BaselWorld 2012: OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold

Ceragold. Ceragold is a process that allows the decoration of ceramic watch parts with 18 Ct gold. A nine-step process used to create a ceramic bezel with gold numbers and scaling results in a finished product that is absolutely smooth to the touch. At BaselWorld 2012, OMEGA announced the first watches to use this new manufacturing technology. OMEGA has a thorough explanation of the nice step process. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Forming of the ceramic ring:

• A specific mixture of zirconium oxide and bonding materials (called “binders”) is prepared in a granular form the form of granulates; the raw material is referred to as the feedstock.
• These granules are then heated to their melting point, resulting in a paste which is injected into a mould containing the desired ring shape. This moulded part is called the “green body”.
• The binders that were initially used to stabilize the parts in their injected form are then removed from the ring using a chemical/thermal treatment. This process is called debinding.
• The rings are finally subjected to a high temperature treatment process called sintering. At this stage, the ceramic granules are joined together to form a "fired" – or "sintered" – part with the definitive properties of ceramics, including hardness and resistance. 
  During the sintering process, there will be a shrinking effect that results in the reduction in size of the rings by approximately 30%.

2. Preparation of the ceramic ring:

• Sintered rings are machined to obtain their final geometry. Thickness, diameters, special shapes (e.g. bevels) or the hole for the SLN capsule are obtained by machining with diamond tools.

3. Engraving of the scaling:

• The scaling is engraved on the top of the bevel using a laser beam. A depth of 0.15mm is reached with successive removal of very thin layers of ceramics.     

4. Micro-drilling:

• To improve the adhesion of the decorative gold elements, micro-holes are drilled through the rings from the bottom of the engraved cavities. These holes will be partially filled with gold during electroforming process, forming bonding points and increasing adherence.

5. Sandblasting:

• A short cleansing operation is necessary to remove burnt ceramic material resulting from engraving and drilling. This operation is done with a sandblasting process that also smoothes the edges and standardizesthe  surface aspect.

6. PVD:

• The final decorative gold elements are obtained by an electroforming process. It requires a surface which conducts electricity to allow the growth of gold (galvanic process).
• As zirconium is an isolator, it is necessary to deposit a conductive layer on the top of the bevel. This can be done either by PVD technologies (successions of conductive nano-layers) or by electrolysis (a single conductive layer).

7. Electroforming:

• Engraved cavities from the scaling are filled with gold, with galvanic growth. Ceramic rings with an additional conductive layer are plunged into a bath containing gold particles. An electrical current is then applied and gold particles are directed onto the ceramic rings and fixed at the surface. After a certain time a thick crust of gold is formed, covering the ring’s entire bevel.
• The color and thickness of the electroformed gold are guaranteed by adjusting sensitive parameters in near-continuous assessment.    

8. Removal of surplus gold:

• Most of gold deposited onto the surface of the ring must be removed to recover the ceramic surface and to leave a solid gold layer in the scaling.
• The gold is removed mechanically with an abrasive material.

9. Final finishing:

• Residual gold on the ceramic material is cleaned with fine machining process; a tight line is given to the bevel.
• Rings are then polished to give a perfect shiny aspect to ceramics.
• Finally, the gold scaling is circularly brushed to improve its contrast with the ceramics.

OMEGA has released two Planet Ocean watches using the new Ceragold technology. One is a 45.5 mm Chronograph and the other the 42 mm White Planet St. Moritz.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 45.50 mm Chronograph Ceragold.  Focus on this watch will surely be the polished black zirconium-based ceramic bezel ring with the Ceragold diving scale sitting on top of the 18 Ct red gold case. But  no less impressive is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9301 which powers the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Ceragold, the same movement used in the De Ville Chronograph OMEGA. This movemnts features a unified 60-minute and 12-hour counter in a single dial at the 3 o'clock and the ability to adjust the hour hand independently of the minute hands

The watch also has the feature you expect to see on a premium deep sea divers watch, with a 600 meter water resistance rating and a helium gas escape valve.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold 42 mm White Planet St. Moritz. The OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold White Planet St. Moritz combines a 42 mm 18 Ct red gold case and a white ceramic bezel with a Ceragold diving scale. Inside is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8501movement.

Interestingly enough, the watch is dedicated to the Swiss mountain resort town of St. Moritz where each winter, a venue for world’s most prestigious bobsleigh races. A chrongraph may have a more appropriate watch to dedicate to St. Moritz.

About OMEGA SA. The forerunner of OMEGA was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name OMEGA was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.