TIME ZONE
By Celine Simon
Material Matters
Aside from design, features, and movements, a big area watch brands focus on is materials. What a watch is made of is integral to how it fits, feels, and functions. In recent years, watch companies have invested heavily in alternative materials that go beyond traditional metals such as steel, gold, and platinum. We’re seeing more timepieces fashioned from
cutting-edge materials, such as carbon composites, ceramics, titanium, and even upcycled elements. What’s more, watchmakers are experimenting with creating alloys out of gold to produce new hues and tougher metals. Whether used on cases, bracelets, dials, or bezels, there are plenty of modern materials to discover among today’s watches.
Gold Alloys One way that some watch companies like to flaunt their material mastery is by developing secret formulas to create proprietary gold alloys. Mixing in other metals, such as copper, palladium, platinum, silver, zinc, and others, produces different colors and degrees of hardness. However, to remain 18 karat gold, the formula must consist of at least 75 percent pure gold.
Left: Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition”
Center: Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono
Right: Tudor Black Bay 58 in yellow gold
Carbon Composites Carbon fiber has long been a favorite material in the aerospace and automotive worlds, prized for its appealing combination of lightness, strength, and distinctive appearance. Watches are now incorporating carbon composite materials (a mix of carbon fiber with other materials), which not only results in tough and durable watches but striking designs too. Watch companies can use various methods to create carbon fiber-reinforced materials depending on the specific characteristics and overall look they’re trying to achieve
32 TUFTS COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE BRENT MILLER MAGAZINE
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