Came across this while browsing the Ochs und Junior website





A very cool , deliberately rusted dial. Definitely a one of a kind! I kinda like it. The story of how this came about is here - https://www.ochsundjunior.ch/rust-annual-calendar/

 

others may call it induced patina!

 

Rust is not static - I would worry about contamination of the movement from particles coming off the dial...

 

An old saying in the car restoration world: Rust never sleeps.

 

Yes, I thought so too! For most of us , rust is anathema, so to deliberately induce rust... Yet they seem to have found a way to let the front rust, while avoiding rust on the back. But of course it's potentially risky.

But here's what they said on their website with refreshing candour:
"Since both the client and ourselves are equally curious to see how the dial will react with time, we have decided not to protect it from further rust by varnishing it. We think that it will not change much since the environment within the watch is poor in oxygen. However, we are not sure. For that reason we offer the same lifetime warranty on all parts manufactured by ochs und junior for this watch."

Looks like the downside is capped, as long as O&J stay in business...

 

There is a steel cladding material that is used for buildings called Corten. One of my projects used this about five years ago and at the time it was very stable until it got wet At this point, the paving around the building became permanently stained and had to be replaced after the cladding had finished weathering.

Supposedly, the manufacturers have found a way to make it more stable now so it is quite possible that the dial of this watch is made from something very similar - If you get water inside, the dial will be the least of your worries.

 

Where did you see that only the front of the dial is rusted - if it was in their information I clearly missed it, because I was looking for that specifically.

Unless they are putting inert gas inside the watch (like Sinn does, sort of) then the environment inside the watch is 21% oxygen just like the air we breathe, so I'm not sure where the "poor in oxygen" idea comes from.

About the downside being capped, well I guess. It would depend on how often a particle gets in the watch and requires service, and how much of a hassle that would be. Also, if the dial is a problem do they know lacquering it will solve that problem?

To me this is still a bad idea...

 

The information in the article says the dial is made from iron...not some special material. Usually if watch companies use something exotic (and sometimes even when they don't) they shout it from the rooftops, so if it was something special, I suspect they would have said so.

Cheers, Al

 

Hi Al, it's in the link I provided (2nd last paragraph , just before 'contact information'). My hunch (like yours) is that the rusting will insidiously continue, though at what rate I don't know, and to what extent. I guess one can only experiment with it to see what outcomes emerge with time, which is an interesting idea, an evolving watch!