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A bronze watch is becoming a popular choice again. When you are so great that they named an era in human history after you, bronze has to be really something. After all, it was the first alloy that humans mastered smithing a few millenniums ago. So, let's start by giving you some precious pieces of information. We will teach you everything you need to know about bronze and bronze watches specifically. 

Below we will answer a few of the most asked questions when searching for a bronze watch. We will discuss the history of bronze watches and how they became popular, and the drawbacks and advantages of the material itself.

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bestseller
NR36SILEBRXX NR40SILEBRXX NR28SILEBRXX &Native silver watch mens - white dial - brown leather strap
NR32SILEBRXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - silver case

Native

White Dial - Brown Leather
£139.00
bestseller
NR36GOMEGOXX NR40GOMEGOXX NR28GOMEGOXX &Native mens white face watches - gold case - mesh strap
NR32GOMEGOXX NR36GOMEGOXX NR40GOMEGOXX NR28GOMEGOXX

Native

White Dial - Mesh
£149.00
bestseller
NR36GOLEBLXX NR40GOLEBLXX NR28GOLEBLXX &Native mens gold watches - white dial - gold case
NR32GOLEBLXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - gold case

Native

White Dial - Black Leather
£139.00
bestseller
PH36SILEBRXX PH40SILEBRXX &Philosopher mens tan watch - white dial - silver case
PH36SILEBRXX PH40SILEBRXX &Philosopher mens tan watch - white dial - silver case

Philosopher

Brown Leather
£174.00
bestseller
NR36SILENANA NR40SILENANA &Native silver watch with blue face - navy leather strap
NR32SILENANA NR36SILENANA NR40SILENANA &Native silver watch with blue face - navy leather strap

Native

Navy Dial - Navy Blue Leather
£70.00 £139.00
-50%
bestseller
Native | Navy Dial - Brown Leather Watch Strap
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Native

Navy Dial - Brown Leather Watch Strap
£154.00
bestseller
NR36SILEBLBL NR40SILEBLBL NR28SILEBLBL &Native ladies leather strap watches - black dial - silver case
NR32SILEBLBL &Native ladies leather strap watches - black dial - silver case

Native

Black Dial - Black Leather
£70.00 £139.00
-50%
PH36GMMEGUXX PH40GMMEGUXX &Philosopher gunmetal watch - white dial - gun metal mesh strap
PH36GMMEGUXX PH40GMMEGUXX &Philosopher gunmetal watch - white dial - gun metal mesh strap

Philosopher

Mesh
£184.00
bestseller
NR36SIMESINA NR40SIMESINA &Native silver watch with blue face - silver mesh strap
NR32SIMESINA NR36SIMESINA NR40SIMESINA NR28SIMESINA &Native silver watch with blue face - silver mesh strap

Native

Navy Dial - Mesh
£149.00
bestseller
IN40GOMEGOXXIN32GOMEGOXX &Infinity gold watch women - white dial - mesh strap
IN40GOMEGOXX IN32GOMEGOXX &Infinity gold watch women - white dial - mesh strap

Infinity

Mesh
£87.00 £174.00
-50%
outlet sale
NR36RGMEROBL NR40RGMEROBL NR28RGMEROBL &Native black face ladies watch - rose gold case - mesh strap
NR36RGMEROBL NR40RGMEROBL NR28RGMEROBL &Native black face ladies watch - rose gold case - mesh strap

Native

Black Dial - Mesh
£75.00 £149.00
-50%
bestseller
PH36RGLEBLXX PH40RGLEBLXX &Philosopher rose gold ladies watch - white dial - black leather strap
PH36RGLEBLXX PH40RGLEBLXX &Philosopher rose gold ladies watch - white dial - black leather strap

Philosopher

Black Leather
£174.00
bestseller
PI42GMLEBRXX &Pioneer mens tan watch - white dial - gun metal case
PI42GMLEBRXX &Pioneer mens tan watch - white dial - gun metal case

Pioneer

White Dial - Brown Leather
£229.00
bestseller
NR36SIVEBRXX NR40SIVEBRXX NR28SIVEBRXX &Native silver watch mens - white dial - brown vegan leather strap
NR36SIVEBRXX NR40SIVEBRXX NR28SIVEBRXX &Native silver watch mens - white dial - brown vegan leather strap

Native

White Dial - Brown Vegan Leather
£139.00
bestseller
NR36GO5LGOXX NR40GO5LGOXX NR28GO5LGOXX &Native gold watch women - white dial - 5 link strap
NR36GO5LGOXX NR40GO5LGOXX NR28GO5LGOXX &Native gold watch women - white dial - 5 link strap

Native

White Dial - 5-Link
£159.00
NR36RGLEBRBL NR40RGLEBRBL NR28RGLEBRBL &Native ladies leather strap watches - black dial - rose gold case
NR36RGLEBRBL NR40RGLEBRBL NR28RGLEBRBL &Native ladies leather strap watches - black dial - rose gold case

Native

Black Dial - Brown Leather
£70.00 £139.00
-50%
PI42GMLEBLBL &Pioneer gunmetal watch - black dial - black leather strap
PI42GMLEBLBL &Pioneer gunmetal watch - black dial - black leather strap

Pioneer

Black Dial - Black Leather
£229.00
IN32SILEBRXX &Infinity ladies leather strap watches - silver case - white dial - brown leather strap
IN32SILEBRXX &Infinity ladies leather strap watches - silver case - white dial - brown leather strap

Infinity

Brown Leather
£164.00
outlet sale
NR36SILEDBNA NR40SILEDBNA &Native ladies leather strap watches - navy dial - silver case - dark brown leather strap
NR32SILEDBNA NR36SILEDBNA NR40SILEDBNA NR28SILEDBNA &Native ladies leather strap watches - navy dial - silver case - dark brown leather strap

Native

Navy Dial - Dark Brown Leather
£154.00
NR36SILEWHXX &Native white watches for women - white dial - silver case
NR32SILEWHXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - silver case

Native

White Dial - White Leather
£139.00
Vegan
NR36RGVEDOXX NR40RGVEDOXX NR28RGVEDOXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - rose gold case
NR32RGVEDOXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - rose gold case

Native

White Dial - Dove Grey Vegan Leather
£70.00 £139.00
-50%
NR36SILEGRXX NR28SILEGRXX &Native ladies leather strap watches - white dial - silver case
NR36SILEGRXX NR28SILEGRXX &Native silver watch women - white dial - grey leather strap

Native

White Dial - Grey Leather
£139.00
Vegan
NR36SIVEBLXX NR40SIVEBLXX NR28SIVEBLXX &Native silver watch mens - white dial - silver case
NR36SIVEBLXX NR40SIVEBLXX NR28SIVEBLXX &Native silver watch mens - white dial - silver case

Native

White Dial - Black Vegan Leather
£139.00
UN28RGMEROXX UN32RGMEROXX &Unika rose gold ladies watch - white dial - mesh strap
UN28RGMEROXX UN32RGMEROXX &Unika rose gold ladies watch - white dial - mesh strap

Unika

White Dial - Mesh
£204.00
PI42GMLEBLXX &Pioneer gunmetal watch - white dial - black leather strap
PI42GMLEBLXX &Pioneer gunmetal watch - white dial - black leather strap

Pioneer

White Dial - Black Leather
£229.00
NR28GOLEBRMP NR32GOLEBRMP &Native mother of pearl watch - gold case - brown leather strap
NR28GOLEBRMP NR32GOLEBRMP &Native mother of pearl watch - gold case - brown leather strap

Native

Mother of Pearl Dial - Brown Leather
£139.00
NR36SI5LSINA NR40SI5LSINA &Native silver watch mens - navy blue dial - 5 link strap
NR32SI5LSINA NR36SI5LSINA NR40SI5LSINA NR28SI5LSINA &Native silver watch mens - navy blue dial - 5 link strap

Native

Navy Dial - 5-Link
£80.00 £159.00
-50%
New
NR28RGMEROMP NR32RGMEROMP &Native mother of pearl watch - rose gold case
NR28RGMEROMP NR32RGMEROMP &Native mother of pearl watch - rose gold case

Native

Mother of Pearl Dial - Mesh
£149.00
NR36SI3LSIXX NR40SI3LSIXX &Native silver watch women - white dial - 3 link strap
NR36SI3LSIXX NR40SI3LSIXX &Native silver watch women - white dial - 3 link strap

Native

White Dial - 3-Link
£159.00
New
NR36SILEBLNA NR40SILEBLNA &Native silver watch mens - navy blue dial - black leather strap
NR32SILEBLNA NR36SILEBLNA NR40SILEBLNA NR28SILEBLNA &Native silver watch mens - navy blue dial - black leather strap

Native

Navy Dial - Black Leather
£139.00

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Are a bronze watch and a brass watch the same?

Absolutely not, although we understand the confusion. First, a little time-travel.

In ancient times, the island of Cyprus had rich copper mines. Of course, at that time, the name was "cuprum", hence the modern today's name. Both brass and bronze have a copper base, but they aren't the same. It's a common mistake. It goes so far that even Google search tends to mix these two.

A few millenniums ago, blacksmiths experimented with copper by adding tin. That experiment gave them firm alloy, easy to work with, and sparkled the Bronze Age. Bronze is the most common of all the copper alloys and has a wide range of use, from ship making to the electrical industry. Also, it's one of the few metals used for coin making, along with silver and gold. To increase certain properties, smiths add other elements in traces, like nickel, in the alloy. Bronze has lost its popularity and wideness of use due to stainless steel nowadays. Stainless steel is more durable, more resistant, and cheaper to produce.

Brass is an alloy made from copper and zinc and some other elements in traces, like iron or aluminium. As zinc is harder to find in nature, opposite to tin. Hence, the discovery of brass took place many centuries after the bronze. However, brass wasn't popular until the industrial revolution. Even today, brass has little to no popularity in watchmaking. 

How did bronze watches become popular?

One word - patina. Patina (or tarnish, for the silver watches) is a mostly green layer that appears on the objects made from bronze. Some watch enthusiasts prefer the patina look. The most famous object with patina is the Statue of Liberty that had a bright gold-ish colour at the start. Actually, patina naturally forms on bronze, brass, and copper objects by the oxidation process. So, by giving your bronze watch some time to oxidise, you will get a timepiece with a unique look. That look works great for all the fans of vintage and retro.

The second reason is the bronze is highly resistant to saltwater. That fact made the bronze a popular choice for the diver's watches. Also, regarding the divers, bronze isn't that shiny, so it doesn't attract unwanted attention under the sea. In the end, the layer of patina protects the material from corrosion. 

What are the downsides of bronze watches?

Bronze disease

There is a thing called "the bronze disease". Although it might sound similar to patina, the bronze disease actually ruins the bronze watches. You see, in a certain set of events that include humidity and bronze, this process starts. Although this process isn't yet fully understood, it happens more often than you think. When the cuprous chloride in bronze reacts with water, it starts to create hydrochloric acid. The acid starts to erode the bronze and further reacts with the copper. You can notice that by the appearance of the green fuzz on the surface. If you don't treat it, the acid will literary destroy your wristwatch. Also, there is no cure for this phenomenon; you can only slow the process. It's funny, though, how bronze is resistant to saltwater but not to mere humidity. Always store your bronze watches in a totally dry environment. 

Patina

Although most people buy bronze watches just for the patina, some people aren't fans of it. For those people, the advice is to get some patience and learn to clean the bronze. The patina will always show, again and again, as a natural oxidation process for bronze.

Skin reactions

Bronze has numerous variations regarding the percentage of the elements added. Substantially, some contain more nickel than others. Nickel allergy is a very common allergy that develops when your skin gets into constant contact with nickel. That means bronze watches are not hypoallergenic. Even without the nickel problem, the other factor is copper. When in longer contact with skin, bronze watches tend to leave green marks on the surface of your wrist. It's not dangerous, though it can get pretty annoying.

Does Nordgreen offer a bronze watch?

Our material of choice is stainless steel 316L. As for watchmaking, it has serious advantages over bronze. Stainless steel is more durable, more scratch-resistant, and much sturdier than bronze. Also, it's much more affordable, lightweight, and maybe the most important thing, hypoallergenic. However, we have a great offer on bronze-coloured watches.

As a company that listens to our customers, we decided you shouldn't be limited to your choice of colours. Although we don't make watches from silver, gold, or bronze, we make beautiful timepieces in those very colours. Our Philosopher, Native, and Pioneer men's watches come with the gunmetal choice. You can even pair them with our interchangeable straps, also available in gunmetal colour. You can have all the stylish advantage of the bronze watch, without any physical disadvantages of the bronze material.

Conclusion

There is an old navy saying: "Above the sea, steel is better, under the sea, bronze is better". Bronze watches, as pretty as they can be, just aren't made for everyday wear. Also, they lack a certain dose style and versatility, making them a choice for just a smaller group of bronze aficionados. However, nobody can deny the beauty of them, with or without the patina.

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