How Durable is a Ceramic Case?
I was recently checking in with my Rolex AD to see how the waitlist is going and (by design) the conversation wrapped up (as they always do) standing in front of the Tudor case. Ironically, it was also devoid of the watches I actually wanted to see. But that is a rant for another day.
What did catch my eye was this ceramic Black Bay. I have never really been into this look, but I tried it on and really liked the way it felt and presented itself on the wrist. So I then headed out to check out an Omega 300 Black on Black, and I have been scouting some of the Zenth Defies with ceramic cases as well.
But before falling too far down this rabbit hole I have questions. And I hope that the collective wisdom of the WatchCrunch community has some answers. I love that ceramic is scratch resistant. That is a big plus. But I am more than a little concerned that every watch YouTube reviewer who handles one of these casually mentions how they can shatter if dropped.
I am the sort of person who goes to great lengths not to drop my watches, but accidents happen. So what do we actually know about the long term durrability of ceramic cases? What sorts of real life examples of broken cases can we come up. And are some ceramics more durable than others? These all seems like pretty basic questions given the cost of these watches, but it is not the sort of thing I generally hear discussed.
A student of time and space with a watch on his wrist.
Ceramic diver,had it a few months so far no problems even banged it against a marble table top in the pub
Ceramic diver,had it a few months so far no problems even banged it against a marble table top in the pub
Thanks! And great looking watch, very architectural. Was this an issue you worried about at all prior to your purchase?
I had my name down for the BB Ceramic , the AD struggled to get them in unfortunately.
Like you I had concerns about the ceramic and looked online and there isn't many cases of shattering. It was the same examples used in multiple threads and referred too.
Personably I wouldn't be bothered about it , there are lots of watches with ceramic cases and if there was a prob with durability I am sure there would be more examples of damage by now.
Not worried at all ,if I worried about things before buying them I wouldn't have much ,I understand your concerns were all different, my friend won't swim in his omega seamaster,as you stated your careful but accidents happen
I had my name down for the BB Ceramic , the AD struggled to get them in unfortunately.
Like you I had concerns about the ceramic and looked online and there isn't many cases of shattering. It was the same examples used in multiple threads and referred too.
Personably I wouldn't be bothered about it , there are lots of watches with ceramic cases and if there was a prob with durability I am sure there would be more examples of damage by now.
All good points, I see lots of warnings, but few actual shattered watches.
I think it takes quite a smack to shatter it, but it will if struck hard enough. I've seen it a few times on full ceramic bezels (as opposed to an insert). I can't remember an example of a case shattering... maybe because the case is pretty well protected?
I have a 25+ year-old RADO that has survived multiple heavy knocks on the case and particularly on the band. Still looks like new, no nicks or scratches.
I also had a white Cartier ceramic watch where the case broke after a few weeks from falling on the ground.
So I guess it depends very much on the type of ceramic (and brand).
I think it takes quite a smack to shatter it, but it will if struck hard enough. I've seen it a few times on full ceramic bezels (as opposed to an insert). I can't remember an example of a case shattering... maybe because the case is pretty well protected?
Yeah, maybe the geometry of a case makes it more resilient. Bezzles seem like they would be almost uniquely well suited to fail.
Thanks, I think that's another thing to think about. Will the edges and bevels stay sharp, or accumulate little knicks overtime and round off.
I have a 25+ year-old RADO that has survived multiple heavy knocks on the case and particularly on the band. Still looks like new, no nicks or scratches.
I also had a white Cartier ceramic watch where the case broke after a few weeks from falling on the ground.
So I guess it depends very much on the type of ceramic (and brand).
This is great feedback, thanks so much, it's exactly the sort of data I was looking to find.
FWIW Friend of mine bought an omega ceramic, and it cracked on 2nd day its been 6mos and he is still working with his AD to get it fixed.
FWIW Friend of mine bought an omega ceramic, and it cracked on 2nd day its been 6mos and he is still working with his AD to get it fixed.
Thanks Watchdowg. Those are the stories I am looking for. Very helpful.
I can’t speak for ceramic cases, but I have two watches with Carbon cases and the are in perfect shape with now scratches and dents, plus they weigh nothing. I hate dents and scratches and I tend to scratch or dent steel watches very quickly. On a side note I ordered a Traska today that has a very high vickers hardness rating.
There was an Omega Dark Side of the Moon on the other big watch forum for sale at quite a discount due to a chip it had in the case from a drop. It’s a ceramic case watch. No affiliation, but just a reference point as an example that did get damaged.
There was an Omega Dark Side of the Moon on the other big watch forum for sale at quite a discount due to a chip it had in the case from a drop. It’s a ceramic case watch. No affiliation, but just a reference point as an example that did get damaged.
Thanks for the heads up!
Ceramic may or may not be a good material for a watch case. Stainless steel, titanium and precious metals we know for sure are all good materials for watch cases so I don't see taking the chance. I can't imagine how I would feel shattering a nice watch. I'll stick with metal.
These can absolutely scratch, by the way.
Just in case anybody is following this, the last episode of fredrico talks watches had his thoughts on ceramic and carbon cases. TLDR version, carbon cases stinky bad, ceramic better but not a great idea. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SBx0K1tLTVM