Inventory of new materials in watchmaking industry in 2020

[Watch culture] Ultra-light, ultra-durable, ultra-fluorescent, rock-solid ... Watchmaking brands constantly challenge the limits and explore new case materials. Just a few years ago, carbon fiber and ceramics were different. Times have changed. In recent years, watchmaking brands have concentrated on researching and developing various possible alloys and composite materials, and borrowed from futuristic materials in aerospace and telecommunications industries, as well as extreme sports fields such as Formula One racing and sailing at sea. Even so, the exploration of alternative materials continues to bring new surprises, as evidenced by the brand-new models released in 2020.

Breitling professional endurance watch (model: X82310A51b1s1)

Breitling Endurance Pro professional endurance watch belongs to the brand's professional series and calls itself "the ultimate sports and leisure watch". Equipped with temperature compensated SuperQuartz super timely movement, it can not only meet professional competitive standards, but also meet daily wear needs. Another outstanding feature is that the case is made of Breitlight, which is a nonmagnetic material, 3.3 times lighter than titanium, with thermal stability and hypoallergenicity, and super resistance to scratching, friction and corrosion.

Bulgari aluminum watch (model: 103445)

Aluminum is an ultra-light material and has been used for watchmaking for many years. Common in Swatch watches and some Apple Watch smart watches. However, mechanical watches with aluminum cases have always been rare, except BVLGARI Bulgari. Some people may remember that this Italian watch jeweler launched a subversive black-and-white sports luxury watch made of aluminum rubber at 1998. This year, BVLGARI Bulgari improved and upgraded the aluminum watch, assembled a mechanical movement, and provided a timing function to make it more in line with the tastes of modern people.

Chanel j12 x-ray watch (model: H6249)

2020 is the 20th anniversary of the birth of J 12. Last year, the brand made minor adjustments to this logo series, and redesigned the design without changing the characteristics of success. This year, Chanel launched the J 12 X-ray limited edition watch, equipped with a specially hollowed-out movement 3. 1 homemade movement. Its case, bracelet, dial, main splint and bridge plate are all made of sapphire crystal, which is particularly eye-catching. Considering the difficulty of material processing, this is a technological innovation.

Gpzippo laurelato absolute crystal rock watch (model: 8 1060-36-693-FH6A)

The laurel to laurel series of GP Cypress watches came out on 1975, and Laureato Absolute is a more refined and modern evolution of this series. This year, the brand launched the newest member of Laureato Absolute series-gorgeous 44mm glass carbon chronograph. Glassy carbon is strong and light, so the Laureato series absolute crystal rock watches made of it only weigh 94 grams. This high-tech material is made of multi-layer carbon fiber and glass fiber forged at high temperature and high pressure, and mixed into shape. Moreover, the texture of each case is different, so each watch is unique.

Hublot Hublot Big Bang Millennium Pink Watch (model: 44 1. Gundam 7320

Material innovation is the second nature of Hublot. Take the color matching of the novel Millennium Powder as an example, which is an undefined and neutral color between apricot and grapefruit. The Big Bang Millennium powder watch is equipped with a 42mm aluminum case. Its appearance is due to the anodic oxidation process developed by Hublot. This process can not only protect and decorate, but also give the case and parts the soft color they need. In addition, it has excellent scratch resistance and impact resistance. This watch was created by Hublot and Lapo Elkann, founder and artistic director of Garge Italia.

World Watch Pilot Series Top Gun Navy Air Combat Force Timekeeping Watch "SFTI" Special Edition (Model: IW389 104)

IWC Watch launched the "SFTI" special edition chronograph, which further enriched the series of top gun naval air combat troops of pilots. One of the main features of this watch is that the case component is made of cerium, titanium, porcelain and titanium. This material is based on titanium alloy and is the latest innovation of IWC international watch engineers. After the case assembly is processed, oxygen diffuses into the material through the kiln process, which promotes its phase change and endows its surface with ceramic-like characteristics. Titanium porcelain titanium has the characteristics of both titanium metal and ceramic materials: it is as light and strong as titanium metal and as hard and wear-resistant as ceramics.

Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa GMT Lumino series two 42mm watches (model: PAM0 1096)

In 2002, Panerai published many innovative materials from "Idea Lab". This year's Luminor Luna Rossa GMT Lumino series combines two kinds of 42 mm watches: one is CarbotechTM for bezel, which is a carbon fiber composite material with excellent impact resistance and corrosion resistance; The second is ScafotechTM for dial, which is another innovative composite material, recovered from the materials used in the hull and hydrofoil of AC75 sailboat. Italy's Luna Rossa fleet will compete for the qualification of the America's Cup as a challenger, and Panerai is the official sponsor of the fleet.

Omega Haima Series 300m professional diving watch (model: 210.60.44.55438+0.03.00438+0).

As the newest member of Haima 300-meter professional diving watch series, this watch creatively combines Sedna 18 kK gold, titanium and tantalum. Sedna 18K gold is a unique alloy composed of gold, copper and palladium, which was patented by Omega. However, the strength and toughness of Grade 2 titanium have been improved by heat treatment. As for blue-gray tantalum, it is rarer than gold, harder than steel, has extremely high corrosion resistance and stable chemical properties, and is usually used as a substitute for platinum. At the same time, tantalum is a very difficult material to process because of its compactness, flexibility, excellent thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, so it is very rare in watchmaking industry.

Richard Mill RM 27-04 Rafael Nadal tourbillon Watch (Model: RM 27-04)

Innovative materials are the key elements of Richard Mill timepieces. The latest RM 1 1-05 watch is an excellent example. Its bezel is gray cermet. This material is made of zirconia metal matrix and reinforced ceramics, and its density is lower than that of titanium alloy, while Vickers hardness is equivalent to that of diamond. In the previous RM 27-04 Rafael Nadal tourbillon watch, another exclusive material, TitaCarb, was introduced. This high-performance polyamide is stronger because of its carbon fiber content of 38.5%, and its super tensile strength of 370 MPa(3700kg/cm2) is equivalent to that of steel, making it one of the most durable polymers in the world.

Roger Dube Excalibur Double-sided Watch (model: RDDBEX0900)

Roger Dube took a step forward in the field of high-tech exploration with his Excalibur double watch. First of all, the case and bezel are made of MCF ultra-white mineral composite fiber specially developed by Roger Dube, which is made of 99.95% silicon dioxide and assembled with the iconic tourbillon. Moreover, the upper layer of the movement formed by mineral composite fibers is coated with fluorescent materials at every angle, and the continuous luminous time at night is 60% longer than that of the commonly used standard luminous materials. Finally, due to the world's first LumiSuperBiwiNova technology, some parts of the dual watchband made of FKM special rubber will also glow in the dark. (Photo/text watch home Xu Chaoyang compiled)