This has no practical value whatsoever, but it’s so cool it hurts. KnowhutImean?
According to this article, the Mars rover team at NASA needed a means of keeping in sync with the planet’s day/night cycle, which is slightly longer than Earth’s. They contacted a bunch of timepiece experts to see how hard it would be to get a customized watch or other device that would allows its users to match their schedule with the Mars standard of 24 hours, 39 minutes, and some-odd seconds, so their team members don’t have to engage in the headache-inducing manual figuring required to set alarms and otherwise adjust their schedules 39 minutes further back every day. Everyone they called said no, it’s too difficult, we’d need a minimum order of some ridiculous number to make it worthwhile, etc.
Then they got a hold of a mechanical watchmaker and repair guy who owns his own shop; he spent a bunch of time talking to his people and tinkering, and he came up with a way to weight the works of a mechanical watch that keeps them within a few seconds of the 24:39 cycle every day. He’s making a bunch for the team, and he says he feels hugely proud when he visits the control room or looks on TV and sees people wearing two watches: one Earth, one Mars.
And here’s the best part: The watchmaker’s website has details on how you can get one yourself. There are three different brands: Orient, Seiko, and Citizen. They don’t have the fancy customized Mars face yet, but that’s coming soon. For a price tag of $145 to $195 (plus $35 for the special dial when it’s available), you can get yourself a watch that keeps local Mars time.
As I said, there is absolutely no practical reason why someone like me would need something like this, but I don’t care. It’s just cool. It’s a fair amount of money for a watch, but hey, how many ten-thousand-dollar Rolexes tell time on Mars?
Garo Anserlian, master watchmaker, I salute you. 
