Over the past several years, a wide swath of complications once restricted to the uppermost levels of the market have become remarkably affordable to own. Tourbillons, chimes, and other exotic mechanisms have steadily made their way into the entry-level side of the watch industry, leading to exciting times for the adventurous enthusiast on a budget. Among these newly democratized complications, though, few offer the same level of sheer visual flair as a satellite hours display. Independent marque Xeric has built a cult following out of bringing unorthodox time displays to the masses, and for its latest release, the brand takes on the satellite hours complication with charmingly space-age panache. The new limited edition Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison blends a conventional, easy-to-wear sports watch silhouette with a wild, conversation-starting time display, making it an ideal companion for enthusiasts dipping their toes into exotic complications for the first time.

Removed from the context of its wild, spectacular dial, the Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison’s 42mm wide stainless steel case feels almost pedestrian. There’s very little about this clean, diver-style case design that hints at the exotic display within, and instead, the design feels surprisingly reserved at a glance. The tapering brushed lugs, angular crown guards, and tightly packaged case sides all could have come off any number of straightforward sports watches, and the all-over linear brushing is clean if unspectacular. Where the NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison starts to differentiate itself is with its sapphire-topped bezel insert. Rendered largely in white luminous material, this coin edge bezel offers wearers three separate scales for tracking the unique time display. In theory, this allows for a sense of choice between cleanliness and functionality, although the at-a-glance legibility of the three unique minutes scales (each with its own associated typeface) varies dramatically. It’s also worth noting that instead of a diver-style unidirectional rotation, this bezel is fully locked by the screw-down crown, meaning that adjustments can only be made when the crown is pulled out. While this does prevent accidentally nudging and interfering with the minutes scale during regular wear, it also limits the utility of this bezel to function as an ersatz elapsed timer (as dive bezels often do). Around back, Xeric fits the watch with a sapphire display caseback, and the brand rates the watch for a respectably sporting 100 meters of water resistance. Although this simple, traditional case certainly makes the NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison more approachable to mainstream enthusiasts, there’s likely to be a subset of fans who might have preferred something more avant-garde to echo the rest of the design.

Naturally, the dial of the Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison is the real main event here. For those unfamiliar with satellite hours watches, the entire timekeeping functionality is relegated to the lower third of the dial, stretching between 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock in a standard layout. This raised, vivid red and blue scale works in conjunction with the three-armed satellite hours display to provide an in-line time display, radiating from the center outwards. Essentially, each of the three arms of the satellite hours display features a four-sided rotating block engraved with the hours, which both rotates around the dial and revolves to present the current hour. From there, the outer arms of the satellite cage end in a luminous triangular pointer, which indicates the current minutes along the scale. Despite sounding complex on paper, it’s remarkably intuitive on the wrist, and a conversation-starting piece of horological spectacle for enthusiasts and novices alike. Xeric gives this already dramatic display an added visual punch with its use of color. The hours blocks are each rendered in rich satin red anodized aluminum, while red-tinged carbon fiber makes up the outer cage arms. Set against the optic white luminous backdrop of the main dial surface, it’s a bold and futuristic look. Xeric leans into the astronaut-esque feel of the design with a classic printed NASA “meatball” logo at 12 o’clock. While this is strictly a licensing arrangement with the American space agency – none of these watches are actual NASA equipment – it does work well with the high-tech, experimental look of the satellite hours display. Although the entire dial surface, bezel, pointers, and numerals are coated with Super-LumiNova, it’s worth noting that the overall lume effect here is decidedly weak, with not much in the way of either brightness or longevity.

Despite the exotic complication, the underpinnings of the Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison are surprisingly simple. The base movement here is the Miyota 9039-based Caliber X4.1 automatic satellite hours movement, which offers broadly similar performance to the ubiquitous Miyota powerplant it builds upon. Although the heavy, complex satellite hours module is undoubtedly torque-hungry, the Caliber X4.1 still offers a decent 40 hours of power reserve at a 28,800 bph beat rate. Apart from a painted rotor featuring the moon, a field of stars, and a “pale blue dot” representing the Earth, the only major decoration here is the crisp striping across the upper bridges and balance cock. Although there’s no direct confirmation of this, the Caliber X4.1 (and especially its satellite hours cage structure) bears more than a passing resemblance to the satellite hours complications used by brands like ATOWAK. However, given the price point, a fully bespoke movement with this sort of complication is unlikely.

Xeric pairs the NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison with a smooth, simple single-link bracelet in stainless steel. Fully brushed and solidly constructed, this streamlined, tapering bracelet design works well with the space-age theming of the dial, and is clean and versatile enough to match well with the more conservative case. A NASA “worm” logo tops the two-button folding clasp as an extra space-age touch. For added versatility, the brand also packages the watch with a two-tone silicone strap in white and red. Both the bracelet and the strap feature a quick-release system for convenience.

The watch industry is currently living through a golden age for affordable exotic complications. While there is no shortage of truly wild designs for enthusiasts looking to enter this space, the Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison taps into a unique blend of reserved classic styling and futuristic satellite hours presentation that might well make for an ideal entry point into this offbeat market segment. Only 385 examples of the Xeric NASA Artemis Tumbler Automatic Jettison will be made, and the watch is available now through the brand’s e-commerce platform. MSRP for this watch stands at $1,500 USD as of press time. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.