The 360 and a little bit of wrist time...

[projectologist]

Met up with a friend for lunch this afternoon and he brought along his 360. The watch is like a chameleon... depending where I stood, the coating could look like a blueish gray pencil lead PVD or a darker, DLC coating. The lume was the same way. If a bit of sun hit it, it would take on a pale yellow tint and back in the shade, more of a typical T-dial patina.

The lume wasn't applied like the current sausage dial lume. This was a little flatter and slightly feathered at the edges per early-series PAMs (see the edge of the 9 in the first pic).

Huge thumbs up for OP capturing the historic look so well with this watch.

[Eton]

WOW!!!

[AmStaFF]

[swdivad]

Simply beautiful

[StormTooper4]

Sweetness

[RWG Technical]

Fantastic pictures.

The PVD coating I offer is identical to your pictures, it's the same graphite grey colour, it experiences the same colour change effects depending on the viewing angle, it has the same finish, everything is identical to my PVD, in fact I thought for a moment that you used my pictures in your post I did a double take...

Thanks for this, you re-confirmed what I already knew, and you made my day...

[rolli]

with the two step blasting procedure and the adjustable pvd machine it will be this color,

two step blasting = fine granulate / glass-ceramic = effect = light refraction of the surface.

see my pvd coating. EU Service.

rolli

[projectologist]

Fantastic pictures.

The PVD coating I offer is identical to your pictures, it's the same graphite grey colour, it experiences the same colour change effects depending on the viewing angle, it has the same finish, everything is identical to my PVD, in fact I thought for a moment that you used my pictures in your post I did a double take...

Thanks for this, you re-confirmed what I already knew, and you made my day...

Thank you for the compliment.

However, I must add that in-person there was a subtle, but noticeable, difference between the DLC coating of the 360 and the PVD coatings that graced the early series PAMs. The surface of the 360 has a slightly dull look to it. True PVD finishes appear to have more of a subtle sheen and depth to their surface (by comparison). And I don't think this is necessarily the result of the patina that appears with the build-up of oils from the handling of the watch over time.

It's almost as if the DLC coating is too perfect. And having observed several recent DLC coated PAMs over a period of time, they do not build up the same beautiful and natural patina that true PVD does.

I don't know, maybe I'm splitting hairs here. Looking at the pics, these subtlties seem to go away, but in-person, they are very evident.

[RWG Technical]

Interesting feedback and insight.

Thanks for this.

[rolli]

as i already said, you need a hauzer ( netherland ) adjustable pvd machine . our local pvd company works only with hauzer machines.

otherwise you get only a standard black color.

rolli

Thank you for the compliment.

However, I must add that in-person there was a subtle, but noticeable, difference between the DLC coating of the 360 and the PVD coatings that graced the early series PAMs. The surface of the 360 has a slightly dull flook to it. True PVD finishes appear to have more of a subtle sheen and depth to their surface (by comparison). And I don't think this is necessarily the result of the patina that appears with the build-up of oils from the handling of the watch over time.

It's almost as if the DLC coating is too perfect. And having observed several recent DLC coated PAMs over a period of time, they do not build up the same beautiful and natural patina that true PVD does.

I don't know, maybe I'm splitting hairs here. Looking at the pics, these subtlties seem to go away, but in-person, they are very evident.

[projectologist]

Interesting feedback and insight.

Thanks for this.

I think at the end of the day, the only way to get the true PVD look we all strive for in our builds is to have it done via the actual PVD process.

OP has gotten very close with their current DLC coatings, but very close still isn't the same as being there. It's like trying to make acrylic paints look like oil paints... it's just not possible when you're painting a landscape. The artist can get very close, but the keen observer will always be able to see the difference.