Compositional Glory

There are a few relatively recent standout watches in ceramic that deserve their own space, which is what they get here. Besides that, we also look at a few high-tech materials and processes that are definitely not ceramic, but are new for 2020

- Ashok Soman

When creating a menu, main courses need the company to qualify as proper meals. This ranges from the gravy and a side serving to a full suite of supporting courses. In this issue, if Hard Time is the cote de boeuf then this list is the sauce that gives the meal its character. It should go without saying that we could not delve into something like ceramics without providing a list of great watches you might want to consider. In 2020 though, there is a problem…

While the following watches are potentially iconic – in some cases they are undeniable that – they are almost universally not new. Typically, this is hardly a problem but we do like to offer at least a few all-new timepieces to provide a bit of sharpness. To continue the food analogy, these would be the sprigs of rosemary off to the side of the meat, or perhaps more appropriately the roughly diced flat-leaf parsley sprinkled on top of the sauce.

In short, the following watches might not be new, but they did help move ceramic watches away from a niche proposition explored only by the likes of Rado, Omega, and IWC. This is precisely the reason we open this piece with a visual of Rolex bezels because these watches truly confirmed that the watch buying public was ready for the hardcore lights, to paraphrase the Pulp song.

TUDOR FASTRIDER BLACK SHIELD