Cerachrom
Rolex's proprietary ceramic bezel insert material, introduced in 2005. Scratch-resistant and colour-stable, replacing the aluminium inserts used on earlier sports references.
Cerachrom is Rolex's proprietary ceramic bezel insert material, introduced in 2005 on the GMT-Master II reference 116718LN. It progressively replaced the aluminium bezel inserts used on earlier Rolex sports models, with the Submariner switching in 2010, the Daytona in 2011, and the GMT-Master II two-tone in 2014.
Why ceramic
Aluminium bezels (used on Rolex sports models from 1953 to the mid-2000s) had two issues:
- Scratching: aluminium is soft; an accidental knock against a doorframe leaves a visible mark.
- Fading: UV exposure changes aluminium-anodised colour over years. "Ghost" bezels (faded Submariners) are now collectible but they were originally a service issue.
Ceramic addresses both problems. Cerachrom is essentially scratch-proof under normal wear (only diamond or another ceramic abrasive damages it). The colour is integral to the material, not anodised on top, so it does not fade under UV exposure.
How it is made
The ceramic is sintered at high temperature, then the 24-hour or tachymetre scale is engraved into the surface. The engraving is filled with platinum or gold via PVD deposition, so the numerals catch light differently from the surrounding ceramic and remain readable for the life of the watch.
Two-tone variants
Two-tone Cerachrom (Pepsi BLRO, Batman BLNR, Coke red-black, Root Beer brown-black, Sprite green-black) presented a manufacturing challenge. Two different ceramic colours had to bond seamlessly without a visible line. Rolex's solution involves firing the bezel as one colour, then chemically converting half of it to the second colour through a proprietary process. The Pepsi GMT-Master II 116719BLRO (2014) was the first commercial two-tone Cerachrom bezel.
On the secondary market
Pre-Cerachrom references (aluminium bezels) are increasingly collected. A 116710LN (Cerachrom, current at the time) was the standard production GMT. A 16710 (aluminium, predecessor) is now a vintage collector piece with growing premium.
Beyond Rolex
Other brands use ceramic bezels (Omega, Tudor, Breitling, etc.) but "Cerachrom" is specifically the Rolex trademarked name for their ceramic. When a listing says "Cerachrom bezel" the watch is Rolex.
Related: gmt-bezel, submariner, daytona, rolex.