I was reading some interesting posts on WUS about the planet ocean ceramic bezel actually scratching fairly easy. Some people seem to believe that it was just surface scratches from whatever it was bumped into and it's visibility due to the matte finish. Some people said that the high gloss version (gmt, ti) of the ceramic bezel has not had any problems at all showing any signs of scratching, anyone with any experience?
They use ceramic to make sports car brake disks so it's really tough but if you try you could scratch it with the right material. Sapphire crystals are very tough but sparks from a mig welder ruin them quite quickly. You would be better doing a Google search to find out what can harm ceramic surfaces.
Interesting. It's not so much that I want to know what ruins the ceramic surface, but more that I'm surprised. I was under the impression the ceramic bezels are a step up in quality and function for keeping it looking new longer by avoiding daily wear scratching. What's the point if it can still scratch and cost triple to repair...
Well, they are a step up, but that doesn't make them bullet proof. Neither of the watches I have with ceramic Bezels have any mars on them (yet) By the way, Kevlar is also a step forward on bullet proofing...until you get a bigger gun.
Shocking I know, but many times "new and improved" is really more about marketing. Ceramic materials have been around in the watch industry for a very long time. That said, no doubt that modern material science methods have improved the physical characteristics and durability.
I read that thread on WUS, a PO bezel that was supposedly scratched was actually not a scratch at all. After taking it to an Omega boutique, they had a tool that removed the apparent scratch easily.. It was a tool made by Omega specifically designed to remove marks from ceramic bezels...
I had a PO ceramic bezel get a scratch on it, and depending which thread you read on WUS you may have seen one of my photos from back in 2012 I believe. More scratch resistant than aluminum but certainly not scratch proof. I still prefer that design to Rolex's ceramic bezels with depressions for numerals which can possibly chip at the edges.
I'm sorry if I didn't get all the details straight.... I could of swore archer posted an Omega part# for the polishing stick..
I know you think this is some grand revelation, but yes of course they do. You know how many businesses operate right? They buy things from company A, mark it up and sell it to you? Or do you really think your grocery store grows all the veggies they sell, manufactures/packages all the prepared foods, and slaughters all the meat in a back room somewhere? You might also consider that it is highly unlikely that Bergeon actually has an entire factory dedicated to making rubberized abrasives...so shock and horror....they buy it from someone else, put their label on it, and sell it to Omega!
It depends on what you mean by scratching "fairly easy." I don't believe Omega has at any time ever said the bezel material was scratch proof, or indestructible. Sure it can be scratched, but it is relatively difficult to do, as this would require the bezel coming in contact with something harder than the ceramic material. In most cases, the marks on the matte bezels are transfer of material from the object the bezel was knocked against, as using the proper tools is easily removed. And they do just that. There is absolutely no doubt that an aluminum insert bezel will scratch far easier than a ceramic bezel will, and you can see evidence of that every day if you look at the vintage section and the Speedmasters shown there. If you could see the condition of some bezels that come into my shop, well let's just say they can be in very bad shape without trying very hard to damage them. Do all of your watches have acrylic crystals then? Because an acrylic crystal is usually about $40 from Omega, where most sapphire crystals (that can still scratch) are anywhere from $200 to $800. So using your logic, sapphire crystals also have "no point."
Hey, relax, no complaint from my side, just a fact [emoji6] If you look at bezel removers this gets whole other story though. With Omega charging $840 for something that should cost $50, it can only be explained with being greedy (1) or making it difficult for customers to change reference numbers at will easily (2).
Are you referring to this set? If so, and you really think this should cost $50, then your ideas about what things cost to make are completely out of whack. And also, assuming you are pricing this through Otto Frei, remember once again how this commerce model works....they buy something from Omega....mark it up....sell it at marked up price to you. Omega is a corporation just like any other - their sole purpose is to create value for shareholders, not sell parts and tools to people at break even or a loss. And yes of course Omega does not want people swapping bezels - it is completely against their corporate policy of keeping watches original, so why would they make it easy?
Don't know why you are being so harsh today. Yes, the 5100158 is what I mean. I think it is both of my mentioned reasons equally I work in the automotive industry in Germany and believe me, there's almost no other comparable (electronics perhaps) market between suppliers and OEMs that is rougher. And I watch these price discussions every day and see what you can get for $50. And that is a WHOLE lot more than what you can see above. In private, please have a look at alibaba to get your ideas in order ;-) No more OT from me from now on.
What is the point of this? What are you trying to achieve? I'll chalk part of it up to the fact I am sick and feel like crap, but that aside having you harp on about Omega when they are doing what every single company on the planet does, and you not bothering to get all the facts is a little much. You are complaining about stuff and using comparisons that make no sense. I worked in the automotive industry as an engineer for 23 years for a tier 1 and 2 supplier - I know very well what the industry is like thanks as we supplied parts to automotive companies all over the world - including Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, US, Canada, etc.. To compare a part that would be made in quantities many orders of magnitude more than a very limited use tool for removing watch bezels would be, and saying the tool is a rip...well seriously that shows a lack of understanding of economies of scale and the market for watchmaking tools at the very least... Watch tools are expensive - there is no getting around it. Trust me I know having spent about $70k to fully equip my shop. The bezel remover that I use almost daily for $840 (even if I had to pay the marked up price from Otto Frei) is a bargain I can assure you. I have been forced to buy much more expensive tools that I use far less often, and that are far less effective. Damaging a watch case using some cheap tool and having to replace just 1 watch case would cost far more than this tool does. If you think Omega is so hard on everyone, start collecting Rolex and buying their tools...I'm sure they are much easier to get and are far less expensive than Omega, right?
Well.....back to the original topic. Yes, i do find that the newer PO bezel "marks up" easily. I honestly can not tell if it is simply what Archer stated as a transfer what it hit against or an actually permanent mark. I will state that it definitely "shows" marks much easier than my SubC. It id definitely disappointing that I have to look down at my PO and see 3-clearly visible marks on my bezel. I bought my PO and my SubC back in December and wear them with equal time. My SubC has no visible marks and my PO does.......it's that simply and is frustrating IMHO.