Ceramic takes to the Sky

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Ceramic takes to the Sky - IWC Schaffhausen
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With not a dint, not a scratch, not a mark to spoil its pristine surface, lightweight ceramic adopts white and green hues for the new “Lake Tahoe” and “Woodland” editions of the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN

When it comes to piercing through clouds, action-movie style, no material is too technologically advanced. IWC presents the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN in two new ceramic colours: a deep green and a pristine white, the perfect alliance of technology and aesthetic. Join us on a journey into ceramic country.

Fantastic Ceramic

Extra-hard yet featherlight, ceramic ticks all the watchmaking boxes. “These inorganic, non-metallic materials are lighter and harder than steel, and at the same time highly resistant to physical and chemical influences,” notes Lorenz Brunner, head of Research and Innovation at IWC in Schaffhausen. Even temperatures above 1,000°C won’t affect them (which doesn’t mean you should hold your watch over a crackling log fire!).

Ceramic takes to the sky

At 1,200 Vickers, ceramic is six times harder than steel, hence its exceptional resistance to wear. It is the ideal material for cases, but not only. “Some of the parts in the movement are subject to incredibly high stresses and strains. For that reason, we are trying to replace certain metal parts with ceramic components,” says Brunner. The cherry on the sundae: ceramic’s scratch-resistance (surpassed only by diamond) means it retains a mirror-like surface that feels pleasantly smooth to the touch.

Ceramic takes to the sky

But… because there is always a “but”. Where ceramic’s concerned, it’s the production process, or rather the state-of-the-art technologies it requires and the significant investments behind them. Also, while ceramic is engineered to withstand everyday bumps and knocks, if dropped from a - great – height, it can break. Ceramic is hard, but also brittle.

Chromatic Ceramic

Another challenge is to obtain the exact colour required with the optimal pigment mixture, knowing that pigments can rarely be fired at temperatures above 800°C. Matching the end colour to that of other components such as the dial or bracelet, including those made from other materials, adds a further layer of complexity. The colours for the cases in the TOP GUN collection are obtained from a specific mix of metallic oxides, including zirconium oxide. They are sintered, a process that fuses the ceramic powder. The end result is partly determined by the (very high) temperature and the chosen grain size, which must be precisely calculated.

Ceramic takes to the sky

Historic Ceramic

Fortunately, IWC has plenty of experience in the matter, having pioneered the use of ceramic for watch cases almost 40 years ago. As early as the 1980s, the company was producing small series or prototypes in white, blue, green, even pink ceramic. In 1986 it launched the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with a case made from black zirconium oxide ceramic. Technical ceramics were clearly all the rage at that time: in 1982 Omega introduced its Seamaster Black Tulip with Cermet case and bracelet, while in 1986 Rado launched an entire range of ceramic watches.

Ceramic takes to the sky

More recently, IWC used black boron carbide ceramic - the hardest ceramic – for the Ingenieur Automatic Edition “AMG GT” and brown silicon nitride ceramic for the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “The Last Flight”. As for the special edition Laureus released in 2021, it sported a case in a beautiful dark blue ceramic. This year ceramic adopts white and dark green liveries for the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN “Lake Tahoe” and “Woodland” editions. Ready for take-off!

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