To view this page you need Adobe flash player 7 You can get it from here - Flash Player 7
Also you have to enable javascript in your browser (instructions how to enable javascript in Internet Explorer)
The aerospace industry developed alloys of Titanium that permitted the Shuttle to travel unharmed through meteorite showers and stand up to impossible temperatures; it is a strategic material that conditions the decisions of Ministers of Defense and is now becoming available in various industrial sectors from open sea applications and shipbuilding to automotive and medical applications.
Today, it is well-know, appreciated and used in a wide range of applications due to its resistance to corrosion (almost as much as platinum) under a wide variety of aggressive conditions: it is resistant to dilute sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid in addition to chlorine gas, chloride solutions and the majority of carboxylic acids.
But it is also highly appreciated for its strength/weight ratio. Light, hard and very low density (40% of steel), in its pure state it is ductile and shiny with a white metallic color. Titanium is as strong as steel but 45% lighter; it weighs 60% more than aluminum but is twice as strong. This property makes it resistant to the usual forms of metal fatigue. It is also one of the metals that are most compatible with the environment.
A light aluminum-magnesium alloy is the choice for interior coverings because it is soft but shock-resistant and is highly corrosion-resistant. In fact, magnesium is an extremely light metal whose principal use is as an additive in alloys of aluminum since it increases its mechanical and welding properties. Aluminum is about one-third the weight of steel or copper, is malleable, ductile, can be easily worked, has excellent corrosion-resistance and is very durable. Plus, it is not magnetic and doesn't spark. Aluminum-magnesium alloys are essential for helicopters and aerospace and automotive applications, such as the famous alloy wheels.
Almost by analogy, even the dial is made from indestructible material: carbon fiber. It is one of the composite materials that are making a synergistic contribution to the achievement of high chemical, physical and mechanical properties. The realization of a good fiber structure requires careful design of the overlapping carbon fiber fabrics (skins), to orient the fibers for adequate strength. When they are joined by epoxy resin the give the product a structure that, from a mechanical point of view, is very similar to a monocoque. The carbon skins are positioned in the mold that will give the object its definitive shape together with epoxy resins and a sticky liquid glue that will bind the fibers. When the mold is closed, the resin and the fibers are hardened by subjecting the mixture to high temperature and pressure.
With carbon fibers you can do anything: there are used to make excellent fishing rods and flippers that require flexibility; but the suspension arms on Formula One racers are also made of carbon fibers and there's no fooling around in this field when solidity is required. This fiber is also widely used in aircraft production from ultralights to supersonic jets. The carbon fiber dial of the VANADIUM chronograph provides protection for the entire mechanism and is absolutely undeformable.
The mineral, pure cast-silicon crystal guarantees total watertightness under pressure and a wide variety of shocks in the external environment. The combination of case components provides total and absolute protection for the quartz movement and high quality Japanese silicon microchip.
For the strap we decided to offer great comfort with a soft and, at the same time, extremely resistant material: BNR silicon, which consists of a very flexible silicon chain that provides elasticity. In this case, as well, the most accurate research on this material and its possible uses are due to aeronautic research.
This is a material that is resistant to heat and chemical attack, hard to oxidize and with outstanding insulation properties. This is why it is the ideal sealant for vehicles subjected to the most severe conditions. Precisely for its ductility and great potential, BNR silicon is now used everywhere, from toys to prostheses, also because it is able to make them very pleasant to the touch.
All these were the premises for the design phase and the choice of materials but even VANADIUM's production involves precise, determined and futuristic choices. It is a highly technological production process that is entirely performed by machines without any human intervention. In the age of infallible robots, machines can produce almost any product with zero errors and without imperfections. The entire production process of the Vanadium chronograph is realized without manual contamination; from the initial assembly and finishing through to the quality and functional check, everything is performed by high-precision machinery.
VANADIUM is thus the result of a perfect Technofacture that, by combining highly specialized materials with a an absolutely original design, creates the formula for dividing and measuring all future time. It is a chronograph created to survive over time, to withstand every type of stress and strain; it is suitable for diving and can support up to 5 atmospheres and is perfectly immune to salt water but it is just as reliable at an altitude of six thousand meters on-board a supersonic jet. It is always the perfect machine, at any moment, and always perfectly reliable. It is just striking enough to be noticed, without any useless features, so that it is appropriate for a man to wear on his wrist during every occasion of his life.
Case - in three pieces made entirely from a special, high-strength titanium alloy; ultra-light and absolutely anallergic, it is available in black or natural titanium. The bezel and back are closed with six pass-through screws; the time-setting knob is a special, personalized dodecahedron shape, tightened with two steel screws. The chronograph has side control buttons with "start - stop" and "reset". The back is engraved with a unique serial number, a digital counterfeiting prevention code and the VANADIUM logo.
Dial - carbon fiber and special thermo-hardening plastic resin. The two components can be seen in the special “texture” they create on the bottom of the dial. The hands are steel and the numbers are stamped in Superluminova. Crystal - non-reflective mineral glass mounted on a special high-watertightness gasket seal.
Movement - High Tech Japanese quartz with chronograph and calendar functions and AM-PM display. Functions - chronograph with central second hand; AM-PM display located in correspondence to 3 o'clock; continuous seconds are located at 6 o'clock; the minute counter of the chronograph is located at 9 o'clock with the a red hand; the date, with quick correction from the time-setting knob, is located near 4 and 5 o'clock. Waterproof to 5 atm.
Strap - soft, totally anallergic silicon, undeformable and adjustable. Closed with personalized three-piece clasp.
Created by BB Media