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elmlingp
·Posting again... OCD. New Seamaster Diver 300M. After just a few days, the outer clasp portion of the steel bracelet is already scratching slightly. Is this normal?
Stainless steel bracelet scratching
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watchyouwant
·Pls. Post again.
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fiberguy
·yes perfectly normal. The scratch and nick OCD of a new watch will fade.
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Dan S
·You should buy the diamond-coated bracelet next time. Scratches everything else, but remains pristine.
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Canuck
·About 70% of everything your stainless steel watch and bracelet comes in contact with, is harder than the stainless steel. Expect scratches! Does this surprise you?
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rudagger
·I posted this video before here. The comment at 6:00 is that the Speedmaster (I know, not a Seamaster) is "a real scratch magnet".
So yes, I would say it is "normal".
For me I don't have many scratches at all on my Speedmaster, as I only wear it with long sleeves. For occasions where I am wearing a short sleeve short - it's either hot outside or I am exercising - I wear a Timex Ironman with a rubber strap.
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ErichPryde
··Seamasters Foreverto the OP: as others have noted, stainless steel isn't particularly hard. to put it into perspective, Silicon has a general hardness close to 7, and is the MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT IN MINERAL FORM in the earth's crust. it's EVERYWHERE. It's in quartz, it's in sand, it's in so many things that you contact every single day. it's in your house, in the form of dust.
Your stainless bracelet? probably not harder than 4.5 or 5. I don't know the exact hardness of stainless bracelets in rockwell or mohs, but I'd bet it's DEFINITELY not higher than that.
So, it's going to scratch. The way I would encourage you to look at it, is that the first scratch is an eyesore, but when you've got a handful, it's a patina. it's got character.
On the plus side, a lot of this can be buffed out by either Omega or a local jeweler if you want, but it's going to come back.
Watches are made to be worn!
Your stainless bracelet? probably not harder than 4.5 or 5. I don't know the exact hardness of stainless bracelets in rockwell or mohs, but I'd bet it's DEFINITELY not higher than that.
So, it's going to scratch. The way I would encourage you to look at it, is that the first scratch is an eyesore, but when you've got a handful, it's a patina. it's got character.
On the plus side, a lot of this can be buffed out by either Omega or a local jeweler if you want, but it's going to come back.
Watches are made to be worn!
Edited:
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ErichPryde
··Seamasters ForeverI mean I get it, we want stuff to look nice. but to some degree these sorts of comments (in this video) just make me think, "what is happening to us as a culture in terms of both education and expectations?"
And then I remember that I'm supposed to be PC and not actually post stuff like what I just said.
But seriously- a wood floor that is 100 years old has SERIOUS character in those scratches and wear marks. The same is true of your watch, your (my) leather boots (that ABSOLUTELY scratch and patina). We live in a culture where plastic and disposables are so totally endemic it's like... we've lost track of the fact that things are SUPPOSED to break-in and age. If everything is disposable and replaceable, it never has time to build character, and character builds value.
OK: rant over. back to PC posts now.
EDIT: (video time approx 5:20) "Given that the water resistance is [only] 5 BAR washing your hands should be the only activity you should be doing [with a Speedmaster]"
What the actual Foxtrot? I can't have heard that properly. What in the world kind of--- What in the world kind of handwashing experience is this?!!? water applies about 0.44 PSI per foot of depth, which is about 0.03 BAR. That means this watch is good to just over 150 feet of depth assuming my quick math is correct.
this can't be a serious video... can it?
Edit: I think I had one of those days. They reality is I really do understand not wanting to immediately scuff the heck out of nice stuff.
And then I remember that I'm supposed to be PC and not actually post stuff like what I just said.
But seriously- a wood floor that is 100 years old has SERIOUS character in those scratches and wear marks. The same is true of your watch, your (my) leather boots (that ABSOLUTELY scratch and patina). We live in a culture where plastic and disposables are so totally endemic it's like... we've lost track of the fact that things are SUPPOSED to break-in and age. If everything is disposable and replaceable, it never has time to build character, and character builds value.
OK: rant over. back to PC posts now.
EDIT: (video time approx 5:20) "Given that the water resistance is [only] 5 BAR washing your hands should be the only activity you should be doing [with a Speedmaster]"
What the actual Foxtrot? I can't have heard that properly. What in the world kind of--- What in the world kind of handwashing experience is this?!!? water applies about 0.44 PSI per foot of depth, which is about 0.03 BAR. That means this watch is good to just over 150 feet of depth assuming my quick math is correct.
this can't be a serious video... can it?
Edit: I think I had one of those days. They reality is I really do understand not wanting to immediately scuff the heck out of nice stuff.
I posted this video before here. The comment at 6:00 is that the Speedmaster (I know, not a Seamaster) is "a real scratch magnet".
So yes, I would say it is "normal".
For me I don't have many scratches at all on my Speedmaster, as I only wear it with long sleeves. For occasions where I am wearing a short sleeve short - it's either hot outside or I am exercising - I wear a Timex Ironman with a rubber strap.
Edited:
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josiahg52
·You should see the clasp and bracelet on my three-month old Seamaster. I don't care. I wear it nearly everyday.
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elmlingp
·Thanks, fellas. Was very surprised by the Mohs hardness comment, I had no idea. Figured SS was harder than that. About to take my Seamaster overseas, looking forward to adding some more scratches.
to the OP: as others have noted, stainless steel isn't particularly hard. to put it into perspective, Silicon has a general hardness close to 7, and is the MOST ABUNDANT ELEMENT IN MINERAL FORM in the earth's crust. it's EVERYWHERE. It's in quartz, it's in sand, it's in so many things that you contact every single day. it's in your house, in the form of dust.
Your stainless bracelet? probably not harder than 4.5 or 5. I don't know the exact hardness of stainless bracelets in rockwell or mohs, but I'd bet it's DEFINITELY not higher than that.
So, it's going to scratch. The way I would encourage you to look at it, is that the first scratch is an eyesore, but when you've got a handful, it's a patina. it's got character.
On the plus side, a lot of this can be buffed out by either Omega or a local jeweler if you want, but it's going to come back.
Watches are made to be worn!
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ErichPryde
··Seamasters ForeverIndeed- I think it's easy to expect that materials we wear are tougher than they are- but it really is a trade off of practicality as much as anything!
Some random googling suggests a range of hardness between low 4 and mid 6, depending on the steel, on the mohs scale. That might seem like a good number, but it is all about how hard it is relative to other stuff it is going to come into contact with- and silicon is just a plague (thankfully).
Enjoy your watch, and congratulations!
Some random googling suggests a range of hardness between low 4 and mid 6, depending on the steel, on the mohs scale. That might seem like a good number, but it is all about how hard it is relative to other stuff it is going to come into contact with- and silicon is just a plague (thankfully).
Enjoy your watch, and congratulations!
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gearjockey
·If you require a watch which doesn’t easily scratch, you need to look at Sinn with Tegiment. Had this for years, not a scratch on it, even the bracelet clasp.
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ErichPryde
··Seamasters ForeverIf you require a watch which doesn’t easily scratch, you need to look at Sinn with Tegiment. Had this for years, not a scratch on it, even the bracelet clasp.
Do you know what the hardness is of the hardened surface steel?
Does this have any impact on survival during accidental... impact, like a ceramic might?
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eldiano84
·I might be in the minority, for the longest time I wore my watches as they should been, hell they got so beat up and scratched they looked super cheap. For some reason and I don't know why when I get them serviced I like how they look brand new haha, I'm just more cautious now I guess, mostly because of how much service fees have went up on these watches I think. Makes them appreciate them more and "prolong" those services all things considered.
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Canuck
·If you buy a very scratch resistant modern ceramic watch with ceramic bracelet, you many not have to concern yourself with scratches, but you run the risk of the ceramic chipping, shattering, or otherwise, breaking! Not something you will need to worry about with stainless steel. Depending on the ceramic watch, you might be looking at thousands of dollars to replace the broken component. A Scotchbrite pad which you can buy most anywhere for pennie’s will solve the scratches on stainless steel.
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gearjockey
·Do you know what the hardness is of the hardened surface steel?
Does this have any impact on survival during accidental... impact, like a ceramic might?
Tegiment is around 1200 Vickers hardness. 316L is around 220
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...Called desk diver wear and tear. Totally normal
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ErichPryde
··Seamasters ForeverTegiment is around 1200 Vickers hardness. 316L is around 220
So right in-line with many of the most common silicon based minerals. Yeah, that would definitely do the trick.
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josiahg52
·Damasko's Damest coating or their ice-hardened steel is another option. My DA46 looks good after five or so years.
