From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: the Rolex Cerachrom bezel, and its evolution.
Ceramic has become a choice material for bezels for decades, due to its scratch resistance,
hardness and malleability.
Many watchmakers have been using ceramic since the mid-1980s.
Rolex for one, took its sweet time and only debuted their ceramic bezel in 2005.
In lieu of third party providers, Rolex created the Cerachrom, its own exclusive and patented
ceramic bezel.
The now popular Cerachrom bezel has become one of the most desirable traits of Rolex
watches; and still continues to evolve through the years.
Here’s a closer look at the Cerachrom and what makes it so special.
Before the Cerachrom came along, Rolex used two different materials for their bezels – Bakelite
and Aluminum.
Bakelite was used in the 1950s, and was made of acrylic with luminous radium numerals inside.
Quite quickly, however, the bakelite bezels were found to be prone to brittling and cracking.
in 1956, Rolex formally switched to the use of aluminum inserts for their bezels and continued
to do so until the 2000s.
While it had been their reliable material for decades, it had its limitations.
It didn’t offer the long-lasting durability that Rolex desired for its watches because
they scratch and fade over time.
In 2005, Rolex finally unveiled their first ceramic bezel watch – the 50th anniversary
Rolex GMT-Master II.
It became an instant hit due to its scratch- and fade-resistant properties, deep color,
and beautiful sheen.
Two years after, the blue ceramic bezel Rolex Yacht-Master Two followed, and Rolex officially
gave it the registered trademark, Cerachrom -- a combination of the words ceramic and
chrom, which means color in Greek.
The technology of the Cerachrom is entirely unique to Rolex.
The material starts off as extremely fine zirconium or aluminium oxide powder, then
mixed with pigments for its color.
Extreme temperatures are also applied to the bezel, as high as 1500 degrees, to remove
impurities and improve its strength.
The result is a corrosion-resistant, virtually scratch proof and vibrantly colored bezel
that is unaffected by UV rays -- and whose beauty will last for many many years.
Even when the Cerachrom bezel’s strength and beauty have been established, Rolex continued
to push the envelope.
In 2011, Rolex introduced a monobloc Cerachrom bezel in the Daytona Everose Gold.
Instead of a bezel insert, this model had a single piece of Cerachrom holding the crystal
in place, ensuring waterproofness.
In 2013, Rolex again achieved what was thought of as impossible – two colors on a single
block of ceramic.
The two-color aesthetics of the GMT Master proved to be a challenge to achieve on the
Cerachrom.
Rolex, after many years of fine-tuning, beat the odds with the black and blue bezel of
the Rolex GMT Master II Batman.
Yet again, Rolex introduced another innovation in 2015, with the Rolex Yacht-Master Everose
Gold.
The black Cerachrom bezel insert came in a sandblasted matte finish, topped with raised
and polished indexes.
Instead of using precious metals, it used the interplay of matte and polished surfaces
to improve legibility.
Today, Rolex uses the Cerachrom ceramic bezel in nearly all of its professional models.
Thanks to their passion for innovation, the hard wearing material now comes in different
designs and in multiple colors, all of them deep, intense and long lasting.
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