Finally Heard From My Tissot Contact On "pvd Golding"

[crystalcranium]

Although they were a bit evasive, the "gold" coating on my new genuine PRS 200 Diver Chrono is PVD TiNi which will keep its' gold color for the lifetime of the watch. It will exhibit 10 times the wear capicity of a comparably thick gold electroplating. The PVD coating is 10 microns of TiNi which would translate to 100 microns of gold plate in wear characteristics.

I'm not sure why they were evasive about giving me an answer. Perhaps this is a process they are trying to keep quiet. Maybe they believe keeping the public thinking the watch contains actual gold in the plating has some sort of selling inertia.

Whatever the thinking, I wish and hope the Chinese have a handle on this coating technology and start plating our gold reps in TiNi. As I've stated before, I'd rather have a 50 year plating that looks 95% like real gold than a 100% gold plating that wears off 50% in a year or two of use and looks 0% like a gold watch.

[millwright]

PVD as in Plasma vapor deposition? If so, that's pretty cool.

And TiNi, as in Titanium nitride? Even cooler.

Hmm...

[rbj69]

if it doesnt work out i have a source that will do the pvd plating in gold for u , he charges 120usd on black pvd so im sure it wouldnt be much different for the gold

i cant wait to see your watch after it is done btw

joe

[crystalcranium]

PVD as in Plasma vapor deposition? If so, that's pretty cool.

And TiNi, as in Titanium nitride? Even cooler.

Hmm...

I don't get why this hasn't created a bigger stir in the jewelry and watch world....and here for that matter. I love gold watches but have been hesitant to buy them because of the unreliability of gold plate which is notorious in reps but no guarantee in genuines either. I have a 15 year old Bulova that still looks like solid gold and several gold Seiko's that looked like tarnished brass after a couple of years. PVD golding has been used on indwelling medical prosthetic devices for its' wear characteristics for years and has been used in the plumbing industry to mimic gold on fixtures. It is not a particularily expensive technology. The Tissot I purchased lists for only $30-$50 more than the stainless version of the same watch.

I have a long list of gold reps that I'd start buying immediately if they were PVD golded.

[coolfire]

I'm with ya, dude...

[section8]

Interesting stuff. Do you have any pics of that PVD Gold Tissot?

[beanyboy]

"As I've stated before, I'd rather have a 50 year plating that looks 95% like real gold than a 100% gold plating that wears off 50% in a year or two of use and looks 0% like a gold watch."

I couldn't agree more. I would own a few more gold reps if I felt that they wouldn't start to look awful by the fifth wearing. I must admit that my TT sub from River has held up well, but it's still losing it's lustre.

This process may revolutionize the rep watch world.

Beany

[millwright]

I don't get why this hasn't created a bigger stir in the jewelry and watch world....and here for that matter. I love gold watches but have been hesitant to buy them because of the unreliability of gold plate which is notorious in reps but no guarantee in genuines either. I have a 15 year old Bulova that still looks like solid gold and several gold Seiko's that looked like tarnished brass after a couple of years. PVD golding has been used on indwelling medical prosthetic devices for its' wear characteristics for years and has been used in the plumbing industry to mimic gold on fixtures. It is not a particularily expensive technology. The Tissot I purchased lists for only $30-$50 more than the stainless version of the same watch.

I have a long list of gold reps that I'd start buying immediately if they were PVD golded.

The only experience I have with TiNi is my motorcycle forks and my mountain bike forks.

But it's durable stuff.

[crystalcranium]

Interesting stuff. Do you have any pics of that PVD Gold Tissot?

Some borrowed shots

As I stated, I can't see much difference between "golded" and the "real stuff" so I'd rather invest in something that's going to last.

[dvn]

i wouldn't mind buying a daydate and have it fully pvd golded immediately - love a full gold daydate but it is way too expensive for my pocket

[crystalcranium]

i wouldn't mind buying a daydate and have it fully pvd golded immediately - love a full gold daydate but it is way too expensive for my pocket

Well, maybe we can start a regular service along with Joe to move our plated reps into the next generation

[archibald]

I can't even see why you're saying that PVD looks 95% like real gold. A friend of mine has the Mont Blanc power reserve in PVD gold and even side by side I can't tell a damn bit of difference w/ solid 18k...plus, with all the shades of 18k in existance, I guarantee nobody would be able to call you out with their eyes alone.

As far as reps go...there aren't even any out-of-the-box reps in black PVD are there?

[Chronus]

As far as reps go...there aren't even any out-of-the-box reps in black PVD are there?

I don't think so. Perhaps the new ltd edition 46mm Bell & Ross Instrument (with orange lume). Has anyone got this and checked it out?

[crystalcranium]

I don't think so. Perhaps the new ltd edition 46mm Bell & Ross Instrument (with orange lume). Has anyone got this and checked it out?

No I thought even the latest editions had mimicked PVD.

I can't see our rep manufacturers leading the way on this technology in the watch industry. Until Seiko, Citizen and Bulova start mass producing PVD Gold watches, we're not going to see it in replicas.

It might just be a technology that doesn't make sense from an economic standpoint at a cheap price point. A gold plated Seiko at $225 that gives it's wearer wonderful performance but has built in obsolescence in a fading plating is probably going to get replaced after 5 years. I'm sure deep down in a cost/effectiveness study at Seiko et al is the fact that a gold plating that lasts long enough for the wearer to fall in love with the performance is ideal for resale. If it fades too soon, you don't get a devotee. if it never fades, you never sell the buyer a second watch.

Unless that buyer is me. Then I buy up another, and another, and another.....

I once had a commission for a landscaping company to build dovetailed redwood flowerboxes for a homeowner having a garden renovation done. I was determined to make bulletproof flowerboxes that would last forever. I drove stainless timber screws vertically through the intersecting corners and their interlocking joinery, used polyurethane glue, coated the inside and outside with 5 coats of marine spar varnish, made multiple sets of replaceable bottoms with drainage and even coated the inside of the mounting holes with varnish to prevent potential rot. The partner in the landscaping business couldn't have been more un-impressed. "Don't you want to get paid to replace these things in 3-4 years?. What kind of a business man are you?"

Lousy I guess.