Palladium - The Future of Fine Watches

First discovered in 1803 it has taken many years and several breakthroughs to reach the point that Palladium is today. Until very recently palladium alloys were too soft to meet the standards to be used for watch cases. But all that changed when the 950 palladium alloy was developed by Johnson Matthey, a world leader in advanced materials technology. The new palladium 950 alloy is a lightweight and durable option for watchmakers. It is lighter weight than gold with a greater wear resistance, though they are similar in malleability. It is harder metal than platinum and is less likely to scratch. And while it is thirty times more rare than gold its value is less than half per troy ounce. It is so rare in fact that it is one of the ten rarest elements in the earths crust.

Palladium has been made into jewelry since 1939 and has been used in watch springs for sometime now. The development of the Palladium 950 alloy and its subsequent use by watchmakers is perfect timing for the great increase in popularity of the white metals. It is now being used by such brands as Cartier, Chopard and Ulysse Nardin and has been used in several of their limited edition releases. As the public becomes increasingly aware of Palladium, other big brands are sure to follow the lead of companies like Cartier and begin incorporating this metal into their collections.