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kdsarch 3T WIS 
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What are people's thoughts on watch pvd coatings? I only have one pvd watch, and it does not get much wrist time. I don't know if it is becuase of the black watch color, or if it is more the style of the watch that prevents me for wearing it. I have seen some watches with pvd coatings that are somewhat destroyed. Do you feel that it is worth it, or is it too much trouble. Just wondering what the general concensus is. Thanks |
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Upside 3T WIS 
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well, personally I think it holds up pretty darn well. I've only got one PVD coated watch as well but it gets regular wrist time. I even got an aftermarket PVD bracelet for it and seems to hold up just fine. Great stuff if it suits the watch. |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS 
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I like both and have both IP and PVD coated watches. I prefer the PVD. And the Ox Pro is awesome too I have 1 with that. |
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cfoster 3T WIS
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Back in the mid 70's I bought "The Black Watch" I think it was the first and only one at that time. The coating or plating on the steel did not wear well so I got another one recently on the bay that was in better condition. I seldom wear it and am afraid of buying another. So, I am also interested in knowing about the new coatings or whatever they are because I like the black look but, am afraid of it disappearing and having a random two tone design watch like I have already. I have even resorted to taking a marking pen and touching up the black before going out. |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS 
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Physical Vapor Desposition is a process that involves high temperature vacuum evaporation or plasma sputter bombardment rather than involving chemical reaction. Mini e-beam evaporators can deposit monolayers of virtually all materials with a melting point of 3500 Celsius. In laymen terms,PVD is much more durable than electro-plating. |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS
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Simon_Leung wrote: Physical Vapor Desposition is a process Yea think so huh Simon. happy1.gif |
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cfoster 3T WIS
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I really don't care how they do it my issue is: Will it stay on? I have always liked the look but am afraid to buy another one. |
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Geoff150 3T WIS 
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Simon_Leung wrote: ...... plasma sputter bombardment.....hmmmmmmmm i think my tv is doing that |
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Chick Hazzard 3T WIS 
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No problems with the pvd finish on mine... This one is matte black chromium coated stainless steel (not pvd) with over 20 years of heavy wear... Not that bad I think...  |
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Fishgod 3T WIS 
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Pvd will hold up to normal watch wearing quite well. I have had many over the years with no concerns. Only issue I can recall is on a couple of pams near the lugs it wore abit changing straps over time. I do prefer the look of a matte finish case that was bead blasted or such than the shiny look of a pvd finish. |
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kdsarch 3T WIS
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Thanks for all of the responses. I think that the a pvd finish done correctly should hold up well. Perhaps I am with Fishgod, and just perefer the bead blasted finish. Thanks |
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romano 3T WIS 
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I beleive you can get a low glosss PVD case if the manufacturer has vrushed or bead blasted prior to applying the finish; not all PVD is real glossy |
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KenC Admin 
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Simon_Leung wrote: Physical Vapor Desposition is a process PVD still scratches and shows the base metal beneath the surface! As to gold on watches, nothing holds up to the old "gold filled" standard where the minimum was 70 microns (1/20) of an inch...now you know how minuscule and thin the much touted 5 micron PVD standard is. And in response to another post which stated,"Pvd will hold up to normal watch wearing quite well."....that's the problem. Most of the Black or "stealth" PVD watches are supposed to be SAR type. I confess....I, for the most part, dislike PVD watches because they do not hold up well under truly normal wear & tear. These watches were not even meant for "normal wear"! Most of us have forgotten what "Normal wear & tear" is because we wear a watch for a couple of days or a couple of hours and then it goes back in the box for weeks waiting for it's next shot in the rotation. "Normal" wear & tear, to the average guy means putting the watch on and taking it off several year down the road while he does the yard work, fixes his car, plays football and cleans the pool! It's not his "beater"...it's his watch! |
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kdsarch 3T WIS
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KenC, I agree with your statements. I kinda feel that it is too delicate of a finish to really wear with a tough watch. Ken |
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e.avery 3T WIS 
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A true PVD coating is harder than steal, based on the chemical matrix that has a ceramic component. It has been used for years in F1 as a low friction coating and moved globally into industrial tooling. It makes tooling's last about 900% longer and in most cases can reduce friction to a point to where no cutting solution is needed (dry cutting). It may not maintain its perfect visual finish, but it has allowed an evolution in the tooling industry and racing that is impressive. In my opinion it is the single most important technical advance since the use of cryogenic freezing of metallic components to relieve internal stresses caused by the metals manipulation. |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS
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e.avery wrote: A true PVD coating is harder than steal, based on the chemical matrix that has a ceramic component. It has been used for years in F1 as a low friction coating and moved globally into industrial tooling. It makes tooling's last about 900% longer and in most cases can reduce friction to a point to where no cutting solution is needed (dry cutting). I agree with Avery's statement because for over two decades watch companies such as Longines and Rado have been using PVD coatings on their watches. Thanks Avery for the heads up.hand6.gif |
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Topher1556 3T WIS 
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e.avery has it on this one. PVD is extremely robust. Ken, what you're seeing on watches that scratch, is the scratch (I'm assuming it's scratched to the point you can see a different colored metal) was actually severe enough to take with it a layer of the watch. It's the same with PVD gun coatings. PVD bonds with the top surface of the watch metal. If you ding it, the metal underneath is dinged too...just like an untreated watch. If you manage to scratch/gouge it, the damage to a PVD watch will be far less than to an untreated watch. What's happening is not a scratching off of the PVD layer but a scratching off of a layer of the watch! Take an untreated watch and scratch it just as hard...and a major gouge will occur...one that might make you sick ;). The tough part is that visually, your eye picks up on the contrast of the light vs. dark metal, so the imperfections are noticed easier if you pick up some. I've had a few PVD treated watches. One was absolutely abused for years...and was still a nice looking watch in the end...with just a little wabi on some links and the clasp. I'd say it held up stunningly well. |
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KenC Admin
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Topher1556 wrote: e.avery has it on this one. Yes...I am seeing the scratch...and when you are dealing with 5 microns or so, it tends to scratch thru the coating...AND IT SHOWS UP MORE THAN AN EQUIVALENT SCRATCH ON A PURE METAL (such as Stainless Steel or solid gold). The PVD coating is put on the watches for the cosmetic "look" and when one scratches thru it...the "look" tends to suck! If you want to put it on tools, etc. for durability...fine, but I still dislike PVD watches!  |
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Skipdawg 3T WIS
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It's OK Ken I still luv ya anyway buddy. LOL :D Yea if possible I prefer a PVD layer with 10 microns or better. Same with gold layering. ;) |
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KenC Admin
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Skipdawg wrote: It's OK Ken I still luv ya anyway buddy. LOL :D I like the old gold "filled" standard which was a minimum of 70 microns. |
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