Rolex’s Proprietary Materials: A Guide

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Rolex is known for its uncompromising standards. The brand made its name through many firsts that it introduced to the watchmaking industry; and has stayed ahead of the curve through constant innovation.

One of Rolex’s secrets to achieving top notch quality and aesthetics is to rigorously select the materials for its watches. While outsourcing materials is still the norm for many watch companies, Rolex has a number of proprietary materials that they produce entirely in-house.

In the 1990s, Rolex pursued to control every part of the manufacturing process, in order to increase the level of their watches’ quality.

They began by manufacturing solid-link bracelets and eventually developed their own foundry in the early 2000’s, where they now make the metals used for their watches.

OYSTERSTEEL

Oystersteel is a unique blend of 904L steel that’s proprietary to the brand. Whereas the industry standard is still 316L steel, Rolex shifted to 904L in the 1980s, and eventually created their own special blend of steel used in their watches. Due to higher levels of chromium, nickel, and copper, it’s tougher and has anti-corrosion properties comparable to precious metals.

One of the challenges faced by watch owners is the fading and scratching of bezels. Ceramic has been explored by watchmakers since the 1980s as a more scratch-resistant alternative to aluminum. Rolex took its time to perfect their ceramic bezel and eventually launched the Cerachrom in 2005.

Not only is the Cerachrom virtually scratch-proof, it is also impervious to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, so its vibrant hue never fades. It made its first appearance in the Rolex GMT-Master II in yellow gold.

Pushing the envelope further, Rolex created the first bi-coloured ceramic bezel in 2013, with the Rolex GMT-Master II Batman. While it was first thought of as impossible, Rolex was able to achieve the two-color single ceramic component, through a patented process.

In 2008, Rolex introduced its own proprietary luminous material called Chromalight. Chromalight can last up to eight hours, which is more than double the lasting power of other luminous materials. It’s other noticeable trait is the bluish glow it gives, rather than the green glow seen on older Rolex watches.

Look closely and you’ll see a blue material used in the construction of Rolex’s hairsprings. Called the Parachrom, it’s proprietary alloy made from niobium, zirconium, and oxygen; and is given a surface treatment that gives it its unique blue color. What makes the Parachrom superior to traditional hairsprings, is that it remains stable when exposed to temperature variations and magnetic fields and is 10 times more accurate when subjected to shocks.