6 of the best tantalum watches that are literal and figurative heavyweights

Borna Bošnjak

For most people that get into watches, collecting is a journey – one that perhaps began with a plastic Swatch or Casio, then graduated into a steel Seiko, and ends with maybe a single precious metal piece, if that. This is just gross generalisation, of course, and there are plenty of those that collect many precious metal pieces, with brands often reserving special blends for their most exclusive creations. Think Lange’s Honeygold, Rolex and platinum, and so on. There is one material, however, that trumps them all in exclusivity despite not actually being precious by definition, and that’s tantalum. While it’s not necessarily as rare as some other precious metals, its durability and difficulty to work with have made it highly uncommon in watchmaking – and by extension, really desirable.

Honourable mention – Zelos

When it comes to these buying guides, we really try our best to cover a wide range of price points as best as possible, and that’s usually not too difficult as there’s value to be had everywhere. This list, however, will go down a similar path as our affordable tourbillon guide, for example, as there just aren’t many noteworthy tantalum watches that are affordable and readily available. But I did want to give a shout out to Zelos, a microbrand that continuously brings innovative and high-end case materials into the affordable market segment, and it’s no different with tantalum. For example, the stunning 37mm Zelos Nova that released (and promptly sold out) earlier this year came in at US$2,000 – phenomenal value, but limited to only 50 pieces. Given that the brand has a few tantalum pieces under its belt now, it’s your best bet, you might just have to wait a little while.

Hercules Tantalum Edition

The Hercules brand currently only has one model in its line-up, based on a mountaineer’s watch that was the first to ascend to the top of Nanga Parbat in 1953. It’s differentiated by the movement that powers it – a choice of an Olivier Mory micro-rotor (the same you’ll find in Yema’s watches), or a La Joux-Perret hand-winder. But you also have a choice of either a steel or tantalum case, with the latter being the most affordable, available tantalum watch I could find. You can go with a pretty basic white dial, or this blue carbon-dialled LE made for Hong Kong’s Independent Watchmaker. Price: starting from €9,995 (~US$11,000)

Sartory Billard SB05

Sartory Billard is an excellent example of how to use multiple top end suppliers in order to offer a unique, customisable product. The SB05 is Sartory Billard’s bread and butter, and other than the GPHG-nominated SB06 tourbillon, the piece that you can customise with the most exclusive materials – including tantalum. The example above is just an example of what the French brand can do, with Comblémine dials, Voutilainen & Cattin cases, and La Joux-Perret movements. Price: ~€30,000 (~US$33,000, for a top spec SB05)

F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu

Undoubtedly the best-known tantalum watch, the F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu went from being an appreciated, but oft-overlooked entry-level model in the independent’s catalogue to one of the most sought-after pieces on the secondary market. The hype is understandable, given the chameleonic nature of the incredible blue dial and hand-made, solid gold movement – the tantalum case is just the cherry on top. Price: US$42,420

Fleming Series 1

Similarly to Sartory Billard’s modus operandi, Thomas Fleming has also joined forces with some of the industry’s most respected names for his debut watch. The Series 1 sports a François Mojon/Chronode movement beneath hand-finished Comblémine dials, while the sculpted cow horns lugs and case are available in tantalum. Seems like Casper Ruud has pretty good taste. And if you really want to go all out on tantalum, you could get the Alternative Horological Alliance (Fleming, Ming, and J.N. Shapiro) to make you a full tantalum bracelet. Price: CHF 45,500 (~US$53,000)

J.N. Shapiro Resurgence

J.N. Shapiro has been at the forefront of bringing watchmaking back to the States for a while, and his latest model, the Resurgence, achieves just that. All of the components (save for the jewels and springs) are made in-house in California, to a frankly ridiculous standard of decoration. Shapiro is best-known for his dial decoration and guilloché mastery, and these are on full display here. The movement wheels are in 14k gold with rounded spokes, with some of the best internal angles you’ll see on any watch, period. The option of a tantalum case could seem like an afterthought, except it’s anything but, with a stunning engine-turned barleycorn pattern running down the flanks. Price: US$80,000

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Tantalum

The Endeavour Perpetual Calendar is already a pretty unique watch with its minimalist, no-branding dial – especially as it’s a highly complicated watch. But H. Moser takes it a step further, pairing the stunning blue enamel dial with a tantalum case, inspired by a tantalum-cased watch that was gifted to CEO Edouard Meylan for his 18th birthday. The beefy 42mm x 13.1mm case is bulked up by the inherent heft of Moser’s material of choice, while the caseback and crown remain in steel. Price: CHF 75,000 (~US$87,000)

Time+Tide Timeless Pick: MB&F Legacy Machine Thunderdome The Hour Glass

I long debated which watch to select for this spot, with the final choice coming down to the MB&F and the very first watch to use tantalum – the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 66270TT. However, as the latter is actually two-tone (titanium and tantalum), it broke the rules of engagement, handing the win to the MB&F. With a movement co-developed by Eric Coudray and Kari Voutilainen, and either an aventurine or blue guilloché dial, however, the Legacy Machine Thunderdome is hardly a compromise. This 10-piece limited edition made for The Hour Glass makes it that much cooler by virtue of the tantalum case construction that perfectly complements the blue tones of the dials.  Price (retail, sold out): SG$ 397,000 (~US$300,000)