New Bremont watch contains pieces of Stephen Hawking's desk

Fragments of the wooden desk where Stephen Hawking wrote his mind-bending theories about black holes and the universe can be found in a collection of new watches.

Bremont, the English watchmakers, have worked with the Stephen Hawking Foundation and the Hawking family to produce a trio of timepieces that have four wooden discs inlaid into the back of the watch.

In tribute to Hawking’s pioneering cosmological work, a piece of meteorite is embedded into the case backs of the limited edition 388 watches. The stars from the night sky in Oxford, England on the date that Hawking was born – January 8, 1942 – have been etched onto the back of the three classic watches that come in stainless steel, rose gold and white gold. In a final touch, each watch’s serial number is printed on paper from original copies of a 1979 research paper written by Hawking and his collaborator, Professor Gary Gibbons.

Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist who changed the scientific landscape with ground-breaking research into the cosmos, culminating in his best-selling 1988 book A Brief History of Time, the title of which also appears on the watch. Hawking, whose life was depicted in the 2014 movie The Theory of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne, lived with motor neurone disease for more than 50 years. Part of the proceeds from the watches will go to fund research into cosmology and help those suffering with the disease.

Bremont co-founder Nick English calls Hawking a "fondly-remembered British icon” adding that the watches aim to “celebrate this incredible man’s life and his fascinating relationship with time.” Nick’s brother and fellow co-founder, Giles explains that the watch collection is a personal project for them as their father was a couple of years apart from Hawking at both Cambridge University and St Albans School.

Tim Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s son believes his father would have enjoyed seeing the watches. “My father was a person who placed great value on precision craftsmanship and the interplay of design and technology,” he said. He described the antique desk, which belonged to Stephen Hawking’s grandmother, as a “most treasured possession, representing both his grandmother’s pioneering commitment to education, and a portal back to happy childhood memories. The Hawking family are delighted that its legacy may live on.”

Stainless steel AED 39,000; rose gold AED 88,000; white gold AED 92,000