Warning: Ceramic Case

[Panerai7]

Was reading another forum and generally want a ceramic-cased watch.
F that, doesn't look like I'm getting one after seeing this

[unixshrk]

I thought they were pretty durable unless you knocked them off a counter or something

[FlyPenFly]

To me, it's a lot like sapphire vs acrylic. Much more scratch resistant but can shatter.

[jtbenson]

what's up with that crown?

[JP Chestnut]

This one has gone around the forums. I think Panerai ended up replacing that after a lot of public bitching. A search of TZ-UK would yield some insights.

[dnslater]

I thought they were pretty durable unless you knocked them off a counter or something

Just like an egg.

[AtomicTom]

Wonder how often something like this actually happens to people that have a ceramic watch.
You probably would have to really smash it I bet Art. Still is something you don't want to
worry about with a watch though.

[Panerai7]

here's a link, I'm still reading threads, but it doesn't sound like OP picked up the tab so far.
9K in repair costs, jeez. I love the TIC expression, so true - expecting 1st world service from a 3rd world country

http://panerai.watchprosite.com/show-fo ... -the-case/

[craniotes]

I've had a couple of ceramic-cased watches and they've held up remarkably well. I once banged an IWC Top Gun Doppel against a metal bar in a playground so hard that I transferred paint onto the case. It rubbed right off and the watch was unblemished. Any other watch, be it steel, titanium or some form of hardened metal would've been severely damaged in this particular encounter

As with all materials, there are pros and cons. For my part, I'm a big fan of ceramic, but I'm also aware that its scratch-resistance comes with a price.

YMMV.

Regards,
Adam

[jeckyll]

That's the risk with ceramic I guess... Just like ceramic bezels, much more scratch resistant, but if they go, they go!

[JP Chestnut]

That's the risk with ceramic I guess... Just like ceramic bezels, much more scratch resistant, but if they go, they go!

Too true. With a steel case, just about anything can be fixed with laser welding and a lapping machine. There doesn't exist something that can put that watch back to good as new.

[T.R.]

I thought they were pretty durable unless you knocked them off a counter or something

.... and that is not too hard to do.

Sad day for that watch owner.

[fastward]

When ceramic fails, it's big time. Scratch resistant, but not shatter resistant.

[craniotes]

When ceramic fails, it's big time. Scratch resistant, but not shatter resistant.

This was the thinking behind Blancpain's stillborn "ceramised titanium"; they wanted the hardness of ceramic with the ductility of metal. Alas, it proved too difficult and expensive to manufacture on the scale that they wanted, so until they -- or someone else figures it out -- it's either ceramic or metal.

Regards,
Adam

[falcon4311]

I saw an IWC that had a huge chunk that cracked and came off of the case.

[fastward]

When ceramic fails, it's big time. Scratch resistant, but not shatter resistant.

This was the thinking behind Blancpain's stillborn "ceramised titanium"; they wanted the hardness of ceramic with the ductility of metal. Alas, it proved too difficult and expensive to manufacture on the scale that they wanted, so until they -- or someone else figures it out -- it's either ceramic or metal.

Regards,
Adam

Cerakoted BP?

[Panerai7]

Still not a 100% sure why Swatch/BP couldn't pull it off.
They have ceramised titanium and other metal curling irons and frying pans made cheaply overseas and sold everywhere. Why not a watch case? Smells like a self-made mystique to drive prices higher when they come out with it again next year or two.

Here: http://scanpan.eu/en-GB/Shop/Classic-fr ... -cm-2.aspx

Ceramised Titanium Frying Pan

[Pasquale]

Lol^ I'm sure invicta will come out one, same size as that fry pan.

[craniotes]

Ceramic-coating is different than "ceramised", where the metal itself undergoes a transformation of sorts (there is no actual ceramic involved in the process). At least, this is how it was described to me by the folks at Blancpain.

In any case, there's no doubt that they can make it, they just can't make it as cheaply as they want to.

Regards,
Adam

[Pasquale]

Cheaply? Since when do they make anything that's cheaply priced? At least not to the public.

[craniotes]

Oh, trust me, they made plenty of money on the few ceramised Bathyscaphes they sold (remember, the markups are the highest in the luxury industry).

It's just that they wanted to make more.

Regards,
Adam

[dnslater]

When ceramic fails, it's big time. Scratch resistant, but not shatter resistant.

This was the thinking behind Blancpain's stillborn "ceramised titanium"; they wanted the hardness of ceramic with the ductility of metal. Alas, it proved too difficult and expensive to manufacture on the scale that they wanted, so until they -- or someone else figures it out -- it's either ceramic or metal.

Regards,
Adam

Seems like hardened steel is the right compromise, like Sinn, Bremont and Domasko. How scratch resistant are the Bremont hardened cases?

[craniotes]

Traditional hardening methods work to a point, but as all the scratched Bremonts and tegimented Sinns will attest, they still don't come close to the hardness afforded by ceramic. This is what prompted Blancpain to create ceramised titanium, which is about as close to the hardness of ceramic as you can get while still maintaining the ductility of metal.

Hopefully they'll bring it back, but from my talks with them, it seems unlikely.

Regards,
Adam

[moishlashen]

We always want metals to behave like ceramics and ceramics to behave like metals

[BBK357]

I thought they were pretty durable unless you knocked them off a counter or something

This is funny because it's true.
And how easy is that? And how hard have you guys smacked your SS or Ti watches against something that made you cringe? Imagine looking down and you are missing a chunk.

I think some ceramic watches look awesome- like Adams Top Gay.
I would buy it for looks... But to actually buy a ceramic watch for the scratch resistance? That's straight Re-tard. I imagine when somebody finds a cool black ceramic watch the scratch resistance feature is something they use to talk themselves into it or talk it up to their wife to justify it.
Afraid of scratches? Look at an old sub. The watch community has turned into a nation of pussies.