The Breitling Watch Source Forums

why doesn't breiltlig use the hardened stainless steel for their cases and bracelets like german watch companies(sinn and damasko)??? it is very scratch resistant.

Hi there,

They do use hardend steel. Takes nearly a month to make a case going by the Vid that can be seen on the Breitling website.

Any metal will scratch my friend. But it can be polished out

try making a watch out of solid diamond. it will Neva scratch lol

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Now-
Breitling Colt - Black
Breitling Blackbird - Polished

Next- ideas please.....

Not sure about Damasko, but Sinn uses something they call 'Submarine Stainless Steel' which I believe is deemed to have more structural strenght than regular stainless steel. How that compares to the 316L used by Breitling or the 904L used by Rolex I have no idea - I'll wait for our resident chemical and / or structural engineers to chime in!

Damasko use standard 316L steel, but they "ice harden" it which apparently hardens the metal to a far greater depth than the tegiment process that Sinn use. Apparently (according to Damasko at least!) the Sinn process can result in a very thin super-hardened layer on top of standard steel which can be damaged with a pointed instrument - the so causing an "egg-shell" effect.

Plenty is made by manufacturers about their respective metal treatments (as you would imagine!), and I guess these threatments certainly do make the cases and bracelets a bit more scratch and dent resistant, but I've yet to see a definitive test of Damasko steel vs Sinn steel vs standard 316L steel vs 904L steel.

If you want serious toughness and scratch resistance - ceramic (Zirconium Oxide) cases are the way!

Just as an aside I've always wondered why no-one has ever made a watch case in Tungsten as it's exceptionally scratch resistant.

PS @ Coltwales - Breitling don't actually use any specific hardening process in their 316L steel. It's good quality steel, but nothing particularly special.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

True, but I would point you to Depuy orthopaedics. They found the same thing witha ceramic (ZO) femoral head component for theri total hip replacements. Almost NO wear (the scourge of total hips -- the reason they need to be replaced in 15 years under the best of circustances). However, drop one from 1 foot up onthe metal surgical table and it shatters into a billion pieces. Brittle little things. Not real useful for a watch, I do not guess.

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Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)

so have anyone seen a breitling watch with hardened steel case???

No, because they don't make them I afraid.

@ Boney, the IWC Top Gun Doppel Chrono, the Chanel J12 and number of Rado watches are ZO ceramic so I guess they put something else in the mix to reduce the brittleness.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

They must. The orthopaedic implant companies went to alumina oxide ceramic for their implants. That works welll and is much less brittle. Takes an end strike on an edge to break them, and you really have to want to. Good to know, thanks D8!

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Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)

You also have to remember that the harder you make steel to make it scratch resistant, you also make it more brittle which might be a problem if you bang and smash the watch a lot -stress might build up and in the worst case you'll see a hairline crack in the material.

Didn't Omega make a watch with a Tungsten case, mixed up with a Titanium bezel/bracelet (to make it lighter)? Tungsten has a very nice and dark color, but is also as you know roughly twice the weight of steel.

And finally diamond will scratch diamond. So if you afford an all diamond watchcase, be sure not to bang it into your diamond doorposts.

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Very true about the brittleness of very hard metals. I've heard of tungsten wedding rings shattering if they're dropped on a hard floor. I know of a few very cheap watch brands (the kind you find on Ideal World and Bid Up TV!) that have made watches from tungsten, but even with the brittleness issue I'm still surprised none of the "big boys" have made one.

I don't think Omega have made a tungsten watch case, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong on that. I know they made a version of the Seamaster Chrono in Titanium and Tantalum (with 18kt gold highlights), but that was it as far as I'm aware.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Ah, you're absolutely right.

I babbled about tungsten when it was tantalum I meant. Really sorry about that. The properties I tried to give tungsten is of course valid for tantalum, not tungsten.

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Collection: http://s540.photobucket.com/albums/gg32 ... mview=grid

Hi Folks,

Damasko does not use standard 316L steel. Damasko uses X3CrMoN15-1 (1.4108/AMS 5898-X30 CrMoN15-1) nickel free steel.

X30CrMoN 15-1: carbon (C): 0.31% nitrogen (N) 0.40% silicon (Si): 0.5% manganese (Mn): 0.53% phosphorus (P): 0.014% sulfur (S): 0.007% chromium (Cr): 14.69% molybdenum (Mo): 1.05% nickel (Ni): 0.19% aluminum (Al): 0.005% vanadium (V): 0.05% titanium (Ti): 0.003% copper (Cu): 0.05%

For more info check this link: http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/62674 ... ption.html

BoneDoc...as a DePuy Spine employee I must give you props for dropping the compay name in the Breitling Forum

That's it...shameful pride in my company.

Continue on...

It was,however, over your errors in ceramic THA components. But at least you're not with Sulzer

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Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)