scotthicks61
63
I spoke with a friend at Rolex yesterday and
he tells me the change to 904L should have been around 1988. The entire watch is now suppose to be 904L, this includes the bracelet. But, I spoke with him about my findings and he agrees there was a good period of lead-in where 316 was still being used. My tests back this up. I will soon be testing other newer Rolex models and should find 904 to be the only material used. Even though 904 has double the content of nickel, it's chromium content is suppose to help in shielding the nickel. How accurate that comment is, I don't yet know. Anyway, this comes from the horses mouth! The 904 was chosen because of the pitting that occurs over time in 316 which makes it more challenging when servicing the watch.
Thanks
Scott
Rolex 904L since when?
Dear friends I send a greeting and would you know when year they started to use the rolex steel 904L . I appreciate your comments. Best Regards Rene Chimal
904L
Mid '80s. Notable Sub 168000 used the 904 steel, same case as the 16610, but guts of 16800.
Interesting!
May you explain the advantages of the 904 L compared to the previous SS ( 316? ) Thanks in advance! Best, Nicolas
904L steel
More resistant to corrosion than 316L, but that is on the Rolex website. Same as far as scratch resistance. Funny thing is the nickel content is higher in 904L than 316L. Rolex simply could have stayed with 316L, but just wanted to show they could work 90...
904L
Is better at resisting pitting and crevice corrosion. (ie, corrosion that occurs in the gaps and slots around gaskets where the lack of oxygen means that the protective oxidised layer cannot form). 904L has a higher PRE (Pitting Resistance) number than 31...
Good question, Ben...Who made the first titanium Diver watch
Panerai with the Egiziano ( a very few models ) in the mid 50ies? Best, Nicolas
Not sure.
I thought the Egiziano was in Stainless steel (the replicas are titanium, though?). Titanium was pretty rare and exotic stuff in the 50's. It was mainly confined to aerospace activities. Makes you wonder where they got their hands on some...? Of the produ...
My bad
AFAIK, some protos of the Egiziano were made in Aluminium...Not titanium... Best, Nicolas
First produced commercially just after the war
I think DuPont was the first company to refine the metal in commercial quantities in the late 1940s. They used a process developed in Luxembourg in the 30s, Titanium Chloride reacts with Calcium to form Calcium Chloride and pure Ti. A
TIMET
Hi Aaron, I think the first to produce commercial (well, semi-commercial, it was mainly for military/strategic purposes) was TIMET in 1950/1. They refined and commercialised the Kroll process that you described above. Interestingly, by '53 production was ...
Seiko Titanium Dive watch
The Panerai Radiomir Egiziano was made for the Egiziano (Egyptian) Navy in 1956. Reference # was GPF 2/56, 60 mm Stainless Steel dive watch. Some 50 were supposedly made. Seiko claims in 1975 to have made the first titanium case dive watch. Reference # 61...
Do you mean the...
Seiko 6159-701x? That's a dream of mine. Hard to find one without a dinged up bezel. I couldn't remember whether it was the first titanium case or the first ceramic shroud. It's both. The 6159 is a 36,600 beat movement - fundamentally a GS movement with l...
6159-022
No, the ref. is 6159-022, and as SJX posted on this thread, this watch had a ceramic shell, over TITANIUM! Watch also employed a rubber strap, especially designed to reduce constriction on the wet suit. No HEV for saturation dives. A special rubber gasket...
We're talking about the same watch
Flip over the original shrouded diver and what is stamped on the monocoque caseback? 6159 - 7010 (or 7019 depending on market). I know about the claims of Seiko for titanium and ceramics (and tend to believe them). The intent of the discussion was to see ...
Thans for the information about the Seiko, Rick!
Very interesting to know it, finally! Best, Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2009-07-28 23:04:53
Not only the first titanium but also the first ceramic
since the "tuna can" diver had a titanium inner case with a ceramic 'shroud'. IWC later made the first watch with titanium case AND bracelet. - SJX
Interesting info...is it true
Is it true that the higher nickel content in 904 makes it more allergy-prone?
904L v 316L
Well, I'm not sure. According to my Materials Handbook, 904L is 23-28% Nickel, while 316L is 10-14%. So twice the amount of Nickel. So I guess if the 316L gives you allergy troubles, the 904L is going to be worse. This poses another question: what are the...
Same metal for the bracelets, no?
I don't see why Rolex will use another solution ofr their bracelets.... But I'm curious to know... Best, Nicolas
+ 1
I think the same thing you Nicolas, I believe the cases along with the bracelets will be 904L, imagine an advertisement stating that Rolex uses 904L alone in the cases but not the bracelets, anyway intereante would know the truth ... . Best Rene
Here is a test that's better than a thousand words:
Hi all, Just wanted to share something very interesting with you. A french forum member, called Jean-Michel, made a very interesting test. He decided to evaluate how hard is the 904L compared to 316L in some different acids... This is exactly what he did:...
Bracelet is still 316, Only the case is 904
904 nickel content poses a problem for those who have skin sensitivity so only the parts that are not touching the skin were made in 904. I've done analysis on two newer models and both have 316 for the bracelet.
The caseback?
Thanks for that info, Scott. Does that mean the caseback is also 316L? So much for extra corrosion-resistance in this key area!
I spoke with a friend at Rolex yesterday and
he tells me the change to 904L should have been around 1988. The entire watch is now suppose to be 904L, this includes the bracelet. But, I spoke with him about my findings and he agrees there was a good period of lead-in where 316 was still being used. M...
Now find out ....
if the WG Rolex is Rhodium plated for the white finish, or is the 25% other alloy in Rolex's white gold platinum????