Platinum - The Most Noble Of Metals To Grace Watchmaking

Arguably the most noble of metals to grace watchmaking, platinum is frightfully difficult to come to grips with. Even so, the economic stars are looking right for this incredibly dense white metal to figure ever more prominently in watchmaking. We shed some light on the topic in our annual materials special

- Ashok Soman

Everything counts in larger amounts, or so Depeche Mode put it in their 1983 hit. As applied to precious metals, larger amounts are measured in grammes and what counts is rarity and exclusivity. One should bear in mind that this is hardly an absolute. Instead, rarity and exclusivity applies relative to the best of our current knowledge and abilities; it helps to remember that aluminium was once more valuable than gold, as ridiculous as that might sound to contemporary ears. Similarly, helium is the second-most abundant element in the universe, yet it is quite uncommon on our planet; its nature ensures that it gets rarer on earth over time, and thus ever more valuable.

While we are actively advocating that collectors look seriously at precious metal options, we do acknowledge some weirdness here. To be upfront about it, platinum is cheaper than gold, and not by a little. It is also just about as rare as gold, and arguably more common, but far less is mined, and for more on that, you can always check out the history and material properties of platinum. Some observers have ventured that platinum is perfectly suited to watchmaking because it is so difficult to work with, and there is probably something to that. No less than Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern issues challenges to his watchmaking team, urging them to use platinum for chiming watches while knowing full well that the material is not the best suited to this task. Fortunately, whether a watch sounds out the time beautifully or not is a subjective matter.