Categories: Hypoallergenic watches

It depends on the severity of your allergy. Surgical steel contains nickel, but due to its extremely strong chemical bond, it releases very little of it to the skin. It meets strict EU standards and is perfectly safe for most people with mild allergies. However, if you have a severe allergy and react immediately with a strong rash, you shouldn't take any risks and should instead choose a watch made of pure titanium, wood, or ceramic.

The same rules apply to metal bracelets as to the watch case (prefer titanium or ceramic). However, caution is advised with leather straps! Many inexpensive leather straps are tanned with chromium salts, which can also trigger severe contact allergies when combined with perspiration. When choosing leather straps, make sure they are vegetable-tanned, or opt for skin-friendly silicone, rubber, or textile NATO straps.

No, quite the opposite. Titanium is extremely durable, doesn't rust, and withstands the highest stresses (which is why it's used in aircraft construction). While it can sustain minor surface scratches, the material itself is virtually indestructible. High-tech ceramic is extremely scratch-resistant and doesn't fade. Only in the worst-case scenario of strong, localized impacts on a hard stone floor can ceramic break or chip, whereas metal would only dent. Under normal use, both materials are absolute premium options.

The term "hypoallergenic" comes from the Greek words "hypo" (less/lower) and allergen. It means that the materials are selected and processed in such a way as to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction to an absolute minimum. In the watchmaking world, this usually means the complete avoidance of releasable nickel or other aggressive additives.