This powder is pressed into shape with a steel mold and then sintered. The starting material for high-tech ceramics is ultrafine zirconia or titanium carbide powder with a particle size of about one-thousandth of a millimeter or one-fifth of the thickness of a human hair. Hallmark of Rado, the first brand to produce watches made of this avant-garde material in large quantities, high-tech ceramics made their first watch-related appearance in the 1980s after one of the first applications was in the heat shield of the Spaceshuttle. The natural oxidation, however, changes the color again and makes the scratch almost invisible after a while.Ĭeramics go one step further: a rich deep shine, incredible scratch-resistance, and a light, comfortable wrist presence characterize the material. Titanium is tough, but not hard: scratches quickly form, which are very noticeable at first. The most commonly used watch case titanium alloy is Grade 5, an alloy of 6 percent aluminum and 4 percent vanadium. Titanium is light - about half as heavy as steel - tough, non-magnetic, corrosion-resistant and anti-allergic. Porsche Design and IWC were the trailblazers when it comes to titanium, a metal that also emerged in watchmaking in the 1980s. Titanium: lighter than steel, but not hard These treatments can change the color and the physical properties of the top layer of the base material, which can increase the scratch-resistance. Stainless steel forms a very good basis for being esthetically modified: In some cases, cases and bracelets are coated with carbon in a so-called DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) or PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process. In total, there are more than 200 types of stainless steel, which are alloyed depending on the intended use. The temperature at the bottom of the furnace reaches well over 1’650 ☌elsius (over 3’000 ☏ahrenheit). To this end, the iron ore is smelted in a blast furnace and supplemented with coke and limestone, both of which bind the aforementioned impurities, which then either escape in gaseous form or collect into pool of slag that floats on top of the molten iron and can be drained. In order to refine it, the carbon content must be reduced and impurities such as phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, oxygen, and manganese must be eliminated from the alloy. The base material of stainless steel is ordinary iron ore or recycled steel. While most brands mainly use different variations of 316L Steel, Rolex cooks up their proprietary 904L alloy, which is more corrosion resistant to acids, but is similar to 316L in hardness and thus scratch-resistance. One of its main advantages is the high resistance to corrosion and relative toughness. Cases and bracelets today are usually made of an alloy containing steel, chrome, nickel and molybdenum, which is called 316L. When Stainless Steel turned LuxuriousĪudemars Piguet and Patek Philippe were the first manufacturers to make the use of steel in the luxury sector socially acceptable when they released the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Nowadays however, a variety of other materials are routinely being worked to create cases and other watch components, some of which are ceramics, carbon fiber or bronze. It meets the high demands on surface homogeneity, robustness and durability. Today, the considerably harder, but also more difficult to process stainless steel is the go-to material in case manufacturing. Until the 1970s, brass with a layer of chrome or gold was the material of choice, while luxury watches were made entirely of gold. Hard and light, scratch-resistant and unbreakable: When it comes to the watch case, demands are plentiful and just as diverse as the materials from which the cases are built.
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