11 Luxury Watch Brands Producing Their Own Alloys

Watch brands often use popular materials in their products, such as steel, rose gold, titanium and so on. These materials are frequently used by almost every watch brand and are known by everyone.

However, ultra-luxury watch brands today have developed their own alloys, special materials such as Rolesium, Caregold and Powerlite. Although many watch brands make their own special cases, movements and dials, only a handful of watch brands have gone further and invent their own special alloys and sometimes parts to be used in the movement of the watch.

All of these materials have certain properties. Luxury watch brands that have invested in developing these special alloys that are stronger, lighter, or provide scratch resistance have succeeded in inventing many new alloys.

In this article, we will examine 11 luxury watch brands that combine different materials to invent unique alloys.

1. Rolex Watch

One of the materials developed by the Rolex watch brand is the product known as Rolesium, which is a combination of 904L super alloy stainless steel and platinum. This alloy is used in the 40 mm diameter Oyster case of the Rolex Yatch-Master.

In addition, Rolex used Creachrom, which it used in Submariner bezels, in its 50th anniversary special series, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. Cerachromo bezels have engraved numbers and graduations coated with a thin layer of platinum by the PVD process.

The movement of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona has little resistance to magnetic fields, but a hair made of blue Parachrom, a material developed exclusively for another Rolex model, is used in the 50th anniversary special edition. According to Rolex, hairsprings made of Parachrom, an alloy of Niobium, zirconium and oxygen, minimize expansion during temperature changes. Since they are less sensitive than traditional hair bows, they can resist shocks up to 10 times higher.

2. Omega Watch

The Omega watch brand has spent long time developing a material known as Caregold, combining ceramic and 18k gold. In the technique used to develop Caregold, 18 carat gold is grown in ceramic and the two materials are bonded together. This material is used to create ceramic bezels with soft gold numbers, as in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean model.

The Omega Constellation Sedna model is an alloy blended with Sedna gold, copper and palladium, developed entirely in-house by the Swatch Group. It is a mixture in which an incredibly long-lasting reddish hue is formed. While palladium strengthens the gloss of the material, it extends the life of the material. For the vibrant red color, a minimum of 75% gold is used with a certain part of the alloy.

3. Hublot Watch

Keeping up with the philosophy of melting, the Hublot watch brand has also succeeded in developing its own materials. These alloys are Cermet, which combines ceramic and metal, and Hublonium alloys, which consist of magnesium and aluminum.

Hublot has also created a tough, incredibly scratch-resistant alloy known as Magic Gold. Made of 75% pure gold, Magic Gold is subjected to a process in which the gold is melted and boiled with ceramics, resulting in a much harder gold.

4. Linde Werdelin Watch

Introduced at Baselworld 2013, the Linde Werdelin Spidolite II Tech model is made with a proprietary alloy ALW or ”Alloy Linde Werdelin”. Working to make a lighter watch, Linde Werdelin has achieved this with a carbon outer case and an alloy ALW inner case.

This material, which is 50% lighter than titanium, is the same strength as steel watches. While a 25 micron treatment is applied to harden the surface of the alloy, a bright red or green color is seen with angular changes on the skeletonized outer case sides.

5. Ulysse Nardin Watch

Ulysse Nardin used its own alloy, Diamonsil, in the Marine Chronometer Manufacture model. The escapement in the Caliber UN-118 movement is made of Diamonsil, a synthetic diamond developed in collaboration between the brand’s Swiss firm Sigatec.

6. A. Lange & Söhne Clock

A. Lange & Söhne , one of Germany’s best and one of the world’s leading luxury watch brands, has developed a special alloy called “Honey Gold”, the mixture of which is protected like a glaze and looks like hot shiny brass.

Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmidt explained that this material, which they developed as an anti-scratch, is used only in the limited edition Lange 1815 Moonphase ”Homage to FA Lange” series since it is very difficult to process into watch cases.

7. Harry Winston Clock

Harry Winston used his patented material Zalium alloy for the tourbillon bezel, as well as the case, belts and protrusions of the watch, with the DLC process as part of the Histoire de Tourbillon 4. Zalium, an alloy of aluminum and zirconium, is a durable and ultra-light material that is also used in aerospace engineering.

8. Chanel Watch

Recently, Chanel has added a new women’s watch model to its J12 Chromatic watch line, made of a new, patented material called “beige gold”, a rose gold alloy that is formulated to not tarnish like standard rose gold alloys.

9. Maurice Lacroix Clock

Maurice Lacroix has developed an alloy he calls PowerLite, made up of five elements: aluminum, magnesium, titanium, zirconium and ceramic, specially designed to offer a wide range of colors. Unlike other aluminum alloys, PowerLite is very useful for surface colors used in vehicles, aircraft and architecture. It weighs half that of steel but is twice as difficult to machine.

10. Seiko Watch

Seiko , one of the world’s best watch brands , has developed a special alloy called Spron 610, which is more resistant to shocks and magnetism than standard alloys, to be used in the hair strands of many of the movements developed in-house, including the Caliber 9S86 used in the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat.

The brand has developed another alloy called Spron 530 for use in the mains of the caliber. The Spron alloy allows the high-frequency balance of the spring’s movement to withstand much stronger torque than required and contributes to the watch’s power reserve.

11. Rado Clock

Even though it is not a material on its own, it would not be possible not to include the high-tech plasma ceramics of Rado , the Swiss watch brand, which contributed the most in the production of ceramics used in high quality watches . The brand uses a patented, state-of-the-art process to transform standard-finished white ceramic into colored materials in high-temperature kilns.

At a temperature of 900 degrees, a bright metallic luster is obtained and the surface color of the material is changed. This process is done without disturbing the chemical structure of the surface of the product. For this reason, things such as hardness, scratch resistance and lightness, which are characteristic of ceramics, are not affected.

You can also review our website for the Best Watch Brands.