Forums Latest Members

Is it true that a hippocampus etching can almost completely be worn away from a caseback...

  1. The Hack Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    63
    Likes
    78
    ...just from normal wear and rubbing over 45 years plus? Watch is a Speedy Ed White.

    So not necessarily from over-polishing. I have read this on other vintage Omega forums.

    Thanks!
     
  2. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    26,751
    Likes
    32,468
    Maybe if it were worn by a crocodile, but not you can't completely wear it away just from friction with skin, its stainless steel.
     
  3. mac_omega Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    3,161
    Likes
    6,700
    maybe if you use it on these rough nylon straps (not to be mixed up with the nato straps)
     
  4. Mark020 not the sharpest pencil in the ΩF drawer Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    4,611
    Likes
    6,473
    They do wear but fully gone from just wearing them? Don't think that is possible.
     
  5. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    26,751
    Likes
    32,468
    I think people like to be able to find a reason to explain it that lets them say its unpolished, but while a strap or something abrasive could do some harm skin just isn't going to cause serious wear on engraved steel.
     
    TLIGuy likes this.
  6. speedbird Oct 4, 2014

    Posts
    875
    Likes
    836
    His is what 50 years of wear looks like under macro image.jpg
     
  7. The Hack Oct 5, 2014

    Posts
    63
    Likes
    78
    Thanks for all the responses, guys. Much appreciate!
     
  8. Spacefruit Prolific Speedmaster Hoarder Oct 5, 2014

    Posts
    5,189
    Likes
    22,927
    Omega deliberately engraved the hippo so that it was easily removable so that owners could engrave thier own personal engraving on a plain surface.

    ironic that very few people chose to do this, and that we value the light engraving of the original.
     
  9. ock2915 Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    312
    Likes
    507
    Of course it can be true , here you can see the caseback of my 105003-65 after 46 years of daily use
    L1080613.JPG
     
  10. The Hack Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    63
    Likes
    78
    That's very interesting! Is that daily use only - i.e. no polishing (at service time) at all?
     
  11. ock2915 Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    312
    Likes
    507
    Yes , it is so due only to daily use , has never been polished
     
  12. The Hack Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    63
    Likes
    78
    Well that's excellent news, because that's what the back of my Ed White looks like! :)
     
  13. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    26,751
    Likes
    32,468
    Have to say I do find that doubtful that just being worn will do that to a stainless steel caseback.
     
  14. ock2915 Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    312
    Likes
    507
    well is your opinion and you can think what you want , but what I posted is my truth , regards
     
  15. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    26,751
    Likes
    32,468
    But were you the one wearing it for those 46 years, or did someone else wear it? I don't doubt your sincerity in that belief but I just can't rationalise how steel would be scratched to any extent let alone that extent by being worn by a person without there being any tools or implements involved.
     
  16. François Boucher Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    45
    Likes
    20
    …he's the man with the "sandpaper forearms"… ;-)
     
  17. ock2915 Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    312
    Likes
    507
    It was worn by my uncle who bought it new , wore it since was bought and was never serviced , that is why I know what I am telling

     
  18. Spacefruit Prolific Speedmaster Hoarder Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    5,189
    Likes
    22,927
    Now I have not actually tested steel watch back for hardness, but a steel file has a hardness on the Mohs scale of 6.5.

    Quartz, one of the most common constituent of dust, (depending where you are, and competing with of all things human skin), has a hardness of 7.

    this means the tiny particles of quartz trapped between the watch back and anything rubbing against it, including skin, will abrade the steel.

    if someone comes along and tells us that the stainless steel on Omega has a hardness greater than 7, then that's my theory blown out of the water.
     
    ock2915 likes this.
  19. The Hack Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    63
    Likes
    78
    The plot thickens! :)

    There is a lot of anecdotal evidence that suggests that normal wear can abrade the etching. This obviously would require almost daily wear though - so safe queens need not apply.
     
    ock2915 likes this.
  20. John R Smith Oct 6, 2014

    Posts
    1,320
    Likes
    726
    Spacefruit has the answer. Even gold is harder than skin, but as we all know gold casebacks still wear away even faster than steel, in certain circumstances. If you worked everyday indoors in an office, the office was cool, and you showered morning and evening, then your watch case would probably wear very slowly.

    However, if you work outdoors, in a hot and dusty environment, and you sweat quite freely, your watch case will wear away much faster even though it is steel. The reason is that it is not your skin which abrades it, but dust on your skin which as Spacefruit says is full of quartz. Sweat acts as a lubricant for this abrasive dust and makes it cut the steel even quicker (this is why you use cutting oil on lathe tools).

    Forty-six years of that treatment will certainly erode your hippocampus ;)