As a pioneer in professional watchmaking, Omega has been developing and using high-tech ceramics for more than ten years. Whether it is an all-ceramic watch case, or the bezel, dial and other parts are made of ceramic materials, ceramics are far more indestructible than we think.
Ceramics, derived from the Greek word "keramos", is an inorganic non-metallic substance fired at high temperatures and can be used to manufacture high-density watch components with special mechanical properties. The application of ceramics in watches benefits from its own performance advantages. Ceramics are twice lighter than fine steel, but 6 times harder, and have stronger wear resistance, high scratch resistance, high biochemical inertness, Hypoallergenic, eco-friendly and non-magnetic.
The production process of ceramic watches has strict requirements on the production process. Zirconium-based ceramic powder must be created through rigorous steps such as pressing and molding, sintering at 1,400 degrees high temperature, diamond tool processing, plasma heating at 20,000 degrees, and laser engraving. The result is a variety of colors and a solid structure. Omega combines ceramics with a variety of beautiful designs to create cases, bezels, dials, crowns, buttons and buckles.
Among Omega's many ceramic watches, the most famous is the Omega Speedmaster replica watches series "Dark Side of the Moon" watch, which was designed to commemorate the successful completion of Apollo 8's first human voyage around the moon. Among them, the "Dark Side of the Moon" Apollo 8 watch was launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission and is highly favored by the public. Omega uses a whole piece of black zirconia ceramic to create the 44.25 mm case of the watch. The chronograph hands are covered with yellow lacquer, and the tachymeter scale and crown are covered with Super-LumiNova. In order to show the beauty of the movement, the watch uses an exquisite hollow dial.
With its rich and professional ceramic watchmaking technology, Omega has produced ceramics in more than 8 colors. In addition to black ceramics, the brand has also created a Speedmaster moon phase watch with a blue ceramic case and a blue ceramic bezel. The bezel is decorated with a tachymeter scale made of LiquidmetalTM. In addition to the Speedmaster series, the familiar Seamaster series also uses colorful ceramic materials in different parts such as the bezel and dial. The dial and bezel of the new Seamaster series 300-meter diving watch are made of blue ceramic. The case size is 42 mm and made of fine steel. The Summer Blue dial is decorated with a laser-engraved ripple pattern that creates a gradient effect, and its darker blue hue echoes the watch’s 300-meter water resistance. The blue ceramic bezel is decorated with a light blue enamel diving scale made of "Grand Feu" craftsmanship. The rhodium-plated hollow hands and three-dimensional hour scales are covered with a unique light blue Super-LumiNova luminous coating, so the accurate time can still be read clearly under dark water.
I have to mention the green version of the Seamaster 300-meter diving watch, which has a bold and eye-catching color scheme. The stainless steel case is paired with a unidirectional rotating polished green ceramic bezel decorated with a white enamel diving scale. The dial is also made of polished green ceramic and has a laser-engraved ripple pattern. The hour markers are covered with white Super-LumiNova, which gives a blue effect in dark environments.
Omega not only uses different colors and craftsmanship to accurately interpret the unique style of the watch, but also pioneered the CeragoldTM process to decorate ceramic watch parts with 18K gold. The ceramic bezel with 18K gold numbers and scales requires a number of complicated production processes to be completed. The wonderful fusion of the two materials gives the watch its magical charm. The embodiment of the brand's craftsmanship can be seen in watches such as the Planet Ocean 600m made of precious metals.
