Why has AP stopped production of forged carbon's watch?

[stussyclie]

Is it something to do with the material itself? not durable?

[mspeed76]

FC as a bezel material is a fail. hence the availability of a ceramic bezel for the Grand Prix

FC as a case material is great. and I love how the movement sounds in a FC case

sadly, they do seem to have replaced all FC models with ceramic or titanium versions.

but with Richard Mille picking up FC and BMW making cars out of carbon, maybe they will bring it back :)

I would have loved to see a Schumacher with a FC case / cermet bezel.

[watchdog507]

I have an FC Chrono and I have worn it almost daily for a month. The ceramic bezel and the case show virtually no visible wear. On the other hand my steel diver didn't fare so well. There were many visible marks on the bezel. I think that the ceramic bezels and cases are a normal evolution of products. The ceramic is more resistant to minor scuffs. However if they are subject to a drop or an impact, I've seen ROO with chipped ceramic. This means a replacement not a refinish.

[stussyclie]

Originally Posted by watchdog507

I have an FC Chrono and I have worn it almost daily for a month. The ceramic bezel and the case show virtually no visible wear. On the other hand my steel diver didn't fare so well. There were many visible marks on the bezel. I think that the ceramic bezels and cases are a normal evolution of products. The ceramic is more resistant to minor scuffs. However if they are subject to a drop or an impact, I've seen ROO with chipped ceramic. This means a replacement not a refinish.

very nice piece. is FC easy to break?

[singe89]

Originally Posted by stussyclie

very nice piece. is FC easy to break?

FC is not easy to break but the older FC bezels would show wear on the edges. I've been wearing my FC diver as a daily beater for almost a year now. The watch still looks new and has held up better as a daily beater than the DSSD that I wore before that. FC case and a ceramic bezel is the perfect sport watch combo for me. Light weight, great scratch resistance and the marbled carbon breaks up the brushed/polished ceramic bezel better than the ceramic case.

I dont know why AP is stopping FC production other than its a time consuming proccess that has to be perfect or the product has to be discarded. I have a few blem cases that were not up to APs standards. I really hope AP keeps producing FC but maybe limits it to LE or higher end pieces like the carbon concept.

[exiger77]

AP GP will be one special one that last..