Material Futures
I
Nwatchmaking, material innovation was once largely about finish, weight
or durability:
a brighter case, a lighter profile, a harder surface. Today, the brief is broader.
Materials shape not only how a watch wears, but also how it reflects light, holds colour and
changes in the dark. Brands are developing exclusive precious alloys, experimenting with
ultra-lightweight composites and introducing raw materials rarely seen in watchmaking. Some
advances come from metallurgy and engineering; others from optics and crystallography.
Together, they point to a wider shift in horology, where advancement now extends beyond
the movement itself.
Rolex has long approached material innovation through in-house expertise rather than overt
experimentation. At its Geneva foundry, the brand develops and casts its own 18k gold
alloys, refining colour, purity and consistency from the start of production. One example is
Everose gold, its patented 18k pink gold alloy introduced in 2005. Created to resist the fading
associated with traditional rose gold, the alloy combines gold, copper and trace elements,
including palladium, to preserve its warm tone over time.
That expertise now appears in Jubilee Gold, debuting on the Oyster Perpetual DayDate 40. The watch
pairs the exclusive 18k alloy with a bright green aventurine dial, an hour
circle of 10 baguette-cut diamonds, a fluted bezel and the President bracelet, reserved for
Day-Date references and precious metal versions of the Datejust. Where Everose gold was
engineered for durability and colour stability, Jubilee Gold focuses on tonal variation, shifting
between yellow, grey and pink depending on the light.
Beyond alloys, Rolex has also developed deep expertise in special ceramics for specific
watch-case components, particularly monobloc bezels and bezel inserts. Introduced in
2005, Cerachrom is the brand’s proprietary ceramic bezel material, valued not only for its
scratch resistance, but also for its intense colour, resistance to environmental effects and
ability to remain inert and corrosion-resistant.
On the latest Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, this expertise takes on a
new expression with the model’s first Rolesium configuration, combining Oystersteel and
platinum. Paired with a white grand feu enamel dial, the 40mm timepiece features an
anthracite Cerachrom bezel. The bezel is made from a specific type of ceramic composed of
zirconia enriched with tungsten carbide – a composition for which a patent application was
filed. The result is a striking metallic gleam, while the moulded, recessed tachymetric scale markings are
coated with platinum via PVD, adding another layer of material precision to the watch.
Beyond metallurgy and ceramics, some watchmakers are turning to materials more commonly
associated with gemstones and crystallography. For Hublot, that material is osmium, a hard,
brittle, bluish-white platinum-group metal showcased in the Spirit of Big Bang Impact
Sapphire. Considered the scarcest non-radioactive precious metal in the earth’s crust,
osmium yields only about 30g from 10,000 tonnes of platinum ore, making it around 1,500
times rarer than gold and 2,500 times rarer than silver.
In its raw state, osmium is toxic and difficult to handle. A crystallisation process
developed with scientists in Valais, Switzerland, transforms it into a stable, body-safe crystal with a
metallic shimmer. Hublot has used crystallised osmium since 2014 and remains the only watchmaker to do so.
Here, shard-like elements across the dial echo the fractured
architecture of the Impact line. Set within a 42mm sapphire case, the crystallised osmium
catches light with a cool bluish brilliance.
Artya takes a different approach with synthetic crystal. With the Purity Moissanite Curvy
Tourbillon, the independent Swiss atelier is the first watchmaker to build an entire case from
moissanite, a lab-grown silicon carbide crystal first discovered in a meteorite crater in 1893. Ranking
just below diamond in hardness at 9.25 to 9.5 on the Mohs scale, moissanite is difficult to machine.
Shaping it into a 41mm by 42mm tonneau case with 65 facets required new processes
developed by Artya – which partly explains the nine-piece production run.
Its appeal is not only technical. Moissanite has a dispersion index more than double that of
diamond, allowing it to scatter light with unusual intensity. Each facet catches light differently,
creating rainbow-like reflections across the champagne-toned case. The case sides also act as a natural
magnifying lens for the movement within, giving the watch a sculptural quality.
Material development is also becoming more performance-driven, with lightweight
composites engineered for daily wear and extreme use. Tag Heuer brings that idea to the
newly launched Formula 1 38mm Solargraph, whose pastel editions feature bezels made
from TH-Polylight. Tactile and light, the material lets the collection’s soft colours appear
vivid without adding bulk, while staying true to the Formula 1 line’s association with bright
composites and sporty practicality. With its 38mm case, solar-powered functionality and TH-Polylight
bezel, the model brings advanced materials into a more accessible everyday watch.
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