Contemporary Alchemy: A Brief History of Composites (Part 2)
At the very edge of watchmaking, we find the art of turning powdered oxides into synthetic crystals and complicated marriages of two or more materials. This is the world of composites and sapphire crystal, and it is getting colourful.
The post Contemporary Alchemy: A Brief History of Composites (Part 2) appeared first on LUXUO.
Ceratanium parts IWC use in the building of watches such as those from the Aquatimer collection. Photo: IWC
This is part two of three on our special on composites in watchmaking. Part 1 saw watch editor Ashok go into the nitty gritty of what composites are and how they figure in watchmaking. Part 2 runs through in brief the history of composite materials throughout human civilisation while Part 3 will feature contemporary use of composites and recent engineering feats in watchmaking.
More than The Sum of Its Parts
As much as we might think of composite materials as something futuristic or cutting edge, they have really been with us for the entirety of settled human civilization. You might not think it looking at your carbon watch today, but it is the descendant of ancient engineering from Egypt, Mesopotamia and, quite possibly, all cultures that thought of combining cut straw with mud to form bricks. Long before materials science got into the act, our ancestors had figured out that you could get stronger and more durable materials by combining a couple of materials and exposing them to a set amount of heat. Where mud bricks are still used, t...
The post Contemporary Alchemy: A Brief History of Composites (Part 2) appeared first on LUXUO.
Ceratanium parts IWC use in the building of watches such as those from the Aquatimer collection. Photo: IWC
This is part two of three on our special on composites in watchmaking. Part 1 saw watch editor Ashok go into the nitty gritty of what composites are and how they figure in watchmaking. Part 2 runs through in brief the history of composite materials throughout human civilisation while Part 3 will feature contemporary use of composites and recent engineering feats in watchmaking.
More than The Sum of Its Parts
As much as we might think of composite materials as something futuristic or cutting edge, they have really been with us for the entirety of settled human civilization. You might not think it looking at your carbon watch today, but it is the descendant of ancient engineering from Egypt, Mesopotamia and, quite possibly, all cultures that thought of combining cut straw with mud to form bricks. Long before materials science got into the act, our ancestors had figured out that you could get stronger and more durable materials by combining a couple of materials and exposing them to a set amount of heat. Where mud bricks are still used, t...
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