RUBBER
One of the hottest trends of the 1980s was wearing chunky diver watches on big rubber straps. Now, the rubber strap is back in fashion, but this time the inspiration is taken from the very first and more elegant straps of the 60s, such as basket-weave patterned Tropic straps or the Deep Black Planet Ocean strap of this image inspired by nylon braided-weave Perlon straps. New rubber compositions and colours, such as the anti-bacterial coating integrated into the rubber formulation shown here, now make it possible to create super strong, flexible, lightweight, colour-dense and highly detailed straps for both diving and formal wear.
CERAMIC
One of the most eye-catching design innovations in Omega’s watch collections in recent times is the addition of ceramic watches. A zirconium oxide powder is subjected to heat and serious pressure to form the ultra-resilient, scratch-resistant machined casebody, which is subsequently polished and then satin-brushed by diamond-encrusted bands. The etching in the bezel of this Speedmaster Moonwatch Dark Side of the Moon is then performed using a very high-powered laser. The result is not only stunningly beautiful, it also creates a solid watchcase six times harder than steel, one which will not fade or oxidise and is destined for a long, pristine life.