Rare watchmaking metal-tantalum

In the field of watches and clocks, people have always had an irrepressible desire for material innovation. Over the past few decades, the arms race in the age of new materials has spawned countless alloys, each surpassing the others in strength and durability. Technological advances have driven us desperately to tap the potential of the periodic table to find the next exotic metal to replace gold and titanium. Today let us learn about a new space metal material: tantalum.

Tantalum is a chemical element with symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Its name "Tantalum" is taken from Tantalus in Greek mythology. Tantalum, with a core mass value of 16.7 g/cm3, has a similar heaviness to 18K gold. Tantalum is a hard blue-gray rare transition metal that has a much higher surface hardness than other metals used in watchmaking such as stainless steel, gold and titanium. Excellent corrosion resistance. Tantalum is a refractory metal with a high melting point of 3017 °C (boiling point of 5458 °C), which is higher only by tungsten, rhenium, osmium and carbon. Often used as a minor component of alloys. Tantalum has low chemical activity and is resistant to acid corrosion. It can even resist the corrosion of aqua regia below 150 °C. It is suitable to replace platinum as a material for experimental equipment. With its characteristic blue color lurking beneath a lustrous silver hue, it offers an invisible brilliance unattainable by other metals, not even titanium.

The unique physicochemical properties of tantalum are what attract high-end luxury watches, imagine a watch that is almost heavier than gold or platinum and has a unique blue/grey tone while staying away from the exaggeration of gold. And without any signs of aging corrosion over the years! This rare space metal has only entered the product lines of a few advanced watchmaking brands so far.