Technological innovations have made it possible for luxury watch brands to experiment with new materials in a bid to create unique designs and even revolutionise high-performance mechanical movements.
Many high-end brands are using quality raw materials to boost the sturdiness and resilience of their timepieces, addressing a number of areas such as shock protection, weight and durability.
These brands consider innovation an integral part of their DNA, part and parcel of what they do every day to ensure their legacy.
One of the newest materials to hit the market is Italian watchmaker Officine Panerai's use of composite materials. The brand has used the material to illustrate technical innovation and its deep-rooted history. Previously used only in the aeronautics industry, and for car and motorcycle races, composite materials allow the brand's watchmakers to deliver sophistication and extremely precise workmanship.
'[Composite] materials are truly innovative in the field of fine watchmaking. The Panerai composite is a material whose features and performance are exceptional, being practically immutable over time,' says Jean-Sebastien Gerondeau, managing director of Officine Panerai, Asia-Pacific.
Unlike other techniques used in watchmaking, the aluminium cases are immersed in a chemical bath where, at very high temperatures, the metal undergoes an electrochemical process that modifies its structure while still allowing it to remain faithful to the original geometry.