The rise of propriety steels?
So with the recent buzz around Omega’s O-MEGA steel used in their Ultra Deep and Grand Seiko’s Ever Brilliant Steel (amongst precious metal mixes such as Sedna Gold and Everose Gold), will we soon see each brand offering a take on a steel / mix that offers more shine than steel, more durable, etc?
I’m inclined to see where Omega go with this specifically as if this gets to the Seamaster line that could be a very interesting proposition in the market. Much like if Grand Seiko make this the norm for all steel references?
Thoughts?
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Dave
Aussie Ex-Pat living in the UK, grew up with cars and anything mechanical… thus here we are after my first automatic Seiko many years ago 👋
London
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Last active: 3 months ago
It's funny, but I can come to 2 wildly different conclusions about all these proprietary metals, depending entirely on which hat I put on.
If I were to put on my "business analysis" hat, I would say:
On the other hand, if I were to put on my watch enthusiast hat, I would say (and I do actually act on it with my own dollars!):
Objectively, I know that these materials are absolutely ridiculous, and when I help companies with pricing strategy, I construct plans that help these companies maximize capture of willingness to pay, in precisely this way. And, yet, as a watch enthusiast, even though I know precisely how Omega and Grand Seiko are manipulating me into parting with my hard-earned cash, I'm loving every minute of being manipulated!
It's funny, but I can come to 2 wildly different conclusions about all these proprietary metals, depending entirely on which hat I put on.
If I were to put on my "business analysis" hat, I would say:
On the other hand, if I were to put on my watch enthusiast hat, I would say (and I do actually act on it with my own dollars!):
Objectively, I know that these materials are absolutely ridiculous, and when I help companies with pricing strategy, I construct plans that help these companies maximize capture of willingness to pay, in precisely this way. And, yet, as a watch enthusiast, even though I know precisely how Omega and Grand Seiko are manipulating me into parting with my hard-earned cash, I'm loving every minute of being manipulated!
Great points, maybe we should do a doorframe test… standard steel vs [insert proprietary steel]…
What intrigued me most is the hardness ratings compared to standard, less scratches and dents (on paper)…
Let’s see if the theory holds up, I would put money on these becoming more common throughout all their references over the next couple of years.
I'm not really sure what's all the fuss about. Proprietary steel alloys were already a thing in the past. Truth be told, usually they were proprietary to the case manufacturer rather than the watch brand itself. But Dennison had its Denisteel, Universal Geneve - Enversteel, a lot of brands ordered cases in the Staybrite alloy. Oystersteel and O-MEGA are nothing new as a concept.
I find it a quite cheesy, and Rolex, Omega, and Hublot are particularly prone to this type of proprietary material marketing tactic.
Rolex
Omega
Breitlight. BioCeramic. Honey Gold. King Gold. Magic Gold. There's plenty more out there, but my head is spinning from all this jargon. IMO, it's the watch world equivalent of corporate speak. 🤣
I have predicted this elsewhere, so I will remain consistent. Rather than just tinker with percentages in alloys as they have in the past, manufacturers are going to explore more color in the near future. I foresee a Grand Seiko with a brilliant white textured dial encased in a lavender steel and selling out a limited run in pre-order. I see some Omega with a red tint that will be derided as their "Cotton Candy" Speedmaster. Rolex will just fiddle with various shades of gold but everyone else will spin the color wheel.
And, eventually we will all remember why there are basically three shades of metal case.
I find it a quite cheesy, and Rolex, Omega, and Hublot are particularly prone to this type of proprietary material marketing tactic.
Rolex
Omega
Breitlight. BioCeramic. Honey Gold. King Gold. Magic Gold. There's plenty more out there, but my head is spinning from all this jargon. IMO, it's the watch world equivalent of corporate speak. 🤣
Yea and no, you’re referring to colour only here it seems.
I would be keen to see real life tests between the metals, mainly the steels to see if there is in fact noticeable differences in hardness and scratch / dent resistance than standard 316 steel. Sedna and Everose are mixed with copper I believe for fade resistance, huge plus for pink gold in my opinion.
Wish they’d put more effort into hardness (scratch and ding protection) and less into subtle color differences / pitting resistance
(Upcoming sad post about dinging my new watch 😔 )