Hi,
I'm a new member here. I had a question regarding the Top Gun Ceramic Case. I tried searching but I did not find an straight forward answer.
What I would like to find out, is it possible to have the ceramic casing re finished after a few years to look back like new? If you get small scratches or faint harlines over time, is it possible once over a few years when you send it in for servicing these could be removed to bring the case back to like new condition?
Thanks for the help.
You won't get small scratches or hairlines >
as ceramic is almost as tough as diamond.
Old Ceramic cases still look new.
Just beware not to drop it because it can crack.
You will find more info on Zirconium oxide (Ceramic) watches here:
Correctk
Correction: It is not tough but hard
You won't get small scratches or hairlines >
Thanks for the link to the article. I Have read it.
I have a friend who has a top gun and over the last year he has gone some very fine lines mostly around the benzel. They are very fine and only when you look at them closely under certain light you could see them.
That is where the question came, althought its scratch resistant, I think the coating can be scratched?
If so is it possible to have this refinished?
I'm really not sure, maybe Jack Freedman can >>
help out on the question?
Mine still looks 100% new and I have worn it quite a bit. Given that the material is nearly as hard a diamond I am really puzzled how you could get hairlines.
I once even scratched it against a piece of metal and saw what I thought was a scratch, but it ended up being nothing - when I took a damp piece of cloth it was gone just like that.
I agree with Nicky. The scratches you indicate >
must be very, very fine or do you only see them with the aid of a lupe?
--
Cheers from Isobars.
It is not a coating, it is "the material"..
the watch is ceramic, in this case zirconium oxide. Ceramics are tough and scratch resistant but they are brittle and will shatter if dropped or hit(obviously it depends on the distance it is dropped from and also onto what material it is dropped--ditto a hit--point loads are very damaging). In technical terms the material is high modulus which means it resists deformation--to a point!
A diamond ring could...
probably put a scratch.
In most cases, you just wipe it...wipe it good.
I agree with Nicky. The scratches you indicate >
Well the scrates are very fine, and you can see them if you hold the watch very close. You do not need a magnifing glass.
To describe them best they are like if you were changing lugs and you scratched the metal a bit, exactly like that.
A diamond ring could...
Would you have any suggestions how to wipe it? Tried with a little bit of water and a micro-fiber cloth, but they still stay..
Re:I'm really not sure, maybe Jack Freedman can >>
Hi,
I don't consider myself an expert on ceramics and so I inquired from IWC and to my surprise I was told that it is sometimes possible to take out scratches depending how deep and what caused them.
I don't know what equipment is used for such refinishing and until then I wouldn't experiment on my own. If you want a ceramic case reconditioned I recommend it be done through the IWC factory.
Regards,
Jack Freedman
Recent ZiO cases are casted and not
made from a piece of solid ceramic. Maybe this makes the material different. My original flieger 3705 looks new after 20 years!
Maybe this is an explanation?
Greetings Martijn
Just a guess --they use diamond abrasives
Hi Jack (and all),
All polishing, as you know, is by reduction. Given the hardness of ceramic, they need to use a "harder" polishing element. That should be diamonds.
One of the "in" products right now are micro-abrasive polishing cloths, which are diamond coated and come in varying strengths --some are quite fine. 3M has a product, in different grades, which involves micron graded diamond particles encapsulated in a ceramic bead, which then are resin bonded to a durable cloth backing.
I use such cloths generally, but I don't know if mine are 3M made. I would think that, in the hands of a skilled refinisher, they could well be used. But for amateurs I would be careful --the wrong grade can create streaks by being too strong.
Regards.
Michael