If it was a plant, wouldn't Rolex be shooting themselves in the foot, as they have the Tudor watches in ceramic cases?

 

Insert same discussion about different types of harness.

 

Often companies do their own destructive testing with new products, materials etc.

 

I do remember reading something about it falling just from normal height into a sidewalk just on that angle...who knows. as i said before if these watches where breaking left and right we would all know about it. I broke my first sapphire crystal in the 80's trying to prove it was unbreakable...that went nicely for me.

 

There are examples of cracked ceramic cases/parts from just about every brand. FWIW, I have a Seiko Tuna Can with a Ceramic shroud that has been dropped a few times without issue (I was expecting the worse though). It does pick up marks for bumping into things though...

In the long run, I figure this is a trend that will not last. Historically, watches made with oddball materials do not do well in the long term (fiberglass/tungsten coated steel/chrome plating). Even if Omega does maintain spare ceramic dstom cases, I doubt that many people will be willing to foot the bill unless there was some sort of insurance coverage. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the used value ends up dipping down to roughly the replacement cost.

 

There tend to be some (not so much on this forum) who are on the hysterical ends of this discussion...on one end of the spectrum there are those who push the panic button about how fragile these are, and on the other those who come to defend ceramics (and in particular Omega ceramics) as the "be-all and end-all" of watch case materials. On WUS one guy kept saying how inferior stainless steel was...

The bottom line is, if you like these watches, buy one. In my view, more knowledge is better than less knowledge (in most cases) so going in with your eyes open is always a good thing on any purchase, including these.

If they turn out to be as nearly indestructible as some claim, I'll be happy. But knowing of the instances of these and other brands having ceramic cases damaged, and also the fact that Omega issues specific instructions on these cases to prevent damage during routine service operations, I believe they do need to be treated with some care.

Insurance is a good idea, as long as you don't mind getting a hit on your premiums when you make a claim....nothing comes for free.

Cheers, Al

 

Funny how this is the only picture that keeps popping up as a scare tactic. We do not even know the story behind this pic lol. I love how this pic along with the one IWC and 1 Panerai keeps popping up with the millions of ceramics sold. Yes I do agree that metal is more forgiving but I think the ceramic breakage is getting blown way out of proportion as it is pretty rare to be honest but it surely makes the skeptics feel good about not purchasing such a beautiful watch. If mine breaks I will eat my words but I am far, far more concerned about theft and that why I insure all of mine. Omega is releasing so many Ceramic cases now I bet the replacement cost will go down for all those 1000s of people that will break theirs and don't have insurance lol. (sarcasm)

 

All very good discussion, guys.

For me, personally, I would insure any watch I paid more than $5k for, since at that point, you're wearing something as valuable as many used vehicles on your wrist. It's better to be safe than sorry!

Question for those of you who do have watch-specific insurance: how much does insurance tend to run? I ask purely out of curiosity. If I bought a $40k Patek, I just wonder what the monthly fee would be to keep that thing insured.

 

Sorry if this hurts a little:

 

And my favorite...Broken ceramic Pie pan.

 

About 10% a year. so for the Patek 4G year 333 month 11 dollars a day give or take.... although the 10% is usually for under 25g value. something like a patek for 40g I assume carries a larger premium.

 

Yip pretty much seen all those before except for the bottom few. Again I wont deny ceramic breaks, That's the nature of it. A diamond will break under the right circumstances. For me the obvious benefits of the beauty and scratch resistance far outweigh the very very rare chance it could break. To each their own. I've broken many ceramic toilets in college but don't ask how lol. Not all ceramics are the same.

 

So you are a toilet "hater"?

j/k

 

I really really want to ask how!!!!!!!

 

I'm skeptical of toilets now

 

And please give details on what your diet is...

 

Lets just say fraternity and alcohol was involved. One was my fault and the other someone else's lol.

 

Too much fiber (ceramic fiber that is...)