Which watches have no plastic in the strap, the gaskets, the dial or the movement?
This category is being vetted. Nothing here is a recommendation yet.
Where plastic hides in watches
Every watch brand says "steel and sapphire" and leaves out the rest. The case is metal. The crystal is sapphire or mineral glass, unless it is acrylic. The gaskets sealing the crown and caseback are nitrile, fluoroelastomer or silicone. The strap is nylon, silicone or rubber, or leather with a finish. Luminous paint on the dial and hands is pigment held in a resin binder. A quartz movement usually has a plastic baseplate and gear train, a circuit board and a battery. A smartwatch puts a sealed electronic module under a glass or plastic cover.
What to check before you buy
- Case: steel, titanium, brass or bronze, or resin and composite?
- Crystal: sapphire or mineral glass, or acrylic?
- Movement: mechanical, or quartz with a plastic baseplate and a battery?
- Gaskets: what material seals the crown and caseback?
- Dial and lume: metal and enamel, or painted with a resin-bound luminous pigment?
- Strap: leather with a named finish, steel or cotton, or nylon, silicone and rubber?
- Strap thread and lining: cotton or linen, or nylon and foam?