Stainless Steel Watches

[vintage68]

I was curious if anyone could be able to answer a question for me: Are all stainless steel metals created equal? For instance, I'm wondering if the stainless metal on a Citizen watch band would wear the same or more quickly than, say, a Rolex watch band.

I'm not talking about the quality of construction, I'm talking about the quality of the metal itself and how it would wear. I know we pay more for the name brand of Rolex, and perhaps the materials in the watch case itself are better inside a Rolex, but what about the metal itself? Would one band show more wear faster, or would they wear about equally as far as durability goes?

The reason I ask is that I was out shopping the other day, and first checked out Rolexes, just for fun. The watch bands felt heavier, and they seemed to have more of shine to them. Later, I looked at a few of the higher-end Citizen watches at another store and the watch bands felt lighter and looked duller. I wasn't sure if it was me or if there really was a difference.

Thanks!

 

[Phineas Lamour]

I used to work at a machine shop and we made a lot of things from stainless steel. There are different grades of stainless. 316 is most common for surgical and cutlery. It is also common in watches. Cheap "dollar store" cutlery has stainless stamped on it but is of a lower quality and can rust. I think as long as a watch isn't made in China with substandard materials, they should stand up as well as any others. That is just my opinion. I am not a steel expert nor a watch expert.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Stainless Steel is not all the same. Stainless can have different alloys added to the basic steel alloy that has a variable chromium content. It is often defined by both the alloy and/or the crystalline structure.

A Rolex watch uses a 904L (X1NiCrMoCu25-20-5 actual SS name) stainless steel. 904L does have a substantaial amount of the high cost ingredients nickel and molybdenum. Most common of the stainless steel used for larger quanity watches(jewlery) is 316L. The 904L provides maximum resitance to impact, shear, high yeild strength, very small ductility, high measure of hardness and is highly corrsion resistent. The 904L SS can be hgihly polished and hold surface characteristics to enormous abuse. The watch case is caved from a solid block of SS. While Rolex is a status manufacturer of watches they are universaly recognized for using top quality materials and methods in creating it's products.

Complex answer to your question, but there is a difference.

Best wishes, Eric -

 

[vintage68]

Gotta love the Lounge, always a knowledgable answer somewhere! Thanks Eric!

 

[vintage68]

I called Citizen and found out they use 316L. Can this stainless steel be polished?

 

[Rathdown]

As far as I know, all stainless steels can be polished to a mirror finish, if a mirror finish is what's desired.

 

[Grayland]

Stainless Steel is not all the same. Stainless can have different alloys added to the basic steel alloy that has a variable chromium content. It is often defined by both the alloy and/or the crystalline structure.

A Rolex watch uses a 904L (X1NiCrMoCu25-20-5 actual SS name) stainless steel. 904L does have a substantaial amount of the high cost ingredients nickel and molybdenum. Most common of the stainless steel used for larger quanity watches(jewlery) is 316L. The 904L provides maximum resitance to impact, shear, high yeild strength, very small ductility, high measure of hardness and is highly corrsion resistent. The 904L SS can be hgihly polished and hold surface characteristics to enormous abuse. The watch case is caved from a solid block of SS. While Rolex is a status manufacturer of watches they are universaly recognized for using top quality materials and methods in creating it's products.

Complex answer to your question, but there is a difference.

Best wishes, Eric -

Damn good answer for a short, balding guy.

 

[mattp]

Breitling use 316L in their watches and bracelets, and they are some of the shiniest watches around, particularly the Pilot series of bracelets such as found on the Navitimers. I have found that it holds a polish very well too, Rolex insist the 904 is more durable and will hold it's finish longer (which it may well), but there's nothing wrong with good old 316L.
Interestingly, Rolex founder Hans Wildorf started Tudor as an offshoot in 1946, with the aim being to make a more affordable watch; a key difference being that they would use modified 'generic' movements (such as ETA) rather than in-house movements. All the Tudor casings and bracelets etc are still made by Rolex, but they use 316L for Tudor and the 904L for Rolex. Again, I've found the Tudor casing to hold it's finish beautifully, with no signs of wear and tear after 8 months of desk diving. Having not owned a Rolex I can't compare the two directly unfortunately!
Back to the initial question though; while all stainless is probably not created equal, I don't think you'll have any trouble with cases or bracelets from any of the reputable watch makers 'wearing out'.

 

[kyboots]

Wow I have really learned a lot! thanks Guys

 

[Rathdown]

I bought my Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner (phew! what a mouthful) in 1967, and it is now on it's third bracelet. The weak link (so to speak) were the tiny rivets that hold the links together. While the watch is stainless steel, I do have one regret about it. At the time, for $50 more, I could have had the same watch in gold...

 

[esteban68]

I used to work at a machine shop and we made a lot of things from stainless steel. There are different grades of stainless. 316 is most common for surgical and cutlery. It is also common in watches. Cheap "dollar store" cutlery has stainless stamped on it but is of a lower quality and can rust. I think as long as a watch isn't made in China with substandard materials, they should stand up as well as any others. That is just my opinion. I am not a steel expert nor a watch expert.

All stainless is not the same 316(food grade) is preferred for surgical instruments and some watches, as for Chinese watches I have several all stainless and all great quality as not everything that comes from china is crap it is often made down to a penny pinching Western set budget, like it or not the Chinese CAN and WILL compete with us at any level!

Interestingly lower grade stainless is actually better for cutlery as it holds an edge better!

 

[Don Tomaso]

Stainless Steel is not all the same. Stainless can have different alloys added to the basic steel alloy that has a variable chromium content. It is often defined by both the alloy and/or the crystalline structure.

A Rolex watch uses a 904L (X1NiCrMoCu25-20-5 actual SS name) stainless steel. 904L does have a substantaial amount of the high cost ingredients nickel and molybdenum. Most common of the stainless steel used for larger quanity watches(jewlery) is 316L. The 904L provides maximum resitance to impact, shear, high yeild strength, very small ductility, high measure of hardness and is highly corrsion resistent. The 904L SS can be hgihly polished and hold surface characteristics to enormous abuse. The watch case is caved from a solid block of SS. While Rolex is a status manufacturer of watches they are universaly recognized for using top quality materials and methods in creating it's products.

Complex answer to your question, but there is a difference.

Best wishes, Eric -

When you take into account the (defined!) tolerances in the relative contents of the elements in 304 and 316, there is practically no difference between the two. 304 is rated to widthstand boiling acids a bit better than 316, but that is nothing I put my watches through... The Rolex-Mystery-Steel is advertising, that's all.

 

[carldelo]

When you take into account the (defined!) tolerances in the relative contents of the elements in 304 and 316, there is practically no difference between the two. 304 is rated to widthstand boiling acids a bit better than 316, but that is nothing I put my watches through... The Rolex-Mystery-Steel is advertising, that's all.

While it's true that 304 and 316 stainless steel are not too different, the Rolex material is 904, not 304.

 

[Atterbury Dodd]

I bought my Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner (phew! what a mouthful) in 1967, and it is now on it's third bracelet. The weak link (so to speak) were the tiny rivets that hold the links together. While the watch is stainless steel, I do have one regret about it. At the time, for $50 more, I could have had the same watch in gold...

Even if it is not gold, I bet your Rolex is a very nice watch Rathdown. Forgive my curiosity, were you by any chance in the service when you bought it? I have heard that the Submariner was popular among servicemen that could afford it during the Vietnam war.

 

[vintage68]

The reason I originally asked the question (and which I should have mentioned) was that after a certain period of use, the cheaper watches just start looking....cheap (scratched, dull appearance), while the more expensive brands like Rolex seem to hold up better. When I asked about polishing I was thinking that after a while I might just bring my watch in to a jeweler for polishing.

 

[mattp]

With a bit of care you can maintain the finish of your watch yourself at home, with a more rigorous polishing / refinishing only being required maybe every few years (depending on how hard you are on your watch obviously!). A Cape Cod polishing cloth will nicely maintain any polished surface on a stainless watch, and I've used it on my Breitling bracelets with great effect. A green scourer pad can be carefully used to maintain brushed stainless surfaces, making sure to brush along the 'grain', which can be useful for the clasp particularly as this tends to pick up marks from normal use. I've 'scoured' my Speedmaster bracelet and also an older Tissot, both of which can be restored to almost new condition with very light brushing (obviously this depends on there not being any deeper dings etc).
There's a fantastic forum called watchuseek with plenty more info, with sub forums for almost any watch you could think of.
Cheers,
Matt

 

[dnjan]

While it's true that 304 and 316 stainless steel are not too different, the Rolex material is 904, not 304.

904 stainless is a bit more corrosion resistant than 316, but about 50% stronger than the more common 300-series stainless steels. No wonder it keeps a shine better.

 

[Edward]

All stainless is not the same 316(food grade) is preferred for surgical instruments and some watches, as for Chinese watches I have several all stainless and all great quality as not everything that comes from china is crap it is often made down to a penny pinching Western set budget, like it or not the Chinese CAN and WILL compete with us at any level!

Absolutely the case. China is fast becoming the New Japan for a second time...

 

[LoveMyHats2]

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-buffing-kit.html

This is a very decent package for polishing, all you need it a high speed air powered die grinder.

The jewel's rouse and then the "blue plastic" will give that glassy mirror look to hard metals. The small "felt buffs" are fairly hard, and when used with the rouse, produces shine faster and with easy compared to only hand buffing anything out.

 

[Seb Lucas]

For me it's marketing. Sure, the properties of various steels differ a tiny bit, but not much on your wrist in normal life adventures. I have owned high end watches, Rolex, Omega, Longines and less stellar makes, Cyma, Junghans, Seiko and Citizen. Many Asian watches are as shiny and hard wearing as any Euro jobbies I have owned over 35 years. In fact, my current 2 year-old Seiko (can't find the model name) is Japanese made, in a retro, 1960's design, real saphire glass and wears as well as any watch you can buy. There's often so much snobbery and cant in watch discussions, it makes politics look tame.