Cerachrom is Rolex’s patented ceramic bezel material, made from zirconium dioxide or aluminium oxide. Rolex brought it out in 2005 to replace aluminium, which scratched and faded over time. Cerachrom resists scratches. Sunlight, chlorinated water and seawater do not affect it.
How is Cerachrom made?
It starts as a very fine powder of zirconium dioxide or aluminium oxide. The powder mix is pressed into separate parts by high-pressure moulding. The parts go through a second firing at about 1,600 degrees Celsius. They are also coated with platinum, yellow gold or pink gold. This coating is applied by physical vapour deposition, often shortened to PVD.
Why did Rolex replace aluminium bezels?
Before 2005, Rolex bezel inserts were made of aluminium. They scratched and faded over time, so they did not last as long as Rolex wanted. Cerachrom was its replacement. An official Rolex retailer describes the ceramic as almost scratchproof. The same retailer says ultraviolet light does not change its colour. The first Rolex fitted with the patented bezel was the GMT-Master II of 2005.
How are two-colour Cerachrom bezels made?
In 2013 Rolex made a two-colour bezel from one single piece of ceramic. It did not join two coloured pieces together, because the seam between them would be a weak point. Some Cosmograph Daytona models go further. On these, the whole bezel is one solid piece of Cerachrom. It is not an insert set in a metal bezel.
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