Lighter than steel, more durable, does not scratch and always looks brand new... Ceramic, from the new generation materials in watchmaking, is under the spotlight...
Luxury watch brands have been experimenting for a long time by manufacturing cases, bezels and dials made of different materials. Then, they turn these experiments into products and share them with watch enthusiasts. To date, we have met many different materials, from precious metals to special alloys created by brands. One of these materials is ceramic. So, what is this ceramic that we often see in the cases, bezels and bracelets?
Forget what you know about ceramics. The material used in watchmaking is different from the ceramic we use in daily life. Ceramic is defined as an inorganic, nonmetal and solid material. This high-tech material is very different from brittle ceramics typically used in pots etc. Engineers working within the watch brands design ceramics using pure materials and metal compounds to obtain durable alloys to be used in watches. Some brands combine the powder with raw materials to have different derivatives of ceramic.
These inorganic, nonmetallic materials are lighter and more robust than steel. It is also resistant to both physical and chemical agents. It is resistant to temperatures above 1000 ° C and is not affected by moisture or even acid. Moreover, this form of ceramics is not only found in watches, but also condensers, sealing gaskets, dental implants, and high-efficiency mechanical applications.
Making ceramic cases is not as easy as it seems, so it is seen as a type of ‘mastering’ in watchmaking. In an interview with journalist Boris Schneider, Lorenz Brunner, head of the IWC innovation and pre-development department, explains some of the problems encountered in ceramic case manufacturing as follows: “One of the more unusual challenges is that ceramic shrinks by about a third during the sintering process. To ensure that the movement later fits snugly inside the case, the shrinkage has to be factored in as early as the design phase. And there is another unusual feature: unlike metals, whose properties are clearly defined and finalized before machining, ceramics – and thus the finished product – is influenced by the individual stages in the manufacturing process. The use of different sintering methods, together with the chosen grain size and sintering temperature, can lead to end products with significantly different properties from the same basic materials.”
IWC’s experience in this matter cannot be overlooked when it comes to ceramic cases. In early 1986, IWC became the first brand to produce a zirconium oxide ceramic case. Da Vinci Ref. 3755 was a great success. This elegant and robust material was later used in the Pilot and Ingenieur collections, respectively. Another of the brand’s firsts in this area was the limited edition Pilot Chronograph Edition Saint-Exupery ‘The Last Flight’, which IWC equipped with a case made of brown silicon nitride ceramic.
IWC Da Vinci Perpetual
Ceramic Gold Italian - Ref. 3755
IWC Pilot Chronograph
Edition Saint-Exupery ‘The Last Flight’
The range of ceramics is not limited to casing, bezel, and bracelet. This material is used in movements as well. Stay tuned for our article on ceramic used in movements...
