20 Best Ceramic Watches at all Price-Points for 2023
Over the years we’ve seen a lot of brands play with materials. With the resurgence of many enthusiasts being un-afraid of more pops of color, than the monochromatic look of steel or titanium, one material that’s really bubbled up to the surface for a lot of luxury brands is Ceramic. Ceramic is basically any material that isn’t metallic, organic but is hard and durable. That gives brands a lot of flexibility in the chemical and physical compounds they can use in Ceramics. This allows the brands to utilize a much harder, more scratch resistant ceramic than say a sink, or a toilet.
There are many benefits of Ceramic over something like steel, or gold, while there are also some setbacks. We’d argue that the pros far outweigh the cons. For starters, Ceramic is much harder and more scratch proof than a metal, but because of it’s chemical compound can be prone to shattering or crumbling with the right impact. While rare, it’s been known to happen. It’s also lightweight and hypoallergenic, which allows for an easy wear. But many of these brands are using ceramics for it’s ability to be colored a number of different ways. The range of colorways available to ceramic are immeasurable, and therefore anything from brilliant white to vanta-black is on the table.
For this list, we decided to take a look at some of our favorite Ceramic watches. So without further ado, lets get cracking on with it.
Rado Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic Diver
When it comes to high-end ceramic, it doesn’t always have to be astronomically priced to still be technically impressive and work as a tool watch. Rado has done a really good job with it’s ceramic dive watch offering - The Captain Cool High Tech Ceramic. The 42mm, 300-meter water-resistant ceramic timepiece comes equipped with a full ceramic bracelet and case. One of the more technically impressive moves with the Captain Cook is that it offers an ISO 6425 dive certification - A rarity in the price point. Price for the Captain Cook High Tech Ceramic is $3,600 USD.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked
When it comes to Ceramic, nobody does it better than Audemars Piguet. If you’ve followed Wrist Enthusiast for any amount of time, you’ll know that we’re huge fans of the Royal Oak in any capacity. One of our favorites is the Openworked Balance-Wheel. It’s a beautiful movement, and was often equipped on a gold case, however, recently the watch has been given the ceramic treatment with a fully black ceramic case and bracelet. It’s bold, and striking at the same time. It’s a statement on the wrist, and if you’ve got the pockets for it, it’s arguably a perfect ceramic sport watch option. Price for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked is $98,100 US.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar White Ceramic
Our second Royal Oak on the list is the Perpetual Calendar White Ceramic. Still striking, still bold, but in the other direction. If the openworked is the party-watch option from Audemars Piguet, the Perpetual Calendar is it’s serious older brother. Featuring the brand’s Calibre 5134, the impressive Perpetual Calendar is equipped with a tappisserie dial and moonphase complication (which takes some serious watchmaking). But the real star of the show is it’s brilliant white ceramic case and bracelet. It’s bright and statement-making without being “Too Much” on the wrist. The brand says its “Price is on Request” but it’s selling on the grey market for around $300,000 USD.
Zenith Defy Skyline Black Ceramic
Zenith might not be the most forefront brand you’d think about when considering a ceramic watch. The famous sport’s chronograph manufacture is typically futuristic in design and offers a lot of models in stainless steel and titanium. For the Skyline, however, they’ve equipped their 3-hand sport watch with a solid black ceramic case and bracelet. For Zenith, the Skyline is a little smaller than their other models at 41mm, but still features the brands high performing high-frequency El Primero 3620 - A first 1/10th of a second indicator. It’s a technical feat that we love to see and comes with a purchase price of $15,000 USD.
Zenith Defy 21 Chronograph Skeleton
Naturally, Zenith takes it’s most famous movement, the El Primero, put’s it in their most popular chronograph, then gives it the ceramic treatment as well. Unlike the Skyline above, Zenith's Defy 21 Chronograph measures in at a larger 44mm to house the skeletonized El Primero movement, which is on full display both front and back. The movement allows for a chrongraph measurement of 1/100th of second - One of (if not the) most precise mechanical chronograph in the price point. Price for the Zenith Defy 21 is $16,600 USD.
IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe”
No Doubt Top Gun 2 was one of the most successful movies made post-covid pandemic. A lot of people don’t know that IWC was the most pronounced watch brand in both movies. One of their limited editions created with the licensing of the movie was the IWC Pilot Chronograph Top Gun Edition “Lake Tahoe”. The full white ceramic case measures in at oversized 44.5mm and features the brand’s superbly legible pilot watch dial. It get’s it’s “Lake Tahoe” name from the colors of the US Navy uniforms and the snowy landscape around Lake Tahoe. Price for the Top Gun Limited Edition “Lake Tahoe” is $11,700 USD.
IWC Big Pilot Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert”
The second IWC on this list is another Pilot (Cause it wouldn’t be IWC if it wasn’t), in the Big Pilot Top Gun “Mojave Desert”. IWC has made a number of Ceramic watches lately, and we feel the Pilot’s utilize the material incredibly well, and the Mojave Desert is a good example of utilizing a unique and unconventional colorway. We find that it works really well (So does Tom Brady) and gets us excited for what else IWC has up their sleeves in the future. Price for the Big Pilot “Mojave Desert” is $16,300 USD.
Omega Seamaster 300M Black Black
If a tactical sport watch is a desire, Omega has produced a black on black on black ceramic Seamaster 300M. Literally every facet of the watch is black, from the strap, to the case, to the black ceramic bezel, to the hands. When it was first released, it got some flack for it’s legibility but we find it it be fine due to the depth of the case and the way it’s structed. Besides, is legibility really the priority on a watch like this? The watch is bold and makes more of a statement than most of the watches on this list. Plus, with 300 meters of water resistance, it’s a tool as well. Price for the Seamaster 300M Black Black is $9,000 USD
Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph “Blue Side of the Moon”
Again, you know we love a good Speedmaster, and add a moonphase and its just chefs kiss. The Side of the Moon series of Omega often adds some cool features to the Speedmaster that isn’t seen on many of the regular models. For their Ceramic offering, the “Blue Side of the Moon” (not the Dark Side of the Moon) features a deep blue case with a dark blue dial. There is a lot of blue, but it works well as an Annual Calendar with a 3D moonphase above 6 o’clock. Price for the “Blue Side of the Moon” is $13,200 USD.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic is one of the most ripe-for-the-picking watches to get a full ceramic case and bracelet. The ultra-thin 3-hand makes it a perfect contender, and Bulgari takes full advantage. Like the Omega Seamaster 300M, Bulgari goes with the black ceramic, black dial, and black handset and indices. It’s a tactical watch that just screams luxury. Price for the Octo Finissimo Ceramic is $17,700 USD.
Ciga Design Blue Planet Gilding Version
Ciga Design became the first Chinese winner of the GPHG ‘Challenge’ Prize with the Blue Planet. It was a unique watch with a fun shape and interesting way of telling the time. The draw was a giant rotating motif in the center of the dial. Recently, Ciga has given the Blue Planet a new energy with a gilded version in black ceramic (with gold on the dial and a gold plated clasp). While you can read the full review here, we found the Blue Planet Gilded Version to have some old world charm in a new ceramic material. Ciga even design and executed a ceramic bracelet for the new model (as opposed to the Rubber strap the original came on). It feels great, looks great (especially with the large domed sapphire crystal), and wears great, so we can’t complain at $1,899 USD. Make sure to check out our full review here.
Hublot Big Bang Unico Integrated White Ceramic 42 mm
For the amount of (unfair) flack that Hublot tends to get in the watch industry, they’re actually doing some really cool things. For started, the Big Bang Unico gets an all white ceramic case and bracelet in 42 mm. The ultra-sleek sport watch looks like a well-mantained race car on the wrist. Utilizing the HUB1280 Unico movement gives the watch purpose with a flyback chronograph and vertical column wheel - All on full display through the skeletonized dial. It’s definitely one of the more aggressive ceramic watches on the list, but we love it. Price for the Hublot Big Bang Unico White Ceramic is $24,100 USD.
Panerai Luminor GMT PAM01441
Of course, we can’t leave Panerai off the list. The brand has done some really cool things with materials. They’re arguably known for their Carbotech, but have released a number of full matte ceramic pieces. Our favorite is the Luminor GMT (PAM01441). The Luminor is arguably one of the more popular Panerai models in that it’s uniquely Panerai in it’s cushion shape and sandwich dial, but it’s not too busy. The model measures in at 44mm but wears a little larger with Panerai’s signature crownguards. It’s a tactical aesthetic with the only pop of color being Panerai’s laser blue.Price for the PAM01441 on leather strap is $14,100 USD.
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte
Of course, Bell & Ross has thrown their hat in the ring with the BR 03-92 Black Matte. Bell & Ross are known for their square shape and utilitarian designs. They’re made for the elements, so naturally we’d see a black ceramic hyper-legible pilot watch come out of the brand. It’s a simple watch, with the only “color” (or lack there of) being the white indices on the dial. The 42mm watch comes equipped with a rubber strap, but also comes with a really cool heavy-duty Pilot’s Canvas velcro strap to ensure a tight and secure fit. Price for the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte is a modest $3,800 USD.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback
Blancpain, and specifically the Fifty Fathoms has one of the richest histories of any dive watch in existence. While we don’t have time to get into all of it here (We’d encourage our readers to check them out), the Fifty Fathoms has been on some really important dives in the past. The progression of the (typically) steel sports watch is naturally a ceramic case. Being a utilitarian tool watch diver, the Bathyscape adds a flyback chronograph function with the Calibre F385 self-winding movement and of course, a matte grey ceramic case. It’s scratch resistance as only Blancpain does and fits the watch well. Price for the Fifty Fathoms Chronographe Flyback is $17,900 USD.
Longines Hydroconquest Black Ceramic
Historically, the Longines Hydroconquest has been firmly rooted in the more “Affordable Luxury” segment, with some models even being offered on Amazon. To up the ante a little bit, Longines has give the brand’s signature dive line a Ceramic treatment. It’s a very tactical watch, while still maintaining it’s strict dive capabilities and specs. You can pick up a Longines Hydroconquest Black Ceramic for $4,150 USD.
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
They say “There’s a Black Bay for everyone” and they aren’t kidding. The dizzying amount of models in the Black Bay line can confuse or excite enthusiasts depending on their level of keeping track of everything that gets released. So naturally, Tudor would create a Ceramic version of it’s flagship diver with the Black Bay Ceramic - An all black reimagining with a full ceramic case. Instead of the more colorful options, Tudor opts for a black on black aesthetic with the aged lumed handset and indices being the only color presented on the watch. We can say from experience, this watch needs to be seen in the meta- Er, Ceramic to appreciate the finishing quality Tudor has with the Black Bay Ceramic. Price for the model is $5,025 USD.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 mm Ceramic
We’d argue that the Laureato is one of the most underrated sport watches in history. With a quality right up there with the Royal Oak or Nautilus, it’s a clear staple alternative with the same quality and execution that you can actually buy at retail. Girard-Perregaux adds its first all-ceramic model to the mix with the 42mm Ceramic. It maintains the Laureato sport watch look and elegance, but in a more fluid matte black ceramic design. Price for the Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42 is $20,300 USD.
Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon
I think we would argue that the Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon is one of the more value-forward watches on this list. For starters, you get a full ceramic case and bracelet from a reputable brand. Second the Calibre HEUER02T is a fully mechanical chronograph with a Tourbillon. It’s already hard to find Tourbillon’s in this price point, especially for a well-known luxury brand like Tag Heuer. It’s a classic watch with a classic design and a skeletonized dial. Price is $22,200 USD.
OCEAN7 CP-1 Ceramic Diver
One of (if not the) most affordable ceramic watches on this list is the Ocean7 CP-1 Ceramic Diver. To see a microbrand like Ocean7 branch out into the use of more unique materials and still keeping the price-point down is a cool thing to see. It makes swiss made tool watches a little bit more accessible to the average enthusiast. The watch takes some vintage queues with the cusion style case and “Faux-tina” while maintaining 1500 meters of water resistance. You can’t beat that at just $1,399 USD.
