Quinto
97
Hi Jonathan, yes, I watched both videos and I noticed a darker inner edge, which gives the impression of being slightly recessed, casting a shadow. It's difficult to appreciate the details in photos or videos, but that's the general impression I get. If you look more closely at the scratches, that darkness could disappear with a little more sanding. The sanding here would be in microns, which isn't a problem. The question is whether the vertical inner edge of the bezel has exactly the same shape as the crystal, which is where the difference you mentioned in your initial question might be. (One question: Did they replace the crystal?)
On the other hand, and as an additional comment, the scratching of steel produces different results depending on whether it is done at the factory or in a watchmaking workshop.
When scratching is done at the factory, the streaked is deep and, when the piece is exposed to sunlight, creates a rainbow effect. Different colors can be seen shimmering slightly within the scratch. When scratching is done in a workshop, these rainbow colors do not appear due to the type of sandpaper used and its backing.
At the factory, they use sandpaper with a steel plate backing, which provides a firm grip for scratching. This backing is usually heavy (1.7 cm thick plate). This ensures a firm, unidirectional scratch; it doesn't scratch back and forth, but only in one direction. This creates the rainbow effect.
In the workshop, they typically use 240-220 grit "Matador" sandpaper. This sandpaper is the best for this type of scratching, but it requires a steel backing and attaching the sandpaper to a steel block (this ensures the firmness of both the backing and the sandpaper). Only unidirectional scratches are made, and if the same area needs to be reworked, it must be done with a new piece of sandpaper. Never go over the same area with the same sandpaper that has already been used. Always use a steel square as a guide for hatching, perfectly aligned at 90 degrees, to ensure straight hatches and achieve the rainbow effect.
Regards
Rene
Patek 3700 Crystal - Bezel gap question
Hi watchprosite Patek friends. I just picked up a 3700/1a (1977). It's obviously been polished but to my eye it's acceptable and the last polishing job was decent. I'm generally quite happy! I do have a question about the crystal. It looks like there's ev...
First, congratulations on this acquisition!
I've checked your videos and, yes, a little gap can be seen which, as far as I know, shouldn't be there. But this watch is almost 50 years old and the crystal might have been replaced. The question would be by whom and where did the new crystal come from....
