the Berlin Wall itself.

It comes in two editions — one with the graffiti painted on, and another with it etched on to the marble, two straps — a leather and a metal, and two sizes — 42mm and 48mm. Powered by an original Seiko movement, the watch is limited to 1,989 pieces of each dial edition, with the serial number of each engraved on the sides. Each piece comes with a certificate of authenticity, a travel case, and a Moments in Time , a book which documents the making of the watch. At $649 for the leather strap edition and $699 for the metal one, this is a fairly palatable piece of German Reunification