Blancpain

Hi Forumners:

A few questions have been raised concerning DLC watch cases.  Blancpain uses DLC on the Super Trofeo and Fifty Fathoms Black models.  DLC stands for diamond like carbon.  As the name implies it is an extremely hard material.  Here are some numbers that make the point.  The metric for hardness is  "vickers".  Look at this comparison:

Steel 150-180 vickers; Ceramic 1000 vickers;
• DLC 1000-3000 vickers

The second question has been raised is the risk of scratching through DLC.  In fact DLC is melted into a substrate that bonds with the underlying case material (in most instances for a watch case the underlying material would be steel (which is what Blancpain uses), a couple of brands use titanium).  Blancpain's R&D department advises me that it would take an extremely severe scratch to penetrate down through the DLC and substrate to reach the underlying steel.

The sum of all of this is that DLC is not just "a pretty face"; that is to say, it is not something which is done just to get a cool dark case look.  Substantively it produces a far more robust case than stainless steel or titanium alone.

Hope this information helps understand the material.

Jeff

While I agree that concerns about the robustness of DLC or PVD are perhaps overstated, I can tell you from having owned a variety of these watches with this finish that it is relatively easy to scratch. I own a DLC watch made by Asprey and the service center took a nice chunk off the caseback where the watch was opened.

The Blancpain DLC finish appears to be the best of the bunch but you cannot treat it as you would a steel watch which can be easily and cheaply buffed once it is scratched.

I tought that ceramic was around 1500 vickers, and that DLC was more around 1000...

I stand corrected.

It is important, too, to have the confirmation that  DLC is not only a pretty face, as you said it nicely, but has its purpose, in terms of solidity.

Thanks a lot!

Best,

Nicolas

to consider, which make me realize that not all DLC watches are the same.

It's not only the coating thickness, but the DLC composition, the substrate and the bonding that affect a coatings effectiveness.

Like all coatings, you're right, not all DLC watches are the same....

 

I think your comment is right on the mark.  Not all DLC cases are alike.  Since DLC is melted into the substrate, there are issues concerning that process, the particular substrate material selected, the bonding technology etc.  As a result, it matters which watch brand you select.  But isn't that pretty much the case with watches in general?  For example, some brands plate their white gold cases.  Can't buff out scratches on those cases; if you want to remove a big scratch, the whole case has to be replated.  So one learns to ask whether a white gold model is plated or not (and Blancpain does not plate its white gold; Patek plates some of its white gold; some brands plate all of it).  The devil is in the details for virtually every elment of the watch!

Jeff

the devil is in the details.....

Cheers

of one, many thanks for the info- much appreciated

Cheers

Does this mean that ceramic is "stronger" than SS????

I thought that ceramic would be more sensitive/fragile

Cheers

Ceramic cannot be scratched as easy as steel, but it can break. If your steel watch falls from 1m down on a hard floor it may look dinged and ugly, your ceramic watch may break into pieces...

 

will be the ultimate solution. Any one have idea it it could break?

I have the RADO V10K and have put it through many tests. This watch is wonderful and still looks new.
Luis