WORLD
Swiss watch maker creates first 'indestructible' 18-carat gold - made with bulletproof ceramic
Baku, December 30 (AZERTAC). Swiss watchmaker Hublot is well-known for its hi-tech Big Bang range, and often unveils timepieces in materials such as carbon fibre.
But this year, the watch giant is set to unveil an entirely new alloy - called 'Magic Gold' - which is the first-ever 'indestructible' 18-carat gold.
It`s completely immune to rust, and can only be scratched with a diamond. The first watches using the metal will be on show at the Baselworld watch show in March next year.
Human beings have been making gold alloys for centuries, diluting pure 24-carat gold with other metals such as silver and copper to achieve various effects such as white gold or rose gold.
But all known 18-carat alloys are still vulnerable to being knocked or scratched.
Hublot`s new alloy is the first 18-carat gold that isn`t - it`s actually harder on the Vickers scale of hardness than most tempered steel.
When it emerged from Hublot`s machines after the production process, it oozed out as a black mass.
It was only when the watchmakers polished the gold that it revealed its true, shining colour.
Hublot worked with metallurgy experts from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne to create the material.
Powdered boron carbide is heated to 2,000C, then an alloy of gold and aluminium is poured into the crystal structure that forms.
The resulting material is a composite, strictly speaking, but is so hard that Hublot claims not to be able to stamp a logo into the watches.
'Today, we are all familiar with 18-carat gold as a high-quality gold alloy used in jewelry, watches and works of art,' says Hublot.
'But even in 18k gold alloys, the metal is still easily prone to scratches and dings; a downside which most wearers know all too well.'
The new material will be unveiled in the exterior bezel of watches - the place most likely to take knocks.
It`s not been revealed how much any of the 'indestructible' timepieces will cost - but being Hublot, it won`t be cheap.
The alloy is also unlikely to crop up anywhere else - Hublot has patented the process.