Ceramic Watches: A Brief History and 15 Top Models from Entry-Level to Luxury

Ceramic watches not only offer a host of practical attributes, such as lightness, hardness, scratch-resistance and hypoallergenic properties, but also, increasingly, a very intriguing range of color options as watch manufacturers continue to explore the science of ceramics and refine their own ceramic-making processes. In this article we take a brief look at the history and the technology of ceramics in watchmaking and showcase (in ascending order of price) more than a dozen of the best ceramic watches on the market today.

Defining Ceramics

First off, it’s worth clarifying what we’re talking about when we refer to “ceramics” in terms of watchmaking (as opposed to, say, pottery). In scientific terms, a ceramic can be succinctly defined as “an inorganic non-metallic solid made up of either metal or non-metal compounds that have been shaped and then hardened by heating to high temperatures.” While the word “ceramic” comes from a Greek word referring to pottery (keramikós), it has come to be associated with other materials including glass, cement, and what are generally called high-tech or “advanced” ceramics, as in the type used in aerospace, automotive, electronic and other industrial applications, including watchmaking. Whereas pottery and its various subtypes — earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, to name the major ones — all use types of clay as their main ingredient, advanced ceramics utilizes a far more wide-ranging and complex range of base materials, generally oxides, non-oxides, or combinations of both. Among the popular ceramics of this type are aluminum oxide (Al2O3, used to make dental implants, for example) and zirconium oxide (ZrO2, the compound most often used for watch cases).

The First Ceramic Watches

The watch brand most readily associated with pioneering the use of ceramics in watchmaking is Rado, which introduced its historic DiaStar watch in 1962, touting it as “the world’s first scratch-proof watch.” The DiaStar (60th anniversary tribute edition pictured above) had a case and bracelet made from tungsten carbide, which by the strictest scientific definition is actually a metal/ceramic hybrid (aka a “metal matrix composite”), as it blends tungsten and carbon elements and has many metallic properties, hence its use for products like drill bits and surgical tools. Nevertheless, the DiaStar is generally considered to be the first commercially available “ceramic watch.” In the decades that followed, other watch manufacturers joined the fray. Omega produced a version of the Seamaster (nicknamed the “Black Tulip”)  in the early 1980s with a black-colored case and bracelet made of cermet, a composite material made up of both ceramic and metal elements (and yes, some would put tungsten carbide in the cermet category rather than the ceramic).

If we’re considering the now-ubiquitous zirconium oxide the true benchmark for “real” ceramic, then the first ceramic watch case appeared on IWC’s Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar (above), a milestone of horology released in 1985 and significant for reasons beyond its case material. IWC would go on to innovate further in the realm of ceramics, most notably in its Pilot’s Watches, starting with the landmark “Black Flieger” of 1994, and has made impressive strides recently in the challenging area of colored ceramics.

Whether it’s the DiaStar or the Da Vinci that truly deserves the accolade of the first ceramic watch case, Rado can still definitively claim the world’s first watch using ceramic for both its case and bracelet. The aptly named Ceramica (above), launched in 1990, was notable for its minimalist design, its square-shaped black case, and its bracelet, composed of individual bricks of solid ceramic. As groundbreaking as it was, however, the Ceramica was a niche product with a limited audience.

It wasn’t until 10 years later, when fashion-oriented watch brand Chanel introduced the appealing and aggressively marketed J12 model (above), that the larger public began to take notice of ceramics as a desirable, up-and-coming material for luxury watches. Its positive properties are many (lightweight, durable, scratchproof, hypoallergenic, heat-resistant) and its negatives few (it will likely crack rather than dent if struck by a hard impact, and since it is harder to work with than metals it will add a premium to the watch’s price). Perhaps most enticingly, ceramics offer possibly the most vibrant range of color options for a modern watch’s case and even its bracelet, as you will discover in the curated list below.

Rado True Thinline Anima

Price: $3,050, Case Size: 40mm, Case Thickness: 9.0mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic Skeletonized A31.L02

Starting with its historic invention of the Ceramica, Rado has been pushing the frontiers of what can be accomplished with ceramics in the world of horology. The limited-edition True Thinline Anima from 2020 is the first ceramic watch with a case made of matte olive green ceramic. The 40mm x 44.8mm monobloc case is also elegantly slender, just 9mm in thickness. The name “Anima,” a Latin word meaning “air,” “breath,” or “soul,” refers to the openness of the watch’s skeletonized movement and also to the watch’s overall lightness on the wrist. Based on a standard, automatic ETA A31.L02, the movement has been further customized with bridges made from black anodized aluminum, which reduces weight. In addition to the front view from the dial, the movement offers a glimpse of its back side through a sapphire exhibition caseback framed by a titanium ring. The bracelet is made of the same high-tech ceramic as the case and attaches to the wrist via a three-fold clasp made of titanium.

Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver Olive

Price: $3,600, Case Size: 43mm, Case Thickness: 14.6mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Rado Caliber R763

Considering its history, it was probably inevitable that Rado would eventually create a version of its vintage-inspired dive watch, the Captain Cook, with a case made fully from high-tech ceramic. The Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Diver, launched in 2022, has a 43mm case made entirely from a monobloc of Rado’s hallmark material, which is known for its high degree of scratch-resistance and hypoallergenic properties. The model featured here uses the same olive-colored ceramic as the True Thinline model above for both the case and bracelet, as well as the dive-scale insert of the unidirectional bezel, which is made from stainless steel. The matte, olive green dial seamlessly continues the monochromatic aesthetic, with the hallmark handset of the Captain Cook family (wide arrow-tipped hour hand and thin minute hand) and a date window with a red numeral. The hands and indexes are filled with white Super-LumiNova, and the Rado rotating anchor symbol occupies its familiar spot at 12 o’clock. The exhibition caseback offers a view of the movement inside, Rado Caliber R763, a variant of the Powermatic 80 mechanism found throughout the collection. The matte-finished bracelet attaches with a fold-over clasp.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Patrouille de France 70th Anniversary

Price: $4,100, Case Size: 42mm x 42mm, Thickness: 10.4mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Sellita-based BR-CAL.302

Established in 1953, the Patrouille de France is an elite unit of France’s Air and Space Force, renowned as one of the world’s leading aerobatic teams. In celebration of its 70th anniversary in 2023, Bell & Ross, the French-founded watchmaker heavily associated with all things aeronautic, released this 999-piece limited edition from the dashboard-inspired BR 03-92 collection. Its 42mm square case is forged from ultra-light high-tech ceramic with a black coating, making for a sleek contrast with the luminous blue dial, evocative of the Patrouille de France’s Alpha Jet. That aircraft, and four others from the prestigious history of the aerobatic team, are represented as engraved silhouettes on the watch’s black ceramic caseback. Circling the dial, with its special 70th anniversary emblem, is a ring with the colors of the French flag. The Sellita-based Bell & Ross Caliber BR-CAL.302 ticks inside the 100-meter water resistant case, which is mounted on either a blue calfskin leather strap or a rugged, black canvas fabric strap.

Longines Hydroconquest Black Ceramic

Price: $4,150, Case Size: 43mm, Case Thickness: 13mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Longines Caliber L888

The Longines HydroConquest, launched in 2007, has a boldly contemporary design and a sturdy, water-resistant construction that have made it one of the most popular dive watches in its price segment. Since its debut, the HydroConquest has expanded into a versatile collection with a wide array of sizes, colorways, and materials, including this model with a “stealth-look” matte-black case and bezel made of zirconium oxide ceramic rather than traditional steel. Despite its monochromatic look, the watch is visually stunning with its subtle array of alternating finishes: matte on the dial, polished on the main case, round satin-brushed on the bezel, and a combo of matte and circular satin brushing on the caseback. The 43mm case is mounted on a black rubber strap whose folding clasp is also constructed from black ceramic. The water-resistance is an impressive 300 meters. Inside is the automatic Caliber L888.3, developed exclusively for Longines by its sister company ETA and boasting a power reserve of 64 hours.

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Red Radar Ceramic

Price: $4,300, Case Size: 42mm x 42mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100m, Movement: Sellita-based automatic BR-CAL.302

Bell & Ross carved out its identity in the luxury watch world with the launch of the BR 01, whose high-contrast, cockpit-clock dial design and austere square case proved both iconic and trend-setting. Spinning off from the BR 01 were the even more unconventional Flight Instrument editions, which took their visual cues from other aviation dashboard devices beyond clocks. Among the most eye-catching is the BR 03-92 Red Radar Ceramic, whose dial reproduces the scanning motion of a light beam on an onboard radar screen. Two ultra-light, concentric disks, in place of traditional hour and minute hands, rotate under a red-tinted sapphire crystal, hosting two miniature screen-printed planes — a passenger plane on the outer disk for the hours, a fighter plane on the central disk for the minutes, while a red-painted central analog hand sweeps over both disks to follow the seconds and complete the realistic approximation of a radar screen. Inside the matte-black ceramic case is the automatic BR-CAL.302, based on the tried-and-tested Sellita SW300 and offering a 38-hour power reserve.

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic

Price: $4,825, Case Size: 41mm, Case Thickness: 14.4mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 200 meters, Movement: Automatic Tudor Caliber MT5602-1U

Rolex-owned Tudor built its distinct identity largely around one megapopular model, the vintage-inspired Black Bay divers’ watch, which has grown to encompass a diverse collection with various materials and colorways. The Black Bay Ceramic, released in 2021 and awarded at the GPHG that same year, riveted the watch world’s attention not only with its dark, monochromatic design — matte-black, micro-blasted, monobloc ceramic case, black-PVD-steel bezel with engraved ceramic dive-scale insert, domed black dial — but also with its movement. The model was the first to be fitted with the automatic Tudor Caliber MT5602-1U, the company’s first in-house caliber to earn a Master Chronometer certificate from METAS, the Swiss Institute of Metrology, which measures  precision as well as other factors like resistance to magnetic fields. Outside of Omega, which instituted the Master Chronometer tests for its own watches in 2015, Tudor is the only watch brand to earn this certification.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe”

Price: $11,700, Case Size: 44.5mm, Thickness: 15.7mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Water Resistance: 60m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic IWC Caliber 69380

IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Top Gun family has served as the proving ground for many of the Schaffhausen brand’s boldest forays into avant-garde materials, particularly colorful ceramics. After grabbing the watch community’s attention with the sand-colored ceramic cases of its Mojave Desert models in 2019, IWC continued innovating with the “Lake Tahoe” in 2022. The first IWC Pilot’s Watch in a white ceramic case, it takes its inspiration from the mountainous, wintry landscape frequently flown over by pilots training at the U.S. Navy’s Top Gun fighter weapons school, and by those pilots’ white uniforms. The white ceramic case (officially designated by Pantone as “IWC Lake Tahoe”) measures 44.5 mm in diameter, with steel pushers and crown and a titanium caseback. The matte black dial hosts luminous-coated black hands and large, legible Arabic numerals. Behind the caseback, inside an antimagnetic inner case made of soft iron, IWC’s manufacture Caliber 69380 amasses a power reserve of 46 hours. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe” comes on a white rubber strap that matches the case and is produced in a limited annual edition of 1,000 pieces.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Big Blue

Price: $11,700, Case Size: 45.5mm, Lug width: 22mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 600 meters, Movement: Automatic Omega Caliber 8906

Starting out as an uncommonly water-resistant gents’ watch in 1948, welcoming its first purpose-built divers’ watch in 1957, and becoming the official watch of James Bond with the introduction of the Seamaster Diver in the 1990s, Omega’s Seamaster collection has grown into a far-ranging product family. The models in the Planet Ocean subfamily were positioned from the start as modern dive watches that embraced both sporty utility and luxury, drawing influences from a 1960s Seamaster model, including the coin-edged, unidirectional bezel; Arabic numerals at 12, 6, and 9; arrowhead hour and minute hands; a helium-release valve at 10 o’clock; and, most significantly from a diving standpoint, a water resistance of 600 meters, twice that of the Seamaster Diver 300M. The GMT-equipped Big Blue edition is the first Omega watch with a case made entirely from a monobloc of blue ceramic. Orange and blue are the signature colors of the Planet Ocean series, so orange highlights abound throughout the design, including in the 24-hour GMT scale surrounding the dial and the first 15-minute-sector of the bezel’s 60-minute diving scale, which combines orange rubber and ceramic. Inside the 45.5mm case is an in-house movement, Master Chronometer Caliber 8906, with a 60-hour power reserve and an industry-leading 15,000 Gauss magnetic field resistance.

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon

Price: $12,000, Case Size: 44.25mm, Thickness; 16.1mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Omega 9300

Joining Omega’s fan-favorite Speedmaster “Moonwatch” family in 2013, the “Dark Side of the Moon” model derives its name from the monochromatic, ebony aesthetic of its case and dial, both made from black zirconium oxide ceramic. The 44.25mm case has both brushed and polished finishes, and the dial features applied indexes made of 18k white gold, and two blackened subdials at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock — a bicompax subdial arrangement derived from the movement, Omega’s in-house, automatic Caliber 9300. As on other Speedmasters with that movement, the subdial at 3 o’clock serves as both the 12-hour and 60-minute counter, with two hands to display the elapsed time intuitively, while the running seconds occupy the subdial at 9 o’clock and the date appears in a window at 6 o’clock. The bezel’s tachymeter scale — a hallmark of the Speedmaster, aka the “Moonwatch,” after its famous role in the Apollo 11 moon landing — is inscribed in matte chromium nitride on the polished black ceramic surface. The chronograph pushers are also in polished ceramic.

Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Black Ceramic

Price: $13,500, Case Size: 42.5mm, Water Resistance: 100m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic El Primero 3652 Crystal: Sapphire

After several years building up its Chronomaster and Defy collections, Zenith refocused attention on its oldest product family, the Pilot (formerly the Pilot Type 20) in 2023. The new Zenith Pilots, downsized from their more recent forebears, are more aviation-styled dress watches than historically inspired tool watches for the cockpit, with 40mm sizing on the Automatic and 42.5mm on the standout Big Date Flyback Chronograph, featured here in an eye-catching black microblasted ceramic case; paired with a black corrugated dial with white hands and markers, the model exudes monochromatic charm. Inside the case is the automatic El Primero Caliber 3652, which offers not only high-frequency performance (36,600-vph, resulting in chronograph readings precise to 1/10-second) and added flyback functionality, but also a patented mechanism for its big date indicator that advances and stabilizes both date wheels in a fraction of second, allowing the date numerals to rapidly, smoothly advance as if updating flight times on an old-fashioned mechanical arrivals/departures board.

Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Ceramica

Price: $16,500, Case Size: 44mm, Lug Width: 24mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Panerai Caliber P.9100

Historically renowned for its mission-ready military dive watches, Panerai is another watch brand that has mastered modern materials. Its Luminor Chrono Flyback Ceramica is distinguished by a 44mm-diameter matte-black case, constructed of a synthetic ceramic based on zirconium oxide; the high-tech case material is five times harder than steel but substantially lighter in weight, as well as highly resistant to scratches, corrosion and extreme temperatures. The hallmark barrel-shaped case places the two chronograph pushers on the left side rather than the right so as to not impede the use of the patented, bridge-shaped crown protector. The matte black dial’s two center-mounted counter hands contrast both with each other and with the dial for an easily legible reading of the chronograph. Panerai’s in-house automatic Caliber P.9100 powers the watch’s timekeeping as well as its flyback-equipped chronograph function that enables resetting and restarting with a single press of the pusher at 8 o’clock. As per the model’s lengthy name, it also holds a three-day (72-hour) power reserve.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic Ceramic

Price: $17,700, Case Size: 40mm, Thickness: 5.5mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 30m, Movement: Automatic Bulgari Caliber BVL 138

Italian watchmaker-jeweler Bulgari has made ultra-thin watches its stock-in-trade for the better part of a decade and has set or broken multiple records in its Octo Finissimo series, which now includes high complications such as perpetual calendars and minute repeaters. The basic Octo Finissimo Automatic, with its telltale off-center small seconds subdial at 8 o’clock, is offered in a 40mm, matte-black ceramic case with a sandblasted finish and a svelte profile of 5.5mm. The movement inside, the in-house BVL 138, is correspondingly slender, at just 2.23mm, and incorporates a micro-rotor for its automatic winding while also boasting an array of haute horlogerie decorations that are on display behind a sapphire caseback. The thin, supple integrated bracelet is made from the same material as the case, making the Octo Finissimo Automatic the thinnest all-ceramic watch in the world with a mechanical movement.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronographe

Price: $17,900, Case Size: 43.6mm, Case Thickness: 15.25mm, Lug Width: 23mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 300 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber F385

Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe collection surfaced in 2013, the 60th anniversary of the brand’s original, historically significant Fifty Fathoms dive watch. Named for the undersea vehicle invented by Auguste Piccard, launched in that same year of 1953, the Bathyscaphe took its design inspiration from models of the later 1950s, hosting the same distinctive handset, 4:30 date window, simple geometric hour markers, and luminous dot on the bezel for orientation, a detail requested by the original models’ military clients. The chronograph version of the Bathyscaphe debuted in 2014, and its gray ceramic case would be the first of several colorful ceramic-cased models to follow, including the model pictured, which launched in 2020 and combines a brushed black ceramic case with a green ceramic dive-scale bezel insert to match the tone of the tricompax dial.The automatic movement inside is one of Blancpain’s most impressive in-house calibers, boasting a high-frequency balance (36,600 vph, or 5 Hz), a four-day power reserve, and an integrated column-wheel chronograph with flyback function.

Hublot Big Bang Integral Blue Ceramic

Price: $24,100, Case Size: 42mm, Case Thickness: 11.1mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic HUB1280 Unico

Hublot has been known since its inception for audaciousness and boldness in both design and materials, as embodied by the original Big Bang model, released in 2005, which featured a previously unprecedented combination of gold and rubber elements. Hublot celebrated 15 years of the trend-setting “Art of Fusion” watch in 2020 with the Big Bang Integral, which was the first Big Bang outfitted with an integrated bracelet. Offered, as per Hublot’s mission statement, in a variety of iterations including the blue ceramic version pictured, the watch has an updated case design recalling the original Big Bang, with its first link fused with the bracelet and chronograph pushers that recall those of the 2005 model. The vintage pusher design also inspires the shaped edges of the bracelet links, whose alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces, beveling and chamfering provide a seamless visual continuation of the case and its lugs. The 42-mm case is topped by the famed “porthole” bezel with visible screws and houses the in-house Unico caliber, which includes a column-wheel chronograph function.

Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski Red Ceramic

Price: $24,100, Case Size: 45mm, Thickness: 13.45mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 50 meters, Movement: Automatic Caliber HUB 1105

This 200-piece limited edition from Hublot’s Orlinski collection, which takes its name and inspiration from the colorful, sculptural works of French artist Richard Orlinski, is distinguished by the red ceramic used for both the 45mm case and the sharply edged, angular bezel. Developed over four years by Hublot’s R&D team, the proprietary material’s red hue is achieved through a special process that fuses pressure and heat to sinter the ceramic without burning the pigment. The totally in-house process produces a secret, patent-protected ceramic that not only achieves the extremely difficult red coloring but also a greater hardness than previous ceramics. The case’s red coloring and geometrical angled lines of the case evoke the sculpture Born Wild Crocodile by Orlinski, whose Pop Art-style repertoire often uses powerful shades of red. The polished crimson case contains Hublot’s self-winding Caliber HUB1155, a skeletonized chronograph movement with a 42-hour power reserve.The subdial at 9 o’clock tallies 30 elapsed minutes, while the running seconds tick away on the other subdial at 3 o’clock.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition

Price: $25,800, Case Size: 42mm, Case Thickness: 11.08mm, Crystal: Sapphire, Water Resistance: 100 meters, Movement: Automatic Girard-Perregaux Caliber GP01800-2165

Girard-Perregaux kicked off a partnership with British luxury automaker Aston Martin in 2021. Among the first timepieces to spring from the collaboration is the Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition, which uses a lightweight ceramic for its case and bracelet. The ceramic mixture includes zirconium oxide from an extremely fine powder of micro-beads as well as metallic oxides that imbue the parts with their distinctive green hue — inspired by the “British Racing Green'' that has become a hallmark of Aston Martin racing cars. The bracelet and case are remarkably homogeneous in their finishing, which combines both polished and satin surfaces. The green dial sports a cross-hatched diamond pattern first used on Aston Martin’s “AM” logo of the early 1920s, a motif still used for the quilted seats of Aston Martin high-performance cars. Inside the case, behind a sapphire caseback, beats the engine, a self-winding GP01800 caliber with a 54-hour power reserve and a host of decorative finishing, including a rotor with a circular Geneva wave pattern.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Blue Ceramic

Price: On Request, Case Size: 41mm, Thickness: 9.5mm, Water Resistance: 20m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Audemars Piguet Caliber 5134

Audemars Piguet has been making watches since 1875 but created its most iconic timepiece in 1972 — the Royal Oak, designed by the legendary Gérald Genta and widely considered the first luxury sport watch. Now the maison’s flagship product family, the Royal Oak added a perpetual calendar model in 1981 and released that high-complication classic in an all-blue-ceramic version — case and bracelet — in 2022. The 41mm case features the hallmark octagonal bezel of the Royal Oak collection and the matching blue dial is decorated with the “Grande Tapisserie” pattern of subtly raised three-dimensional squares that has been a hallmark of the model since its debut. The calendar displays are on prominent subdials at 9 o’clock (day), 12 o’clock (month and leap-year), and 3 o’clock (date). In addition, an astronomical moon-phase display appears at 6 o’clock and the week of the year appears on a numbered 1-52 chapter ring surrounding the dial. Like its predecessors in precious-metal cases, the ceramic watch contains the self-winding Caliber 5134, carrying a minimum guaranteed power reserve of 40 hours. The emblematic integrated bracelet, with its blue ceramic links, fastens to the wrist with a clasp made of blackened, polished steel.