Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 I received my Blacksteel back from avitt a few weeks ago, and have finally had it all put back together! The case was bead blasted, and then coated with avitt's DLC treatment. The result is one sweet looking Breitling, so much better than before, as it was a V1 with horrible black PVD..... Here are some pictures! Click to expand.... What do you guys think? I really like the finish and colour of the watch, it resists scratching well too! Thanks very much avitt, anyone wanting to get their watches coated, do not hesitate to contact avitt, he is a true gent, and works to the highest standards! Comments and observations welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krpster Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 That looks fantastic! Great work gents. How much disassembly was required? For example, did you have to remove the pearl from the bezel? How about the bezel itself, did that come off too? Wear it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Amazing results M. I think it was well worth the time to getting looking this way. Wear it in good health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdkno Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Looks great. Wayyy better than the V1 finish. On a side not where did you get that strap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The bezel was removed, yes, but it was a royal pain in the ass from what avitt told me The pearl was destroyed in the coating process, but avitt expertly replaced it with a solid lume compound, and the result looks very nice indeed..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Looks great. Wayyy better than the V1 finish. On a side not where did you get that strap? Yep the original V1 finish was really bad, I was even going to just bead blast everything at one stage to get rid of it, but thought why not go the final distance and get the DLC coating too, a good decision in my book The strap was only $30 from here: http://www.thewatchboys.com/breitling-styl...titch-p-80.html It is 22/18mm not 22/20, so the buckle has a mm gap on each side, as the strap is a little too thin, but it does not bother me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
its_urabus Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 wow that is awesome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 I should also say a big thanks to Bricciola, who put everything back together in double quick time, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hackR Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 looks great, Mick!...wear it well...R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The finished product looks fantastic, Mickey! Many thanks for your patience throughout this project! ...What MP doesn't say is that the watch was with me for months... As mentioned, he originally sent it to me for PVD removal and bead blasting only. I though that I could get it done without complete disassembly, by masking off the crystal (blasting any part of the crystal would leave a "frosted glass" affect). But that proved difficult to do, so the bezel had to be removed...And that's when the adventure started... I started with a Bergeon case knife...no dice! Then I bought a Bergeon 6820 bezel remover, like this: ...That didn't even fit around the big Breitling bezel (but it'll come in handy for Rolex jobs in the future). Next, I invested in one of these: That one did the trick! I was finally able to crank off the bezel, and remove the crystal. A long process, but I'm now better equipped as a result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Well avitt I really hope you have other uses for those bezel tools, I certainly wouldn't want you to be out of pocket! Although, as you say, you have probably used the tools for other watches, I remember your thread with dozens of DLC coated watches and parts on a desk! Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Looks great! Would have been nice to take it a step further and have a bracelet coated to match! That would be a nice option when you want something different from a strap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Would have been nice to take it a step further and have a bracelet coated to match! That would be a nice option when you want something different from a strap That's always an option. Rep Pro 2 bracelets come polished, and ready for blasting. I've coated a few of them now, and they come out very nice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Certainly worth considering, although I don't have a spare bracelet right now, but maybe in the future.... Would be a real test of the DLC scratch resistance too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronoluvvv Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 truly fab very nice ... i have something similar in mind for one of my reps how much did it run ya ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 The bead blasting, coating and watch dissection with return shipping was about $300 I think Prices vary, depending upon the total area of metal to be coated..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Came out great Mickey and avitt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Came out great Mickey and avitt Thanks, it did come out well I am pretty sure this is the only re-coated Skyland, so it could have gone either way. However I think avitt's preparation and attention to detail was 100% the key to the success! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vlydog Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks, it did come out well I am pretty sure this is the only re-coated Skyland, so it could have gone either way. However I think avitt's preparation and attention to detail was 100% the key to the success! T's attention to detail is first rate. I would strongly recommend that if anyone is considering a DLC bath to take the plunge. And as others have said before my, avitt is an absolute pleasure to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Nice result but why put $300 in to coating when a v2 can be had for less than that? Great craftmanship though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Nice result but why put $300 in to coating when a v2 can be had for less than that? Great craftmanship though! The V2 was not $300 (I think it is actually $350+shipping, no?) when this coating process was initially started I had a beat up crappy PVD'ed V1 to hand, that I would never wear or be able to sell, and I had a good dial, so why not? Plus the V2 does not use a real DLC coating, but normal PVD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Thanks for the endorsement, gents But it's a two-way street...I haven't worked with anyone whom I couldn't wholeheartedly recommend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwatch Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Looks awesome!! Well done avitt!! I wish I had known you owned the Bergeon bezel tool as I had to fight like hell to get the bezel off of my noobmariner! Only thing left now on that watch Mickey is a nice chief double AR coating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 The V2 was not $300 (I think it is actually $350+shipping, no?) when this coating process was initially started I had a beat up crappy PVD'ed V1 to hand, that I would never wear or be able to sell, and I had a good dial, so why not? Plus the V2 does not use a real DLC coating, but normal PVD V2 is not real DLC? That's news to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Padge Posted July 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Yes, it is PVD on the V2. Even the twin's advertise it is PVD coating, "similar" to that used on the gen. If it were real DLC, don't you think they would be using it as a selling point? Plus I have owned the V2, it picked up scratches really easily, not like avitt's DLC Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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