Atari’s limited edition Asteroids watch tells time with orbiting spaceships

Atari has released a collection of new watches with a unique design that celebrates the 45th anniversary of Asteroids. In the original version of the game that debuted in 1979, spotting and shooting a passing UFO would earn you extra points. On the Asteroids watch, a pair of orbiting UFOs are less of a threat and are instead used to represent the hour and minute hands — no numbers needed.

Created in collaboration with watchmaker Nubeo (which previously released a collection of Space Invaders-themed timepieces) the new Asteroids collection features five styles, each with a differently colored band – nebula blue, plasma pumpkin, supernova red, nova nightfall, and celestial citrine – and varying colors for the watch face elements. They’re available through Nubeo’s website, which lists each watch’s price as being discounted to $499 from $1,650. You can also order them through Atari’s website, which just lists the price as $499 each, although some have already sold out. Each style is limited to just 125 pieces.

The watch uses a Japanese automatic movement that powers three spinning discs. The smallest features a recreation of the game’s simple triangular spaceship in the center that serves as the watch’s second hand, while two larger discs, rotating at different speeds, portray asteroids drifting through space and the UFOs that function as the hour and minute hands.

All of the graphical elements on the Asteroids watch’s face are printed with glow-in-the-dark “Swiss Super-LumiNova” pigments and are protected beneath a durable sapphire lens and a stainless steel case. The watch is water resistant with a 21 ATM (atmosphere) rating and a screw-down crown, making it durable enough for recreational diving. It comes in a protective case with an interior that borrows design elements from the Atari Video Computer System (VCS) that launched in 1977.