Beauty flipped
Reverso
Jaeger-LeCoultre
There’s not just one characteristic that can make a watch an icon, but one of the many things that can is its use of material. In the small real estate of a timepiece, every element counts both technically and aesthetically—every detail carries weight (sometimes quite literally). The material used to fashion any component of a watch can be make or break—it can be the difference between a watch’s success or failure, whether in the functionality of the movement or the intimate way it wears on the wrist.
Today, the use of ceramics abounds in watchmaking. Countless components—from the case, bezel, and bracelet to the gear trains and bridges—can be fashioned from the sturdy, lightweight, and scratch-resistant material. Despite being commonplace now, ceramic wasn’t a major part of watchmaking even just 25 years ago. However, a couple of brands were ahead of the curve in recognizing ceramics’ potential in the realm of watchmaking early on.
In 1986, IWC introduced a version of its Da Vinci with a ceramic case, marking one of the first among luxury watchmakers. The Da Vinci collection had long been a canvas for the brand to experiment with unexpected and innovative technologies, serving as the platform to introduce the Swiss Beta 21 quartz movement at the onset of the Quartz Crisis in 1969. After successfully implementing ceramic into this collection, IWC soon saw the material’s ability to enhance its most significant line of timekeepers: its pilot watches.
Since then, IWC has gone beyond employing ceramic simply for the technical advantages it can bring to its aviation timepieces. The material has breathed new life into a classic and has come to define the blueprint for modern pilots watches. Ceramic’s ability to be formed into complex shapes and to take on a full rainbow of colors has allowed IWC to fashion bold, aerodynamic designs adept enough for actual pilots in the British Royal Air Force and the United States Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (TOPGUN) and daring enough for collectors like Ed Sheeran, Barry Keoghan, and Lewis Hamilton.