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Planet Omega

Materials

The material difference

In its continuous quest for watchmaking progress, OMEGA has committed itself to using and perfecting the industry’s most essential materials, which not only heighten the beauty of a watch, but also the functionality and longevity at the heart of each design.

Ethically made

Ethically made

Be assured that all OMEGA products are sourced and made ethically. As a certified member of the non-profit Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), we are committed to ethical manufacturing and transparency.

Metals

Every metal offers its own distinct personality. Along with a captivating look, OMEGA strives to achieve resistance to abrasion, magnetism, temperature and especially corrosion in its creations. These qualities are all essential when crafting parts such as cases, bracelets, buckles, clasps and movement components.

  • Material - Red Gold

    Red Gold

  • Material - Yellow Gold

    Yellow Gold

  • Material - White Gold

    White Gold

  • Material - Stainless Steel

    Stainless Steel

  • Material - Liquidmetal<sup>TM</sup>

    LiquidmetalTM

  • Material - Aluminium

    Aluminium

  • Material - Grade 2 Titanium

    Grade 2 Titanium

  • Material - Grade 5 Titanium

    Grade 5 Titanium

Red Gold

Gold in its pure form (24K) is slightly reddish yellow and very soft. It is usually alloyed with other base metals for a diverse variety of uses. Considered to be the premium standard in watch and jewellery making, 18K golds (with at least 75% pure gold) provides the ultimate balance between purity and usefulness. Traditional 18K red gold is alloyed with copper-silver and offers an excellent resistance to corrosion, while being highly bio-chemically inert. It provides a beautiful hue that suits wearers even with sensitive skin.

Yellow Gold

Gold in its pure form (24K) is slightly reddish yellow and very soft. It is usually alloyed with other base metals for a diverse variety of uses. Considered to be the premium standard in watch and jewellery making, 18K golds (with at least 75% pure gold) provides the ultimate balance between purity and usefulness. Traditional 18K yellow gold is alloyed with copper-silver and offers an excellent resistance to corrosion, while being highly bio-chemically inert. It provides a beautiful hue that suits wearers even with sensitive skin.

White Gold

Gold in its pure form (24K) is slightly reddish yellow and very soft. It is usually alloyed with other base metals for a diverse variety of uses. Considered to be the premium standard in watch and jewellery making, 18K gold(with at least 75% pure gold) provides the ultimate balance between purity and usefulness. Traditional 18K white gold is alloyed with palladium-copper and offers an excellent resistance to corrosion, while being highly bio-chemically inert. It provides a beautiful hue that suits wearers even with sensitive skin.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is certainly the most conventional of watchmaking materials for outer craftsmanship, and offers beauty, strength and affordability. OMEGA uses 316L stainless steel. Known for its corrosion-resistance and high lustre after polishing, this material is often the ideal choice for watches in both daily-use and high-stress situations such as diving and adventure.

LiquidmetalTM

Since 2010, OMEGA has bonded its ceramics with an alloy called LiquidmetalTM, which offers new decoration possibilities in a metal grey colour with superior scratch-resistance and enduring stability. Composed of titanium, zirconium and copper, this amorphous alloy is three times as hard as stainless steel. When bonded with ceramic parts, LiquidmetalTM can be offered in contrasting finishes (brushed or polished), thanks to the difference in hardness between the two materials.

Aluminium

Aluminium has the advantage of being a truly lightweight material used for decorative components. Through anodisation, it offers an extensive range of colours for the creation of eye-catching watch parts such as bezel rings, applied elements on the dial, and hands. In particular, OMEGA’s special anodisation process has achieved aluminium bezel rings that are nearly double as hard as regular versions, therefore making them more resistant to outer damage.

Grade 2 Titanium

Titanium alloys are light, corrosion-resistant, biochemically inert and able to withstand extreme temperatures. These properties make them particularly appropriate for products in the aircraft, spacecraft and medical sectors. They achieve the perfect balance between solidity, corrosion-resistance and workability. Grade 2 titanium offers a dim grey colour and suits mostly "brushed" finished pieces. It has featured in a number of OMEGA timepieces used for sport and space exploration, where light reflections should be avoided.

Grade 5 Titanium

Titanium alloys are light, corrosion-resistant, biochemically inert and able to withstand extreme temperatures. These properties make them particularly appropriate for products in the aircraft, spacecraft and medical sectors. They achieve the perfect balance between solidity, corrosion-resistance and workability. Grade 5 titanium offers a bright grey colour that is close to that of stainless steel, and suits both "brushed" and "polished" finishing.

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OUR SUGGESTIONS

Exclusive alloys

In the brand’s continual quest for material excellence, OMEGA has created a variety of exclusive alloys, enriching its timepiece designs with distinctive new colours and improved longevity. Each alloy is innovatively composed to offer its own special advantages, while also giving customers a look and quality that is totally unique in the watchmaking world.

  • Material - Bronze Gold

    Bronze Gold

  • Material - Sedna<sup>TM</sup> Gold

    SednaTM Gold

  • Material - Moonshine<sup>TM</sup> Gold

    MoonshineTM Gold

  • Material - Canopus Gold<sup>TM</sup>

    Canopus GoldTM

Bronze Gold

Bronze Gold was specifically developed to produce a pleasing aesthetic and hue, while also offering a bronze alloy that could be worn with direct contact on the skin, thanks to its distinctive composition. This one-of-a-kind alloy is enriched with noble elements such as 37.5% gold, hallmarked as 9K, as well as palladium and silver, to create a unique colour which sits exactly between the brand’s 18K MoonshineTM gold and 18K SednaTM gold. As well as featuring a soft pink hue, during wear it offers incomparable corrosion resistance without verdigris-oxidation, and will therefore age slowly and retain its natural and beautiful patina over a longer period of time. For fans of bronze watches and innovative materials, this is great news!

SednaTM Gold

OMEGA has been using the exclusive 18K SednaTM Gold, its own fiery rose gold alloy, since 2012. Named after Sedna, an orbiting planetoid that has been described as one of the reddest in the solar system, SednaTM Gold not only bears all the standard characteristics of other 18K golds, but it also offers high resistance to the fading of colour and lustre over time. Its unique composition includes copper and palladium for colour and stability.

MoonshineTM Gold

OMEGA created the exclusive MoonshineTM Gold, an 18K yellow gold alloy, in 2019. Inspired by the shining moonlight in a dark blue sky, OMEGA's 18K MoonshineTM Gold offers a distinctive paler hue than traditional 18K yellow gold and high resistance to the fading of colour and lustre over time. Its unique composition includes silver, copper and palladium for colour and stability.

Canopus GoldTM

OMEGA has been using the exclusive Canopus GoldTM, an 18K white gold alloy, since 2015. As well as being 100% noble, it bears all the standard characteristics of other 18K golds, while also distinguishing itself for its high brilliance, whiteness and longevity, making it an ideal material for high-end or diamond set timepieces.
The alloy is named after the bright star Canopus, which is 71 times bigger and 10’000 times brighter than our sun. Due to its brilliance and position, Canopus became an important reference point for many space agencies.
Its unique composition includes platinum, rhodium and palladium for colour and stability.

OUR SUGGESTIONS

“Many OMEGA materials offer their own unique attributes – from colour and lustre, to strength and even magnetic resistance.”

Ceramics

OMEGA has unrivalled expertise in the use of ceramics, dating back more than 10 years. Taking its origin from the Greek word "keramos", ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic substance obtained by firing at high temperatures. It allows the creation of completely dense watch parts with exceptional mechanical properties. Ceramic is one of the most popular choices for customers when selecting their timepiece, thanks to its appealing colour range and specific properties, such as it being two times lighter than stainless steel, hardwearing, highly scratch-resistant, chemically inert, hypoallergenic and non-magnetic.

“Only a brand with the pioneering spirit of OMEGA could achieve such diversity and unparalleled excellence in materials.”

  • The 5 key steps in the creation Of our grey ceramic

    A closer look

    The glistening grey result of innovative engineering and inspired design.

  • 1.THIS SPEEDMASTER STARTS ITS LIFE AS WHITE CERAMIC POWDER

    Ceramic powder

    The zirconium-based ceramic powder is pressed into the shape of the casebody.

  • 2.USING SINTERING, THE CASES SHRINK TO THEIR FINAL SIZE

    Sintering

    Sintering is a stage heating process with temperatures reaching 1400° C.

  • 3.THE CASES ARE THEN MACHINED WITH DIAMOND TOOLS

    Diamond tools

    Diamond tools have the hardness needed to add the defining edges and grooves.

  • 4.THE CASE IS TRANSFORMED FROM WHITE TO GREY AT 20,000° C

    Plasma heating

    The colour transformation takes place at a molecular level in a plasma furnace.

  • 5.DETAILS ON THE BEZEL AND CASE ARE LASER ENGRAVED

    Laser engraving

    With the iconic tachymeter scale and the watch’s name, the identity is complete.

OUR SUGGESTIONS

A MAGICAL MIX OF CERAMIC AND 18K GOLD

Ceragold

Ceragold™

OMEGA Ceragold™ is the first product to allow the decoration of ceramic watch parts with 18K gold. The process used to create a ceramic bezel with 18K gold numbers and scaling results in a finished product which, for the first time, seamlessly blends the two materials.

OUR SUGGESTIONS

natural materials

While some of OMEGA’s materials have been expertly engineered to offer their own unique attributes, many others have been formed by the natural forces of the Earth and beyond. With these, OMEGA has struck the perfect balance between retaining their organic beauty, and enhancing them with expert craftsmanship and care.

  • Material - Diamonds

    Diamonds

  • Material - Mother-of-pearl

    Mother-of-pearl

  • Material - Meteorite

    Meteorite

Diamonds

Diamond is recognised as the hardest material on Earth, graded 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, and is the only gem made entirely of carbon. In nature, it can only be formed under high temperature and pressure conditions that exist within a specific depth range (~100 miles) beneath the Earth's surface. To decorate its timepieces and jewellery, OMEGA uses "Top Wesselton" white COLOUR diamonds with CLARITY ranging from pure to VVS (Very Very Small inclusions). Along with choosing the best weight in CARAT, the CUT is also carefully selected in order to maximise brightness and scintillation. It goes without saying that OMEGA is a certified member of the non-profit Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), assuring customers that its processes involving people, materials and the environment are ethical and fair.

Mother-of-pearl

Also known as "nacre", mother-of-pearl is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer, similar to pearls. It is strong, resilient and iridescent, with changing colours depending on the wavelengths of light at different viewing angles. Produced with exquisite skill and delicacy, OMEGA's ladies' collection offers mother-of-pearl dials of top quality, enhanced with specific attributes.

Meteorite

Meteorites are extra-terrestrial stones, mainly containing iron. With OMEGA's unrivalled connection to space, the use of this material is particularly appropriate. Iron meteorite is prized by designers for its criss-cross Widmanstätten pattern, which refers to the ribbon-like flecks that are revealed after special processing.

OUR SUGGESTIONS

Sapphire crystal

Sapphire crystal

To really appreciate the finer details of a timepiece, OMEGA uses synthetic sapphire crystal with a highly scratch-resistant and anti-reflective treatment. Before the machining and finishing processes take place, the sapphire crystals are produced under the Verneuil process, also called flame fusion. It involves the melting of the raw substance using oxyhydrogen flame and the crystallisation of the melted droplets to form a cylinder. Graded 9 on the Mohs-hardness scale (graded 1-10), the resulting sapphire crystals are virtually scratch-proof and very hard, ensuring an unhindered vision at all times.

Innovative use of Non-ferromagnetic Materials

Magnetism can compromise or stop a watch’s performance. But by using a silicon balance spring as well as the Nivagauss™ alloy and other non-ferromagnetic materials in its movements, OMEGA’s revolutionary Master Co-Axial calibres resist magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss.