Ceramic in Watches: Its Pros and Cons | SwissWatchExpo

One of the most popular materials in watchmaking today is ceramic. From patented ceramic bezels to full-ceramic watches, what exactly makes the material desirable – and what should you look out for? Let's look at the Pros and Cons.

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From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: The use of ceramic in watchmaking. Its history, pros, and cons.

Gone are the days when watch materials are limited to steel and gold. Over the past half-century, major industry players have experimented with many other different materials.

One of the most popular materials to date is ceramic. From patented ceramic bezels to full-ceramic watches, what exactly makes the material desirable – and what should you look out for?

Lets take a look at how ceramic has been used in watchmaking, and whether its for you.

On a quest to create scratch-proof watches, several companies experimented with the material as early as the 1970s. A few milestones were made before the 21st century.

In 1973, Omega began working on the Seamaster Cermet. Its made from their proprietary ceramic material cermet, comprised of aluminum oxide and tungsten carbide. It was a special order itm, priced significantly higher than their flagship watch, the Speedmaster.

In 1986, IWC followed with the Da Vinci. The first luxury watch made with a ceramic case, and the first perpetual calendar chronograph that used the material. Soon after, Swiss brand Rado launched the Rado Ceramica, the first watch to have a ceramic case and bracelet.

In the mid-2000s, watch industry heavyweights Rolex and Omega made several breakthroughs in the use of ceramic.

In 2005, Rolex launched the anniversary GMT Master II with their patented ceramic, dubbed Cerachrom. Made from extremely hard ceramic material, it is virtually scratch-proof, and fade-proof. The diamond-polished surface gives it an exceptional lustre.

Today, the Cerachrom is in use in all of their Professional watches – on the latest models of the GMT-Master, Yachtmaster, Submariner, Daytona, as well as the Sea-Dweller.

In 2013, Rolex achieved what was thought of as impossible – to create a ceramic bezel with two colors, but produced as a single piece. The result was the now famed Rolex GMT Batman.

The process begins with creating the bezel as one color, and then adding the other color before the bezel hardens. The result is a bi-color, single ceramic ring, with no bleeding of color nor gradual fading. Rolex is the only brand in the world to do this patented process.

Omega also made strides soon after. In 2014, they launched the Dark Side of the Moon, an all-black Speedmaster.

Made of zirconium dioxide ceramic, it was the first watch to have its main components, including the dial, crown, buckle, and pushers, to be made out of ceramic. A technical feat and one of Omega’s greatest successes in recent  memory.

With the popularity of ceramic in watchmaking, you’re probably considering adding a ceramic watch to your collection. Let’s first take a look at its advantages.

Ceramic is well-known for its exceptional hardness, especially w hen compared to steel and gold. They are also impervious to ultraviolet rays produced by the sun. These properties make ceramic virtually scratch-proof and fade-proof.

Despite its durability, ceramic is actually lighter than most metals, and weighs closer to aluminum, making it comfortable on the wrist. As most ceramic watches don’t contain metals, they are also hypoallergenic.

Finally, ceramic makes for an excellent material for all-black watches, which are gaining popularity. Unlike coated metal watches, the color of ceramic is a property of the material itself, making it more resistant to fading and wear.

Ceramic does have its setbacks, and it all depends on the wearer if these aspects are important to them.

The main disadvantage of ceramic is that it can be brittle and may fracture if it falls from a certain height. Be careful not to drop that watch then!

Ceramic watches hardly age, which is good if you want to keep a watch for the long haul. But some say they may also cause watches to lose their unique appeal.

The watch can be difficult to identify among other similar watches. They may also not be appealing to those who love vintage watches, whose fading, yellowing and patina give them appeal and character.

Regardless, ceramic has quickly risen as one of the favorite materials of watch brands. They have come up with visually interesting and innovative uses for the materials. We’re just as excited as you are to see what’s next.
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