ChristianDK
[F.P. Journe Moderator]
15062
Tantalum - the case of the F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu
As I am wearing the Chronometre Bleu this weekend, I thought it would be nice to shoot a few pictures of it.
When we talk about the Chronometre Bleu, we are most often focussing on the dial. To me it is like a little piece of art.
And the Calibre 1304
I thought, as I was taking the pictures, I wanted to bring your attention to the third and very nice element of the watch. Namely the Tantalum case.
Here is a
picture of the case parts - Unpolished and polished. As well as a left over
from the stamping out of the case.
I shot this picture at the Paris boutique in 2011. At that time Tantalum was even more unusual than it is today. Actually, at that time, I was not familiar with the metal.
The grey has a very modern feel. It polishes well and has a great appearence.
Here are some pictures, together with a platinum case for comparison sake.
The Tantalum case with an antrcite calf skin strap.
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Tantalum - the case of the F.P. Journe Chronometre Bleu
As I am wearing the Chronometre Bleu this weekend, I thought it would be nice to shoot a few pictures of it. When we talk about the Chronometre Bleu, we are most often focussing on the dial. To me it is like a little piece of art. And the Calibre 1304 I t...
It was by chance
A strap I have had made for an other watch. But it works well, I Think ;-) The CB works Well with a lot of combinations. So it is a fun watch to play the strap game with. Thank you for your words
Very interesting Christian
really like this watch and wasn t aware its case material however i know that AP utilized tantalum used to be , checked its properties and seems to be great as jewelry however found an interesting remark “People can be exposed to tantalum in the workplace...
That's an alarmist paragraph from the article - it also says tantalum is bio-inert, non-irritating, and safe (but not to eat)
"Since it resists attack by body fluids and is nonirritating, tantalum is widely used in making surgical instruments and implants. For example, porous tantalum coatings are used in the construction of orthopedic implants due to tantalum's ability to form ...
Actually i ve read how nice the properties for jewelry
therefore was strange the last paragraph.
Thanks, George
Mike is right about the safety. It’s perfectly fine as well as high hypoallergenic. So, no worries😊
It's a beautiful color...
...how does it compare to platinum as far as weight/heft go? Also, is it more/less resistant to scratches or occasional dings? Nice photos btw.
Lighter than others
Tantalum is 16.7, platinum 21.4. For comparison steel is less than 8 and gold 19.3. As with other materials I think that the scratch resistance is very related also to the treatments they undergo.
you beat be to it :-)
Thanks for your input the feeling, when holding it in your hand, is that it has heft. And you your numbers go, it is twice as heavy as steel and close to gold. In terms of scratch resistance, Ta is 6,5 on the Mohs scale while Pt is 3,5. I dont know how th...
Scratches
Several surface treatments or production methods have the effect to compress materials and make them more dense than their natural state or create changes in the way their structure is disposed. This in turn causes changes in the scratch resistance so the...
Kind of like forging golf clubs?
mygolfspy.com I would imagine this would make an already hard metal (steel) much harder than its natural state. Not sure if watch cases are made in a similar manner or merely ‘cut out’ of the metal block like cookies from a sheet of dough...
Not really...
Sorry to be pedantic but 19.3 is the density of pure gold. The 18k gold used in watches and jewellery has a density of 15-16 depending on the other metals in the alloy so probably a little lighter than tantalum. The use of 18k gold in the movement would a...
yes god point - Not pedantic - just clarification :-)
The purity of gold will of course have an influence on the resistance. Ta "feels" quite hard - if that makes sense!? But wil aso scratch. Hoverver, the very few on my watch go a lot less deep than the Pt.
Right
We should also take a look at the hallmarks, I suspect it is also a tantalum alloy not pure element. Maybe be like Pt it is near pure, like 950 or so.
Great watch and photos!
Thanks for highlighting a less discussed attribute of the watch. Though I can’t blame anyone for focusing on that dial.
Great shots!
What I love about tantalum is the weight and this kinda bluewish tone to the metal which really stands out. Still a very unusual metal even in today’s novelties. Enjoy these beauties in the best of health! Cheers, Laurent
Beautiful pictures. I first fell for Tantalum with a Panerai many years ago.
For the Panerai it was nice to have such a big case / piece of metal be somewhat dull. Titanium did allow for that but there the hue of Tantalum is just more attractive. I never got that Panerai, but when I came across the CB I made sure to grab it!
I can understand why you where impressed
so was I A Panarai in Ta would be quite heavy I suppose? I think you ended up the best place, imo ;-) thank you, Jay!!!
Really beautiful Christian
Really beautiful Christian I got one of these early on and think it is very beautiful, at 39 mm it is just a touch small for me and a touch too dressy but that doesn’t keep it from being a real marvel… Jim
A pure Marvel, for sure Jim:-)
style and size is always subjective, so I understand. But a marvel when we look at what went in to this watch, I agree. thank you for you words
BEAUTIFUL!
Great photos, I love the shot showing the difference between the platinum and the tatalum