Watchmakers have always experimented with new materials and alloys in designing watches. The intrinsic properties of some materials makes them apt to use in watch designing.
Take the use of jewels and semi-precious stones for example. These had a functional purpose that had to do with the effective working of the timepiece. The inherent properties of jewels (their hardness, that they are slow to wear out and that they can be worked upon to get a smooth finish) helped to reduce friction, which in turn led to a greater accuracy and efficiency of the movement of the watch.
Over the years, varied alloys, newer metals, stones and meteorites have found expression in watches. Watch manufacturers have come a long way since. Today, they find out the most unpredictable, robust, unique and extravagant materials investing a lot into production, which is often a result of intense experimentation with products and processes.
The recent years have seen an array of timepieces that had much more to them than their look or functionality. TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heuer-01 Full Black Matte Ceramic explores the use of ceramic in its bracelet, case, bezel and lugs; basically everything that’s exposed to friction. This material offers unparalleled scratch-resistance and presents a micro-blasted finish for a flawless deep black design. Technically, to guarantee perfect water resistance to 100 metres, steel is always a material of choice on all the functional parts of the watch (inner box section, screw-down case back, push-pieces etc.) to enable the gaskets (crystal gasket, case-back gaskets, push-piece gaskets and crown tube) to fulfil their function. The good thing about ceramic is that it keeps its original colour and does not oxidise. It is hypoallergenic and lighter than steel.
At the SIHH 2017, Officine Panerai unveiled the new Panerai Submersible watches where innovations are apparent in the variety of materials used in producing the cases. One of them is especially noteworthy – the BMG-TECH (Bulk Metallic Glass), used to make the case of the new Luminor Submersible 1950 BMG-TECH 3 Days Automatic. Made from a special glass-like alloy which prevents crystallisation, so that the atoms do not arrange themselves in regular geometric structures, this watch really got us thinking. How far can the industry go? And more importantly what’s next?
The alloy (consisting of zirconium, copper, aluminium, titanium and nickel) is subjected to a high-pressure injection process at a high temperature and then to a cooling process lasting for only a few seconds, so that the atoms do not have enough time to become arranged in an ordered, regular structure, which is conventionally what happens in crystals. The “chaotic” structure of the material is the secret of its properties, in particular, its extreme corrosion resistance, its robustness and resistance to external shocks and magnetic fields, bringing further advantages to the owner of a watch providing excellent performance while preserving its appearance virtually unchanged over time. Its appearance is similar to that of titanium but darker grey in colour. Its atomic structure provides a range of very useful qualities for an underwater watch: extreme resistance to wear, high strength and lightness.
Roger Dubuis also made a statement at the SIHH this year with a new material in the Excalibur Quatuor Cobalt MicroMelt watch. The disruptive cobalt chrome finds expression on the 48 mm-diameter case, bezel, case-back and crown and is produced using the extremely exclusive MicroMelt technology that represents just 0.1% of worldwide metallurgy. The result? A case that is biocompatible, extremely corrosion-resistant and durable.
Ultimately, the use of new materials is not just for the sake of the material itself. It is linked to the very nature of the watch industry that has always striven to reinvent itself. For the purpose of precision and quality, watch manufacturers are always on the lookout for something new. After all, it’s all tied to excellence, which is the ultimate goal of expression.