The best ceramic watches that are tough enough for everyday wear
Unlike those made of noble metals and stainless steel, a ceramic watch has the curiously attractive property of adjusting to your body temperature. While serving no specific function, the effect is comforting and borderline sensual.
Then there are the material's other desirable qualities such as its lightness and durability, and excellent resistance to daily wear and tear. Plus it's hypoallergenic. Team that with its versatile appearance, featuring smooth surfaces that can be polished or matt, and — as watchmakers explore the science and refine their ceramic-making processes — a whole spectrum of colours, and ceramic is a sure-fire winner.
It's not the only non-traditional material to have been used in recent years on watches — faces have been crafted from carbon fibre, titanium and even tungsten — but ceramic has become something of a trailblazer. While traditionally made of compounds that have been shaped then hardened by heating to a high temperature for use in a myriad practical products, high-tech or 'advanced' ceramic for watchmaking is generally made with zirconium oxide.
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Today, thanks to pioneering research and development, the material is just as sought-after as its precious-metal counterparts. It is extremely challenging to work with because it is so hard, but watchmakers apply the same levels of craftsmanship to ceramic as to precious materials, using high-tech machining and traditional hand-finishing. Many of the upmarket watch companies now include ceramic models in their collections. Louis Vuitton's remastered Tambour line, for instance, has a glamorous, refined brown ceramic version with subtle pink-gold touches.
Generally considered to be the first ceramic watch, Rado's DiaStar was introduced in 1962 and touted as 'the world's first scratchproof watch'. The brand continued to innovate and 1983's Anatom was a radical timepiece, painted by the artist and Rado fan Andy Warhol. This year's Anatom editions have a bracelet formed from links of polished high-tech ceramic to match the bezel, allowing the watch to sit comfortably on the wrist.
Meanwhile, the Swiss house Audemars Piguet recently unveiled a ceramic shade inspired by the blue colour it developed in 1972 for the dial of the first Royal Oak. Its distinctive deep hue echoes the night sky of the Le Brassus region where the house was founded 150 years ago. Although ceramic has been part of the brand's offering since the Eighties, it took six years of research and testing 'to find the exact consistency and durability of this new vibrant shade', Lucas Raggi, senior director of R&D, says.
Chanel caused a stir 25 years ago with the launch of its J12 watch in black, then white, ceramic. It was one of the earliest watch collections to feature a ceramic bracelet and the fashion crowd lapped it up. It's still popular, as is its new limited-edition, deep-blue version. Further shades will no doubt emerge; the material, says Arnaud Chastaingt, the director of Chanel's Watch Creation Studio, offers 'a vast creative playing field'.
• Our watch director picks the best men's luxury watches
Also making its mark is Hublot, a brand known for pushing boundaries. The use of ceramic reflects 'a genuine pursuit of technical performance and long-term durability', according to Mathias Buttet, its R&D director. The maker was the first to introduce vivid colours such as Ferrari Red, which took more than four years to develop. Today there's also a unique multicoloured Big Bang Unico model, as well as variations with mint-green and petrol-blue ceramic cases.
It's clear that, in the horology world, ceramic is hotter than ever.
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