Ceramic Bezel Watches

Durable, scratch-proof bezels with a deep rich hue.

What is a Ceramic Bezel?

A ceramic bezel is a ring surrounding the watch face made from lightweight, durable ceramic material. The bezel can come in various sizes, shapes, colors, and finishes and serves many different purposes, including holding the crystal in place and protecting the dial. Ceramic bezels are celebrated for their durability, offering superior resistance to scratches and corrosion than other materials. They will remain in like-new condition, even after years of continuous wear and exposure to sunlight or salt water. For this reason, the ceramic is a popular choice for purpose-driven watches that see a lot of wear, such as dive watches. There are different ways to produce ceramic bezels. Generally, they consist of zirconia or titanium carbide powder that is pressed into a mold and sintered, resulting in the ceramic material used in watchmaking.

Why Do Watches Have Ceramic Bezels?

The bezel is more prone to exposure and wear than any other watch part, so it is important to use durable materials. Ceramic is an ideal bezel material because it is unaffected by UV light and, as a result, will not fade or dull as quickly as other materials, such as aluminum.

Additionally, ceramic is almost entirely scratch-resistant and will not corrode. YouTuber WatchChris recently demonstrated how resilient ceramic is in a scratch test against other popular watch materials, including bronze and steel. In the end, ceramic came out on top.

Why Do Watches Have Ceramic Bezels?

The Best Ceramic Bezel Watches

Nearly every Swiss-made watch brand has a ceramic bezel offering in its catalog. However, the best ceramic bezel watches serve a purpose while also embracing their inherent contemporary design in lustrous hues that remain like new for years of wear. They are bold yet practical. With that in mind, not all ceramic bezels are created equal when it comes to quality and finishing techniques either. Brands, such as Formex, with the highest quality ceramic bezels have sharp, defined markings and numerals. If the bezel features two different colors, the line between each color is crisp with no bleeding or smudging. Similarly, if the numerals are filled with lume or any other material, it is expertly applied.

The Formex Reef Ceramic Bezel Watch

The Formex Reef is the company’s signature professional dive watch. It sports a 42mm case in 316L stainless steel, scratch-resistant sapphire, and a chronometer-grade automatic movement with a 56-hour power reserve. The Formex Reef also features standard dive watch amenities, such as substantial water resistance of 300 meters, BGW9 Super-LumiNova, and an anti-reflective treatment on the crystal for optimal visibility underwater. The Reef is a versatile collection of dive watches available in an array of bracelet types and bezel and dial colors.

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The Bezel

The bezel features a safer uni-directional mounting and serrated edges that are easy to grip, particularly while wearing diving gloves. The bezel features the option of a steel or zirconium oxide ceramic insert embellished with 60-minute graduations that are engraved by Femto-laser pulsations. The result after 60 minutes of precision engraving is a striking three-dimensional effect with the numerals in relief. Most notably, the Formex Reef takes advantage of the brand’s innovative interchangeable bezel mounting system, allowing the wearer to swap the bezel for a different color without tools.

The Formex Reef GMT Ceramic Bezel Watch

The Reef GMT combines the convenience of a dive watch with water resistance up to 300 meters with dual timekeeping capabilities. Instead of 60-minute graduations, the bezel is calibrated to 24 hours, and the dial features four centrally-mounted hands instead of three. The extra hand is read against the bezel to track an additional time zone. In total, the Reef GMT can display up to three time zones at once. The model also features 316L stainless steel, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating, and Super-LumiNova hour markers and hands.

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The Bezel

The Reef GMT features an interchangeable bezel similar to the Reef diver. However, while the Reef model is outfitted with a uni-directional bezel, the bezel on the Reef GMT can rotate in both directions. Bezel options include solid or two-tone to distinguish between day and night hours, engraved numerals filled with colorful lacquer to complement the bezel or Super-LumiNova, and a stainless steel or zirconium oxide ceramic insert. The bezel inserts are finished with a striking sunburst finish.

The Essence Leggera

The Formex Essence Leggera is an ultra-lightweight Swiss Made watch that pairs a carbon fiber composite case with high-tech ceramic. Both materials are naturally black, allowing the watch to embrace a sleek aesthetic that won’t weigh down the wrist. Features include two case sizes (41mm or 43mm), in-house manufactured dials in various finishes and colors, Super-LumiNova that emits a mesmerizing blue glow in the dark, and a zirconium oxide ceramic bezel. The crystal has an anti-reflective coating, and the clasp sports Formex’s patented micro-adjustment system. At the core of it all is the brand’s groundbreaking case suspension system to offer unparalleled wrist comfort.

The Bezel

The Essence Leggera features a smooth, fixed bezel. The multi-finished surfaces give the bezel exquisite dimension and character that is on par with the contemporary design of the rest of the watch. The crown and bezel are both crafted from zirconium oxide ceramic and will resist dings and scratches, remaining in pristine condition for years of wear.

A History of Ceramic Bezels

While watches sporting ceramic bezels are a relatively new mainstream convenience, the material has been used in watchmaking for decades. Omega released what many horology buffs consider the first genuine ceramic watch in the early 1980s – the Seamaster “Black Tulip.” It features an innovative material called “cermet,” comprised of ceramic and sintered metals. The Black Tulip was only produced for about a year, but it was integral in the evolution of ceramic watches and other ceramic watch components.

Ceramic Bezel Watches