Ceramic

Ceramic, a versatile and durable material, has found widespread use across various industries, offering a unique blend of aesthetic appeal and functional properties. Which is the reason why it is often used in the watch industry.

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Derived from the Greek word “keramikos,” meaning pottery, ceramics encompass a broad range of inorganic, non-metallic materials crafted through the manipulation of clay and other natural elements. These materials are fired at high temperatures, resulting in a hardened, heat-resistant product.

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In the realm of consumer goods, ceramic is notably prevalent in pottery, dishes, and decorative items due to its ability to be molded into intricate shapes and patterns. Beyond aesthetics, its remarkable heat resistance makes it an ideal choice for cookware, ensuring safe and efficient cooking experiences.

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Is ceramic good for watches?

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Moreover, the technological sector embraces ceramics for their electrical insulation properties, facilitating the creation of durable and efficient electronic components. The biomedical field benefits from ceramic implants and dental restorations, leveraging the material’s biocompatibility and resistance to corrosion. And the watch industry uses it mainly for bezels but also for the case of a watch. As it can be less vulnerable than gold for instance.

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In the ever-evolving world of materials science, ceramics continue to captivate with their exceptional hardness. It also has great resistance to wear, and thermal stability, making them indispensable in engineering applications such as cutting tools and heat shields, but also for watches. in the watch industry the sort of ceramic used is zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂ or zirconia) ceramic or alumina (Al₂O₃ or aluminum oxide) ceramic.

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How hard is ceramic compared to other materials like stainless steel?

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The hardness of a material can be measured in Hardness Vickers (HV). For ceramic used for watches the HV can be around 1,200 to 1,400 for zirconium dioxide ceramic and around 1,500 to 2,000 for the alumina variant. Which is way harder than stainless steel. And to compare: sapphire crystal used for watches has an HV of about 2,000 to 2,300.

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The most common variant of stainless steel is 316L with a HV of about 150 to 200. The 904L variant, used by Rolex for instance, has a HV of about 200 to 250. So, yes, the hardness of ceramic is better than stainles steel.  However, stainless steel can easily be polished when you have scratches, for ceramic it’s not that easy.

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Compare case materials on the Hardness Vickers scale (from hard to hardest):

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Watches from ceramic