In recent years, vintage has become the king of the watch world.
From the rapid rise in prices of genuine 20th-century watches to every brand and its mother digging through their archives for the next reissue, it seems everything old is new again. But, lest you forget, we're already over a fifth of the way into the 21st century, and even amid the vintage craze, there are plenty of great modern watches being released. And nothing screams modernity quite like ceramic watches.
The best ceramic watches combine innovative high-tech material and contemporary style, making them relevant in the moment. There were no real ceramic watches in the '60s, and that's okay - not everything needs to be vintage. Ceramic watches are unapologetically modern, often found in stealthy black colors and bold oversized cases. Sure, they are bold and contemporary, but ceramic watches are also practical to some extent. "How so?" you ask. Look below to see why you should consider ceramic watches, and then check out our picks of the best ceramic watches for men.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Ceramic
Advantages: Ceramic has a number of benefits that make it ideal for use as a watch material, the most significant being its hardness. Ceramic is very difficult to scratch, and the often-used ZrO2 ceramic has a hardness of about 1,200 HV on the Vickers scale. For comparison, standard 316L stainless steel has just over a tenth of this figure. Such a high level of scratch resistance, combined with ceramic's resistance to oxidation, corrosion, and fading, means that ceramic watches continue to look new for many years or even decades after purchase. Ceramic is also significantly lighter than steel, resistant to temperature fluctuations, hypoallergenic, and gentle on the skin, with no metal that could cause a negative reaction. All these qualities make ceramic extremely comfortable on the wrist.
Disadvantages: Now you might think ceramic is the perfect watch material. But like any other material, ceramic has its downsides. The main one is its tendency to chip. While ceramic is very difficult to scratch, it is relatively easy to break or chip. If you drop a ceramic watch on a hard surface, there's a good chance that at least a piece will chip off, making it not the best choice for accident-prone individuals. Think about it: would you prefer to drop a ceramic watch or a steel one on the floor? We thought so. However, if you handle your watches carefully and don't think you'll drop or break your ceramic watch, the only real downside (unless you don't like how they look) is the price. Ceramic watches are expensive: ceramic versions of well-known luxury watches often sell for thousands of dollars more than their metal counterparts, solely due to the material upgrade. But if money is no object and you like the idea of ceramic, then perhaps the material is worth paying for.
Junghans Force Mega Solar Ceramic
This minimalist solar-powered hybrid is very affordable and stylish.
Best Budget Ceramic Watch: You've probably noticed one thing about ceramic watches: they aren't cheap. Our four-figure 'budget' pick from Junghans is proof. The German watch company is known for its classic minimalist Bauhaus-style models, but with these watches, they're looking to the future. Black ceramic case, synthetic rubber strap with a titanium PVD-coated buckle, eco-friendly lume, and a radio-controlled solar quartz movement that can be set via an app - all far removed from mid-century Bauhaus.
- Case size: 40.4 mm
- Water resistance: 50 m
- Movement: Radio-controlled solar quartz
Longines HydroConquest Ceramic
These bulky dive watches from Longines feature a stealthy black design and 300 m water resistance.
Best Affordable Dive Watch: As one of the top-selling brands in Swatch Group's impressive portfolio, Longines offers a wide range of highly attractive watches. Most of them rely on the rich history of the Swiss brand, but not these. A modern diver, this black ceramic version of Longines' popular Hydroconquest model is a bargain at under four thousand. With a water resistance of 300 m, a luxurious rubber strap, and wrist comfort, it achieves a lot.
- Case size: 43 mm
- Water resistance: 300 m
- Movement: Automatic
Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic
A unique diver from Rado, its movement is visible under smoked sapphire glass, belonging to a brand that helped popularize ceramic.
Best Skeletonized Dial: Rado has been producing ceramic watches for decades, long before they became fashionable: their tungsten-cased Diastar watches from the 1960s are considered the trend's progenitors. Nowadays, ceramic can be found throughout the Master of Materials catalog, including their flagship divers. If the standard Captain Cook model is a vintage reissue, then the High-Tech Ceramic version is something else entirely with its smoked sapphire dial revealing the movement and its plasma high-tech ceramic case and bracelet, artfully finished and metal-like.
- Case size: 43 mm
- Water resistance: 300 m
- Movement: Automatic
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Phantom
Incredibly stealthy, these all-black square-cased watches are inspired by aircraft cockpits.
Best Black Ceramic Watch: Although Bell & Ross has only been around since the 1990s, its design is one of the most recognizable in the entire watch industry thanks to their oversized square-cased Instruments series watches, which look as if they've been pulled from an aircraft cockpit. And while the standard stainless steel 'Instruments' are already bold and modern enough, this fully blacked-out ceramic version highlights the current trend for wristwear even further.
- Case size: 42 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Movement: Automatic
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
Tudor's iconic Black Bay watch gets a ceramic treatment, giving the flagship diver an elevated aesthetic.
Best Overall: The Tudor Black Bay was first introduced as a modern interpretation of a vintage diver, but it has since expanded to include chronographs, simple everyday watches, and solid silver watches. But perhaps no iteration is more impressive than the Black Bay Ceramic. The black ceramic case is beautiful and robust, but the real star of the show is hidden inside. The watch is equipped with Tudor's first-ever Master Chronometer movement with METAS certification - a sign that the brand is aiming to elevate its status in the luxury Swiss brand hierarchy.
- Case size: 41 mm
- Water resistance: 200 m
- Movement: Automatic
IWC Pilot’s Watch Top Gun
These pilot's watches with visibility features are equipped with glass protected against atmospheric pressure drops.
Best Pilot's Watch: As one of the five original Flieger watch manufacturers from World War II, IWC certainly knows a thing or two about pilot's watches. But the luxury brand from Schaffhausen doesn't just stop at creating watches that are truly useful for modern-day pilots. The scratch-resistant ceramic case, high-visibility hands and markers, sapphire glass protected against displacement during pressure drops, and an inner soft iron case protecting the in-house Caliber 32110 from magnetic forces make these pilot watches ready for takeoff.
- Case size: 41 mm
- Water resistance: 60 m
- Movement: Automatic
Zenith Defy Classic Ceramic
These luxurious Zenith watches with a skeletonized dial embody the brand's stunning design language.
Most Futuristic Watch: As we've established, virtually all ceramic watches are modern in their design, but Zenith's Defy makes most of them look ancient. With a wild modern design language that could only have emerged in the 21st century, the Defy combines a sharp ceramic case with an integrated rubber and titanium strap and a star-shaped skeletonized dial, revealing the high-tech silicon escape wheel and lever of the in-house Elite caliber. These watches will look modern for another 50 years.
- Case size: 41 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Movement: Automatic
Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon
Omega chronographs are legendary, and this black ceramic version doesn't stray far from the brand's most classic models.
Best Chronograph: Omega was one of the first watch brands to experiment with ceramics in the early 1980s, and it was also one of the first to popularize the modern revival of this material by creating a ceramic version of the Speedy. Since then, the "Dark Side of the Moon" has become an entire series in the Speedmaster lineup, featuring various versions of the mythical Moonwatches with scratch protection. With bold, oversized ceramic cases, dark and haunting colors, and co-axial Master Chronometer chronograph movements, the DSOTM releases have arguably become the most striking Speedmaster editions.
- Case size: 44.25 mm
- Water resistance: 50 m
- Movement: Automatic chronograph
Hublot Classic Fusion Orlinski Black Magic
The faceted case and dial give incredible expressiveness to this black ceramic piece from Hublot.
Most Striking Ceramic Watch: Another brand that has significantly influenced the modern popularity of ceramics, Hublot also helped popularize the big watch trend of the 21st century. But this ceramic version of the Classic Fusion measures only 40 mm, making it more modest - at least size-wise. However, the watch's design is another story entirely, as these watches are part of an official collaboration with pop artist Richard Orlinski, and his signature faceted style gives this ceramic marvel a twist that no other watch has.
- Case size: 40 mm
- Water resistance: 50 m
- Movement: Automatic
Panerai Tuttonero Luminor GMT
The cushion-shaped 12-hour GMT from Panerai complements one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the world with matte black ceramic.
Best GMT: Like the Instruments line from Bell & Ross, Panerai's large cushion-shaped Luminor case with its signature crown-locking mechanism is one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the watch world. Modern and trendy for 30 years, the iconic design gets its boldest expression in matte black ceramic. But these watches, in particular, go even further by adding a matching sleek ceramic bracelet and the unique and impressive 12-hour GMT Panerai P.9010 Caliber, creating something completely unique in the market.
- Case size: 44 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Movement: Automatic GMT
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic
At just 5.5 mm thick, these are the thinnest mechanical ceramic watches ever made.
Best Horological Achievement: In recent years, Bulgari, particularly its Octo Finissimo line, has become known for producing the thinnest mechanical watches in the world. In the Octo Finissimo Ceramic model, they have transferred this style to ceramic. With a thickness of just 5.5 mm, these are the thinnest mechanical ceramic watches ever created, and the fully decorated platinum micro-rotor caliber "BVL 138 - Finissimo" is beautifully visible through the exhibition case back. The black-colored watch spares no expense on ceramic: the case, bracelet, dial, and even crown are made from the durable material.
- Case size: 40 mm
- Water resistance: 30 m
- Movement: Automatic
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication
Some of the most expensive watches in the world, these white ceramic watches from AP are gaudy but beautiful.
Best Ceramic Grail Watch: As you've seen, ceramic watches are often big and expensive, and they're made to be shown off. And perhaps no watch on Earth understands this better than these. Part of AP's Offshore line - a more modern, oversized version of the classic Royal Oak - these watches are crafted in a shiny white ceramic case, including the crown and pushers, embodying the best of the House's signature finishing techniques. The transparent sapphire dial allows you to see all the details of the absurd automatic Caliber 2885, combining a perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, and minute repeater. And at nearly three-quarters of a million dollars, these are some of the most expensive ceramic watches in the world.
- Case size: 44 mm
- Water resistance: 20 m
- Movement: Automatic minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph, perpetual calendar