Scratches on a ceramic bezel insert show up more?

[kymwatchlog]

I was having a conversation with a fellow WIS over the weekend...

He sold his SubC as it caught some scratches and the scratches really show up very clearly on ceramic insert as he says.

According to him, ceramic is highly scratch resistant, no doubt about this. However he says that Rolex did another coating of sorts on the insert and it is this coat that catches the scratches and causes the scratches to show up more.

Same logic that applies to the AR coating on crystals i think.

Since ceramic insert is new to many brands, nobody really knows how it fare in the long run.

He advised me to spend my $$ on a 14060 and not a 114060. A beaten 14060 looks much better than a beaten 114060.

Furthermore it is cheaper to replace Al inserts than ceramic ones.

Well, to each his own, but I would like to hear thoughts from the experience folks here.

thanks in advance!

[A.J.R.]

I have banged my SubC on more things I can count and I have yet to get a scratch on the bezel. Heck, there are more scratches on the bracelet from desk diving than on the rest of the watch.

[smallcandle]

A large "benefit" to ceramic bezels (as I understand it) is that they don't scratch or fade. While I've seen the handful of cracked ceramic inserts, I don't recall seeing or hearing about one with multiple scratches. Something about this sounds strange to me. Additionally, I wore a DSSD for over a year and never collected a single blemish on the ceramic insert - and I was NOT easy on that watch...

[Panigale]

Originally Posted by A.J.R.

I have banged my SubC on more things I can count and I have yet to get a scratch on the bezel. Heck, there are more scratches on the bracelet from desk diving than on the rest of the watch.

Same. I recently smacked my SubC on a door knob and cringed. I thought 'time to see the damage' (pun intended ) and was shocked to see nothing. Not a single scrape. I turned to my brother, who was with me, and said, "THAT is a great watch!" Reason #135 that it's my daily beater, and the way it should be.

[gwalker]

IMHO he is misinformed. I've only seen 2-4 scratched ceramic bezels on here vs how many own them. I have 2 and have really knocked them around and they still look new. I broke my DSSD bezel on the engine block of my Corvette and if you put it back together there wasnt even a scratch (but it broke in 2 places.) I think it's more likely to actually break it than scratch it.

[Numismatist]

Being more glossy, perhaps it is picking up dirt/smudges more - has he cleaned it?

[Cru Jones]

Originally Posted by kymwatchlog

Same logic that applies to the AR coating on crystals i think.

the only AR coating on a rolex is under the cyclops.

Originally Posted by kymwatchlog

Since ceramic insert is new to many brands, nobody really knows how it fare in the long run.[...] He advised me to spend my $$ on a 14060 and not a 114060. A beaten 14060 looks much better than a beaten 114060.

ceramics have been used in many applications for a long time, including in watches. yes, new to rolex, but the material's scratch and fade resistance is well documented.

as far as what looks better after a long time, the wear on a ceramic insert will surely hold up better and any thought to the contrary is just wild speculation. as far as if a "beat up" look is "much better", to each their own. some like faded, scratched, chipped watches, some don't.

Originally Posted by Numismatist

Being more glossy, perhaps it is picking up dirt/smudges more - has he cleaned it?

[mannyv11]

I believe there was a post here on the forums about how to "remove" a scratch from a ceramic bezel. Turns out someone got a pretty good scratch on his GMT if i remember correctly, and he took us through the steps of how he fixed it. In the end it looks good as new took him a few hours and a steady hand. After seeing that post they are very difficult to scratch but apparently it does happen as well as the very rare break.

I'm not sure how it happened but I'm pretty sure I read that a fellow forum member Gwalker has broken a ceramic bezel.

So to each there own, that is without a doubt one of the benefits of the aluminum bezel, take it to an AD and they are fixed and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[Onikage]

I've seen a few online. There have been more broken or chipped - As expected they tend not to survive a fall to a hard floor much the same as the crystal. Also like sapphire crystal there are certain things that scratch them aside from diamonds. As an aside I saw a GMTC for sale that had some of the paint chipped out of the numbers. It didn't look pretty.

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by Onikage

I've seen a few online. There have been more broken or chipped - As expected they tend not to survive a fall to a hard floor much the same as the crystal. Also like sapphire crystal there are certain things that scratch them aside from diamonds. As an aside I saw a GMTC for sale that had some of the paint chipped out of the numbers. It didn't look pretty.

It's not paint, it's actually platinum. The whole insert is coated, and then polished to leave the engraved numbers visible in platinum. Do you have any pics of the watch you saw for sale?

[Onikage]

Originally Posted by Psmith

It's not paint, it's actually platinum. The whole insert is coated, and then polished to leave the engraved numbers visible in platinum. Do you have any pics of the watch you saw for sale?

Yeah, I know. It still chips like paint. Evidently someone would rather trade up than pay Rolex platinum blasting repair fees.
I'm not slating ceramic. Take care of it and it will look new forever. It's undeniable that the models that use it are less serviceable and tooly though.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by Onikage

It's undeniable that the models that use it are less serviceable and tooly though.

I have to disagree and I own both ceramic and aluminium bezel Rolex sport watches. My ceramic bezel watches have been pretty roughed up but look as good as new. The movement is the same, the case is no less strong, and ceramic is less prone to fading or scratches. Certainly, it can crack or chip if hit/dropped but then so can the crystal. So how is it less of a tool watch?

[sierra11b]

I once graced the edge of a sharp metal edge moving quickly at work. Put a nice diagonal scratch down the the entire length of the crystal but not a mark on either side of the bezel. So it is very strong stuff and unlikely to break. But all it takes is that precise hit to shatter as we've seen over the years.

Crystal was less than $200 to replace. You could get a BNIB AL insert for around that price. Not sure about the ceramic bezel but I have heard one person got his for ~$450 through here on a non-gold model. I don'[t think that price was ever verified, though?

I have since flipped my 116710 for the 216570. Ceramic breakage is no longer a worry!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Psmith

It's not paint, it's actually platinum. The whole insert is coated, and then polished to leave the engraved numbers visible in platinum. Do you have any pics of the watch you saw for sale?

The Platinum is just a coating a few microns thick very similar to PVD coating. Words like Platinum sound expensive but amount of precious metal is a very very very tiny amount.

[mike111]

This is inaccurate actually the opposite is true

[kymwatchlog]

Originally Posted by smallcandle

A large "benefit" to ceramic bezels (as I understand it) is that they don't scratch or fade. While I've seen the handful of cracked ceramic inserts, I don't recall seeing or hearing about one with multiple scratches. Something about this sounds strange to me. Additionally, I wore a DSSD for over a year and never collected a single blemish on the ceramic insert - and I was NOT easy on that watch...

is the bezel insert on the DSSD and SubCND identical? i thought the DSSD's more muted compared to the shinier one on the SubCND...

[kymwatchlog]

Originally Posted by Panigale

Same. I recently smacked my SubC on a door knob and cringed. I thought 'time to see the damage' (pun intended ) and was shocked to see nothing. Not a single scrape. I turned to my brother, who was with me, and said, "THAT is a great watch!" Reason #135 that it's my daily beater, and the way it should be.

thats what i wanted to do to my SubCND if i were to buy. i want to wear the s*** out of her :P

[exxondus]

I have only heard of the bezel shattering but not scratching. Not sure which is the lesser of the 2 evils. On the contary, i have seen the new 8500 POs ceramics getting scratches with just afew months of normal desk diving usages. Not sure if they have coatings or not.

Hence, i dun doubt the fact that there is still a possibilty of ceramics getting scratched.

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by padi56

The Platinum is just a coating a few microns thick very similar to PVD coating. Words like Platinum sound expensive but amount of precious metal is a very very very tiny amount.

That's right Peter - there is (or was) a video on the Rolex website describing the process in rather poetic terms, and it's still floating around on YouTube as well...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYE396C6h2I

[Bangel]

Originally Posted by A.J.R.

I have banged my SubC on more things I can count and I have yet to get a scratch on the bezel. Heck, there are more scratches on the bracelet from desk diving than on the rest of the watch.

This is exactly my experience too.

My bezel insert remains pristine (to my eyes at least), but the same can't be said of my case or bracelet.

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by exxondus

I have only heard of the bezel shattering but not scratching. Not sure which is the lesser of the 2 evils. On the contary, i have seen the new 8500 POs ceramics getting scratches with just afew months of normal desk diving usages. Not sure if they have coatings or not.

Hence, i dun doubt the fact that there is still a possibilty of ceramics getting scratched.

I believe in the case of Omega ceramics, the flat/textured nature of the bezel is more prone to scratches than the smooth/gloss Rolex bezel.

[kymwatchlog]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I believe in the case of Omega ceramics, the flat/textured nature of the bezel is more prone to scratches than the smooth/gloss Rolex bezel.

+1. as i look at the insert on my PO8500, i can't help to think it seems too smooth and too delicate to be rated as hardy. i am not surprised if it is indeed a scuff magnet.

in this, the ceramic insert on Rolex seems to be more resistant.

[ROLEXUS]

Have worn GMT2c on daily basis for over 4 years now. Plenty of bumps along the way but no scratches on the ceramic bezel. It might be just me but I think the gloss of the bezel has faded slightly since new and looks very nice now. I really think that this is a watch that looks better with age, once the PCLs have developed a nice scratched patina and the gloss of the bezel has faded slightly the watch develops a lovely 'character' IMO..

[Jason71]

I hate to see that so many of you see bezel fade as a disadvantage. Bah Humbug.

Give me a faded aluminum bezel insert and a Plexi crystal any day.