Watchmakers pride themselves on the fact that their watches are created completely in-house, and yet there are relatively few that can boast they manufacture the core materials involved.
A large proportion of the world’s watches are made from steel, titanium, rose gold and other common materials sourced from different places. There are a few brands - including some of the best known in the business - that are producing their own unique combination of metals and other materials known as alloys. This is part of a quest to produce base materials that will prove to be lighter, stronger and more scratch-resistant than those traditionally used.
Rolex
One of the world’s most famous and exclusive watch brands is also one of the first to develop its own alloys. Rolesium, a mix of platinum and stainless steel, is one of the luxury brand’s own mixes and is used in the Rolex Yacht Master’s Oyster case. Whilst the two metals are not strictly combined, they are used to create different parts of the watch to produce one overall image of perfection. The term Rolesium was originally patented as far back as 1932.
Cerachrom is another Rolex exclusive and is a ceramic especially designed to be ultra-hard and resistant to corrosion. The company first introduced Cerachrom bezels in 2005 but have now moved on even further with the creation of two-tone bezels made of the material — a feat that many people thought at the time would be an impossible dream.
Parachrom, meanwhile, has been exclusively created through a mix of zirconium, niobium and oxygen. It promises to add to the precision of the timepieces it is used to create, thanks to an uncommon resistance to magnetic fields leading to less risk of time-disturbing shock. The material took five years to develop and is used to make the hairspring, which regulates the balance wheel in a watch, and it is said to be up to ten times more shock-resistant than traditional materials. Rolex’s attention to detail is unquestionable, and Parachrom hairsprings are no exception. Each one has a blue finish; a traditional sign of quality amongst watchmakers.
Omega
This leading name is another forerunner in the quest to develop watches made from the perfect materials. The company has created Ceragold, a unique mix of 18k gold and ceramic, which allows ceramic watch parts to be decorated with 18k gold. It is used in the creation of the perfectly smooth gold numbered bezels found on the likes of the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold watches.
Sedna gold is another unique Omega creation, combining palladium and copper with gold to create an 18k rose gold alloy. It is named after the most distant object in the solar system — renowned for its striking red hue.
Chanel
This is a name associated with beauty and the brand's 'beige gold' material aims to ensure that the company’s watches never let their customers down. This is because this rose-gold alloy has been specially created to prevent the tarnishing that can be associated with other rose-gold materials. A romantic-looking creation, this new alloy is already used in Chanel’s range of J12 ladies’ watches.