Jean-Paul Suchel, the technical director of Bell & Ross, spends a lot of time studying people choosing a watch. And what strikes him every time is the way they often cup a selection in their palm. “They stand there in the shop and they weight the watch in their hand. They want to feel it there,” he says. “The fact is that watches are part of the jewellery world, and with jewellery there’s a direct correlation between weight and value, because of the historic use of precious metals. That’s only helped to solidify the association between heft and quality. A watch may be a small piece of material really, and yet prices are quite high, so unconsciously people feel if there’s no real weight to a watch, then there’s no value.”
That is a conundrum for the watch world, especially as lighter weight materials the likes of titanium, ceramic, and latterly the more experimental likes of silicon nitride and carbon composites are embraced by the watch industry, if often for qualities such as scratch-resistance and durability. Panerai has its Carbotech, IWC its use of boron carbide, also an extremely lightweight material, and a ceramic-titanium relationship on the side; Roger Dubuis and others have explored cases in silicon; you may recall that one sort of silicon is already in wide use as the balance spring, otherwise known as the hairspring. Silicon is half the weight of titanium.
Indeed, much as aluminium has entered the mainstream for chassis design in the car industry, thanks to the pioneering work of Jaguar and Audi, so titanium looks to be on the brink of entering the mainstream in watchmaking, not least because it is now only around 15% more expensive than steel. If you are coming to this story right after our titanium extravaganza, this will not surprise you.
Denne historien er fra Summer 2021-utgaven av World of Watches.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2021-utgaven av World of Watches.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
DARING VENTURE
Tudor partners Swiss Watch For New Boutique at The Exchange TRX.
GEEKING OUT
The biggest artisanal watch enthusiasts gather in Singapore for a weekend unlike any other in our region of the world.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Once seen as niche players, independent watchmakers are increasingly visible within the industry as reflected in this year's edition of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
DYING OF THE LIGHT
Hamilton updates the Khaki Field Murph once again, this time with a sparkling new white dial and a robust stainless steel bracelet.
OPEN SECRET
Ernest Borel left no stone unturned when creating the Grandeur Skeleton duo.
GOTHIC INSPIRED
Ernest Borel's Grandeur Big Date leans into the famed European architectural movement.
LIGHT TOUCH
Maurice Lacroix adds ultra-light titanium options to their ever-expanding Aikon collection.
LAST WORD
Longines introduces a smaller version of the Spirit Zulu, this time in titanium.
RACING PEDIGREE
Bell & Ross brings the worlds of motoring and aerospace together in the BR-X5 Racing.
AUTUMN HUE
Grand Seiko continues its celebration of the 20th anniversary of Calibre 9R with the limited edition SBGA499.