Have you ever broken the case of your Omega Ceramic watch?
No so much concerned with the bezel or dials, just the watch case.

If you have, how did you do you break it? What happened?
Did Omega fix it? Under warranty?

If you have known a person who broke their ceramic case, would you share the details, please?

Lastly, are the current Ceramic watch case models made of pure ceramic or a ceramic/meta; alloy

 

I thought I remembered a thread about ceramic cases... a few pages here for you to browse through:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-speedmaster-gsotm-chipped-lug.36135/

Some of the worry about chipping is definitely in the back of my mind, but even so I haven't stopped thinking about this one for the last couple of years (photo credit Omega's site):

 

Thank you Mr. Smith. You are appreciated.
I did a search with "Ceramic" as the search term and did not see this thread.
Especially thank you for not telling me to just go search!!!!

 

You're welcome. I had a bit of trouble finding this one again, to be honest. I searched via Google after searching on OF and wound up finding it linked through another watch forum. I knew I had once read through it though so was determined to find it again.

 

The above link to the thread is very interesting to me. Some observations and questions:
The thread is from 2014. Is there "new" news about Omega ceramic breaking?
A few good tales of ceramic watches taking a whack and not breaking emerged...this is good. Maybe ,as Omega got more experienced, their ceramic tech got better? If the DSOM watches were showing up with consistent problems, would Omega continue to make newer models using the same ceramic?

If any of you have insurance that would cover a drop and resultant breakage, would you mind sharing the carrier?

 

Seeking some more answers, I found Matt Neundorf writing for GearPatrol in 2016 says this:

"Etched stealthily on the dial, just below the post holding its four hands (and again on the lugs) are the letters ZrO2, the symbol for zirconium dioxide. That means that, similar to Omega’s Dark Side of the Moon Speedmaster and IWC’s Top Gun line of pilot watches, the Deep Black’s case material is ceramic. This is not typically a preferred medium for dive watch construction — aside from bezels, really — due largely to its hardness and lack of malleability. Unlike the metals usually employed for bottom time wristwear, such as stainless steel or titanium, ceramic won’t accumulate nicks and dings, though unfortunately certain types do have a propensity to shatter if hit hard enough. This trait is only amplified when the pressures of depth enter into the equation, especially those around the 600m mark.

However, ceramics born of ZrO2 are tougher than most: the phase transformation of zirconium dioxide under stress actually makes it less brittle and highly resistant to fracture, so much so that it has found favor in the dentistry industry, ostensibly for the likes of hockey players. As an added benefit, ZrO2 is extremely resistant to just about everything from acids to alkalis, as well as the oxidizing effects of both fresh and seawater. The crystalline oxide also boasts reduced electronic conductivity which, coupled with Omega’s METAS-certified 15,000 gauss resistance, means the Deep Black is damn near impervious to magnetic fields."

Edit to add this:
Worth knowing:

Properties of Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2)

• High thermal expansion (α=11 x 10-6/K, similar to some types of steel)
• Excellent thermal insulation/low thermal conductivity (2.5 to 3 W/mK)
• Very high resistance to crack propagation, high fracture toughness (6.5 to 8 MPam1/2)

 

I use jewelers mutual, they cover loss, theft, damage and mysterious disappearance. I have a DSOTM and would have it insured if it were made of stainless.

 

I’ve seen a couple advertised for sale lately with a chip in the case and certainly not cheap considering the replacement cost. I guess they’re hoping someone doesn’t realise the cost implications.

That has kind of put me off acquiring one.

 

gerryya, thank you for the insurance recommendation.
if the ceramic breaks, it is great to know that it is covered!

 

I have just ordered my first ceramic case piece (Apollo 8). Hope to happily wear it with no chipping. It's so beautiful though, I could not resist, even with this threat at the back of my head.

 

If there was not affordable insurance for breakage, I'm not sure I would have gone through with this purchase. I plan to pay the yearly cost of insurance at least for a few years...it seems reasonable compared to paying out of pocket for a broken case. This is not an advertisement but a testimony. I have to work a long time to buy a good watch but about one long day to pay for a year of insurance that will fix or replace.

 

Imo I'd rather just go steel/gold/titanium, with a metal you can get a dent, with ceramic you get a chip

 

Regardless of what a watch is made of it's probably a good idea to have it insured if it's worth a decent sum to you. I have my ceramic BSotM insured for around £10k for a cost of under £150 (including all taxes) per year. It's not the cheapest but there aren't any premiums for a claim and is covered for everything except "unknown disappearance", i.e. If I loose it not due to theft which is highly unlikely.

Considering a broken case could be north of £6k that's 40+ years of coverage to be even on a single break. For the piece of mind (i.e. wear it whenever and however I wish) the insurance cost is a no brainer. I have similar insurance for my other mechanical in steel and my X-33 is covered under my household policy.

Ceramic has a look and feel that is unmatched by other metals. Titanium wears similar but doesn't have the finish to match. Due to the extra weight, steel doesn't wear as nicely compared to titanium or ceramic for me. Has to be worn tighter to avoid moving around.

 

I’d be interested to hear from someone who has actually broken a ceramic case, and whether there was any coverage from Omega. I seriously doubt that Omega would cover a replacement case.

 

I had a small nick on the underside of the lug on one of my multitude of sides of the moon. Not visible but you could feel it with your fingernail. Omega replaced the case without discussion, I am a reasonably good customer though. Bigger problem has been the reversing wheel on the 9300 movement, had those changed twice on my Grey Side and Meteorite already.
The cases are bulletproof otherwise, have banged them into walls, door handles, seatbelt buckles, worn them while working on my car/doing DiY, no scratches or shattering observed. Has come to the point where I usually wear one of them as I don’t have to be concerned too much about daily life.

 

Has there ever been a 42mm or smaller cased ceramic Speedmaster? I love the various Side of the Moon iterations, but my 6.5 inch wrist can’t pull off a 44mm watch.

 

Don‘t think they made smaller variants. Even the Apollo 8 has 44,25 Y don’t wear big imho though as they are pretty light.

 

I have the 43.5mm ceramic seamaster 300m and a 44.25 grey side. I feel like the grey side wears smaller than the Seamaster despite being wider and (I think?) thicker.

 

Thanks for information. Unfortunately, I still think 42mm is my limit. I have a blue Pelagos and, despite being light and comfortable (and the fact that I love it), if I’m honest it’s really barely wearable on my chicken wrists. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed for a ceramic version of the Speedy Pro case someday.

 

I can only speak for myself, but so far I haven't had any issues with my 5 year old DSOTM. That being said, it never has been hit hard nor did it fall on the floor.