Carbon watches. What is so special about carbon watches and what makes them such desirable watches? Maybe before we answer that question, we should even understand what carbon clocks are. What are the advantages of carbon watches and who are the leading companies in the luxury watch market in regards to the use of Carbon. In this article we will try to get to know the carbon clocks and answer these questions.
Introduction
Carbon watches are watches made with materials such as carbon fiber or forged Carbon.
These materials are known for their exceptional strength, durability and the fact that they are lightweight. What makes these watches, or rather, these alloys even more special, is the fact that, usually, each such watch comes with its own unique texture, which significantly differentiates them from standard luxury watches.
The unique texture comes thanks to the production process of the carbon watch bodies. Usually carbon fiber is inserted into a mold in the shape of the watch body. This mold is put into high heat ovens, where the carbon fibers are heated and melted at very high temperatures. Since it is impossible to control the melting process, the bodies of the watches receive different textures, when in fact, as mentioned, in most cases, these are watches with a unique texture for each and every watch.
Carbon watches are often used in high-performance sports and racing industries due to their ability to withstand extreme conditions. The history of carbon watches dates back to the 1980s when carbon fiber was first introduced in the watchmaking industry. Since then, many luxury watch brands have adopted the use of carbon materials in their timepieces to create high-end and innovative products.
Benefits of Carbon Watches
Watches made of Carbon or carbon fiber have several significant and prominent advantages over watches made of alloys such as stainless steel or gold. The most significant advantage is probably their durability and toughness.
Watches made of Carbon are much more resistant to scratches, blows and natural wear and tear. This fact makes them suitable for prolonged wear, in almost any environment, when the wearer of the watch does not have to worry about what will happen to the watch.
Therefore, these watches will usually be identified with high-paced, sports and extreme activities, activities where the watch is exposed to many shocks, scratches and various blows.
Another advantage of these watches is their light weight. Watches made of Carbon or carbon fiber are significantly lighter. Their light weight makes them much more comfortable to wear for a long time, without tiring the hand. In addition, the light weight of the alloy allows Carbon to be used even for watches with a relatively large diameter or special shapes, without creating continuous pressure on the wrist.
Another advantage is that carbon-made watches are highly resistant to scratches and dents so that you can wear them all day long, whether you’re spending most of your day at the office or most of your day in demanding activities, without worrying that your watch will be scratched.
The last advantage of carbon-made watches is the fact that every watch is unique and has its own “signature look,” which can be replicated. Those unique patterns make these watches eye-catching and very special.
Carbon Watches in Luxury watches world
There are few immediate suspects when we think of carbon watches in the luxury watch world.
The first one is of course, Hublot. Whether you like Hublot watches or not, one thing is for sure – Hublot has been at the forefront of using innovative materials in their timepieces. The brand is known for its “fusion” philosophy, combining different materials to create unique, high-performance watches. Hublot has several collections featuring carbon materials, such as the Big Bang Unico Carbon and the Classic Fusion Carbon.
The second brand is of course Richard Mille. Richard Mille is known for its avant-garde designs and use of advanced materials. The brand has several collections featuring carbon materials, such as the RM 011 Carbon and the RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal Carbon, a watch dedicated and created with inspiration with Rafael Nadal, the legendary Spanish tennis player who holds (as of April 2023) 22 grand slams.
The third brand is Panerai. The Swiss-Italian watchmaker, known for its high-durability diving watches, is also known for using carbon materials in its timepieces. The brand has several collections featuring carbon materials, such as the Submersible Carbotech and the Luminor Marina Carbotech.
Panerai uses a proprietary material called Carbotech, a composite material of thin carbon fiber layers. This material is known for its high strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion. Panerai’s use of carbon materials in their watches has helped to create lightweight and highly functional timepieces, making them popular among watch enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Another brand we would like to mention is Zenith. The watchmaker, who is a part of the LVMH group, is mostly known for its El-Primero chronograph watches, but Zenith has been using Carbon extensively in recent years, in its Classic Defy series, the Defy Extreme series and Defy El Primero 21.
Breitling is also a luxury watch brand that we cannot leave out when mentioning the list of manufacturers of carbon watches. Breitling has been incorporating carbon materials in their timepieces in recent years. The brand has several collections featuring carbon materials, such as the Avenger Hurricane Military and the Super Avenger Chronograph 48 Night Mission.
Last but not least is IWC. IWC was one of the first Swiss watch manufacturers to use carbon materials in their timepieces in the 1980s. The brand has several collections featuring carbon materials, such as the Pilot’s Watch Top Gun and the Ingenieur Automatic Carbon Performance.
There are more brands we can mention, for example, Tag Heuer, with its Carrera Carbon watch, but the brands we mentioned above are the ones most familiar with the manufacturing of Carbon watches.
Micro Brands Carbon Watches
Zelos Vitesse Forged Carbon Limited Edition
A limited edition of only 50 pieces of a cool looking chronograph watch, 40mm in diameter and 12.2mm height, with blue sub-dials on 3 and 9 o’clock, completed with a black leather rally style 2 tone strap, in black with blue stitches. this cool looking chronograph watch comes with a beautiful lume for outstanding readability.
Davosa Argonautic BG Carbon
This watch features a forged carbon case with a black dial with a grained texture. The dial is highly readable, thanks to large indexes and hands, with luminous pigment Super-LumiNova® in green or orange. You can find the luminous pigment Super-LumiNova® also on the bezel of the watch. The watch comes with a black rubber strap, completing its high-tech style and rugged design.
Gorilla ORIGINAL Fastback
Gorilla is a popular microbrand known for its limited edition watches that sell out within hours. Their design inspiration comes from high-performance cars like the BMW M4, Ford GT40, and the Porsche 917, making it a hit with motorsports enthusiasts.One of their most sought-after timepieces is the “Original” Fastback from the Legacy collection, limited to just 500 pieces. The watch features a youthful and sporty design with red accents against a black background. Its forged carbon case adds intricate detail, making it a visually stunning piece.Gorilla’s watches tend to have a larger case size of 44mm, which may not be ideal for individuals with smaller wrists. However, the square shape of the watch allows for a comfortable fit and doesn’t appear too oversized compared to traditional round cases.
Code41 Anomaly-01 Forged Carbon
Code41 is one of those watch manufacturers that you can be mistaken when you see one of its watches. The company is known for the futuristic design of its skeleton dials. The watch comes with an all-black look with red accents. Together with a black leather strap, this watch has a sportive yet elegant look. Oh, and did we mention it looks totally futuristic?
Victorinox I.N.O.X. Carbon Mechanical
A 43mm carbon case, with a Sellita Sw-200 caliber with 38 hours power reserve, together with a black rubber strap are the main features of this rugged-looking watch. But it’s not just looking tough, it’s truly one of the toughest watches you can find – Victorinox had a 64 Ton tank drive over the watch without breaking it and also threw it into a washing machine set to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours and it kept working!
Ventus Black Kite B-02 Carbon Fiber
This beautiful watch comes with a 42mm case in diameter (with a thickness of 13.5mm) with inner steel structure, combined with a black sandwich dial with vintage military beige tone Arabic numerals. Ventus is selling this watch with a black nylon strap that completes the minimalistic look of this watch. Inside the watch we find Seiko NH35 automatic movement, and it is water resistant up to 100 meters.
Wrapping things up
Carbon watches have become increasingly popular in recent years, thanks to their lightweight yet durable construction and sleek, modern design. Several high-end watch brands, such as Hublot, Richard Mille, and Zenith, are known for their carbon watch models, which have gained amazing popularity among watch enthusiasts. These watches offer not only exceptional performance but also unique aesthetic appeal, making them a favorite among watch enthusiasts and collectors alike. Whether you’re looking for a sports watch, a dress watch, or something in between, there’s a carbon watch out there for you. If you can’t afford a carbon watch from those companies, like most of us, luckily, many micro brands offer carbon watches with great value for money, so now it’s only up for you to decide, which carbon watch will be your next timepiece for this upcoming summer!
