We’ve covered two luminous dials so far this year, and now it’s time for something on the same them. This time it’s a new announcement from IWC – a proprietary patent-pending luminous ceramic technology called Ceralume® which will allow expansion of their ceramic watch cases from different colours to fully luminous.

The origins of this latest innovation go right back to 1986, when IWC started on its ceramic path with the launch of the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, the world’s first wristwatch with a black zirconium oxide ceramic case. It has been followed by ceramic cases of many colours and types, such as nitride ceramic and black boron ceramic. This new luminous material is made by Swiss company RC Tritec.

How is it done? By adding high-grade Super-LumiNova® pigments to the (in this instance white) ceramic powder from which the cases are made. The white ceramic component of the IWC cases is made by mixing zirconium oxide with other metallic oxides.

It works as the Super-LumiNova® with which we’re all familiar, works. During daylight or under artificial light, the case will absorb light energy, and it will glow blue in dark conditions. If you’re wondering for how long, well IWC claim that in tests, Ceralume® cases have radiated light for over twenty-four hours.

The raw components of Ceralume® were milled by IWC’s XPL division, who also had to develop new ways of grinding and molding this new material to produce a concept watch – this Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 features a white dial and a white rubber strap which also have Super-LumiNova®. The dial’s brass base is sprayed with a Super- LumiNova® solution before thesurface is printed. The strap is made using injection moulding.

Now all we have to do is to wait and see when and in what watch form this new Ceralume® will take.

[Photo credit: IWC]

Categories: IWC, Watch materials, watches, Watchmaking