Lange and Heyne, no relation to A. Lange and Sohne, is a small, independent watch company based in Dresden Germany who specialize in large, ornate wristwatches in the style of the late 19th Century. Their newest addition is simply a new material, the plates of their Caliber 1, a simple 3-hand watch which appears to be based on the Unitas design, can now be fabricated from fossilized mammoth ivory.
Due to CITES rules, and its surprising lack of rarity, fossilized mammoth ivory is cheaper and more readily available then elephant ivody, despite not having been in production for over 10,000 years. It's also more stable, that is less likely to warp, shrink or crack, then elephant ivory as the moisture is mostly replaced with minerals.
The picture below shows both the full watch, with the signature Louis XIV hands and triple lugs, and what "raw" fossilized mammoth ivory looks like.
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Due to CITES rules, and its surprising lack of rarity, fossilized mammoth ivory is cheaper and more readily available then elephant ivody, despite not having been in production for over 10,000 years. It's also more stable, that is less likely to warp, shrink or crack, then elephant ivory as the moisture is mostly replaced with minerals.
The picture below shows both the full watch, with the signature Louis XIV hands and triple lugs, and what "raw" fossilized mammoth ivory looks like.
A
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