The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Cool

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Breitling Super Avenger White, Steel
Breitling Superocean Heritage 46 Black, Ocean Racer
Rolex Submariner Bi-Metal, Yellow Gold/Blue
Panerai 112, Black Leather (Soon Hopefully!)

So other than prudent cautionary tales about gold plating, what is the real deal with how careful you need to be with that. Is the plating gone after a couple polishes? I would like more specific data if available. My Crosswind needs work, but I've held off because I don't want a ghetto Ling.

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

When's your Crosswind from peezie? If I remembher correctly the early Crosswinds were gold plated, but the later ones were rolled gold.

Rolled gold is much more resilient than gold plate - it's effectively a sheet laminated onto the base metal and you don't have to worry too much about polishing that off. If it's plate, yes you can rub it off, but Breitling can put it back on during a service - expensive but at least it can be done.

Either way, it's going to take some fairly heavy effort on you part to remove the gold, the occasional rub with a cape cod isn't going to ruin it.

Mr King of Ling always knows the right answer

On another note, on nano-fiber polishing cloths: They are amazing! Make sure you get some.

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Purchased March 2001. Born on date is late 2000.



Are there any characteristics I can look for to determine which is which? It has been been polished at Breitling during maintenance (3 years ago) to no ill effect from what I can tell.

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

2000 could be either (well, it's likely only one in that year - I just don't remember which). The easiest way is if you have a two tone bracelet and you position it to see the edges - you can see a distinct layer of gold over the base metal.

On the watch itself, I don't know of any way to tell except through wear - sorry.

I see the layer over the base, but what does that indicate?

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

Oh yeah, that might have been helpful to explain

If you can see a distinct layering of the gold over the base then you have rolled gold. As I explained the rolled gold is a sheet laminated to the base metal and it's 20 microns thick so will show as a distinct layer.

In the case of plating the gold is applied literally one molecule at a time and the surface will only be a molecule or so thick - you won't see that distinct separation.

Well, it's thin, but I do see a layer. I suppose seeing anything from the side is a good indicator?

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

It will be thin - rolled gold is only 20 microns thick, but you wouldn't see any distinct layering with plating as that's a microscopically thin coating.

Alright, I'll move forward then. Thanks for all the advice

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

Good luck, and please don't forget the mandatory "before polish" and "after polish" pics!

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

haha indeed.

I have images of the watch on a thread I started when I thought I wanted to sell the piece. So there are some "befores" in all their gruesome detail. Actually, the pix make it look much worse than in reality.

I will of course be happy to present the "afters".

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Avenger Skyland
If I said I was good, you'd think I was bragging.
If I told you I wasn't, you'd know I was lying.

A quick question...I bought the Cape Cod cloths to help clean up my Colt a few months back.

Yesterday I thought I'd give my putter a once over with the cloth and it came up pretty good, but the cloth is absolutely black! The tin says you can use the cloths over and over no matter how discoloured but I wonder how you get all the crap off it and also the buffing cloth which is a little black too.

Seems a bit odd they say you can use them no matter how discoloured yet give you a tin with about twelve cloths in it.

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2001 Breitling Chrono Colt Quartz SQ
2008 Breitling Navitimer
2008 Breitling Emergency

We used to use the tins back in the day to shine up bits and pieces on an aircraft carrier... it might have been insanely wastful, but we used it all as a single use

I have the cape cods now to clean up my Ling and those of friends Lings in the area and keep using the same one over and over again... though it's still not all that badly discolored at all.

If I were you, I'd use the discolored one on the clubs in the future and keep the fresh ones for the watches

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