How hard can it be?

With the introduction of new technologies in the watch world many are boasting and throwing adjectives that could lead to misinterpreting the actual functionality. First, there is NOTHING scratch proof in the world. Yep, not even diamonds! Anybody with children could attest to the fact that nothing is indestructible. Leave anything with them for a while, you'll see. Second, even if the case is built like a tank and it is or has been hardened to levels unknown to the industry until now, that does not mean that you can treat the watch in a much rougher manner. The movement inside the watch is still subject to the same basic laws of Physics, even if the case has been revised to fit our modern times.

What the new technologies such as AluSiC, TiAIN, Alacrite 602, Tegiment and Ceramic bring is a more "resilient" attitude towards regular wear. What it will protect you from is the constant wear of the shirt rubbing against you watch, the unfortunate "ding" against a door, the occasional rubbing against other watches... Believe me, a regular nail file will cause a maximum amount of damage with minimum force on any of these metals or metal treatments.


So, whose fault is it? Them, that explain only what they like to explain or us that like to hear only what we want to hear? Maybe the industry is partly responsible for not only involuntarily misleading customers but in failing to educate them. It is very easy for the uninitiated to assume that just because the outside is tough so is the inside. Big mistake! Casio G-Shocks are pretty tough yet even they have a limit. Things should be explained differently. Maybe giving information on the properties of the case and outlining that the insides are subject to the same "laws of destruction" as any other mechanical watch. It is quiet common that people perceive a product as a whole. If it's tough outside, than it is tough inside... The fact is that cases have evolved these last 50 years more than the movements in the past 500 years. Little has been done recently to address the issue, except Richard Mille witch has addressed the issue of shock resistance on high-end watches including silent blocks to their movements. Granted, they are all getting better but no way near the metallurgical advances.