What exactly is PVD?

[Njnick88]

Interested in a sub or exp II in PVD. Can anyone elaborate on what it is?

Thanks!

[APguy1]

Its like an extremely durable plastic coating that is also known DLC (Diamond Like Coating)

[dysondiver]

physical vapour deposition , more like an annodised finish i would describe it as ,,, sort of a very thin very tough laquer like finish ,,, bit like thin chrome but different ,, be about my best description.

[Frogman4me]

A bad idea

[77T]

I can add one thing it isn't - durable. It will begin to scratch and then look poorly.

Unlike the regular finish on a Sub or Expl., it can't be polished to restore "like new" results.

[thewatchguy93]

Originally Posted by Frogman4me

A bad idea

x2

[MJK737]

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a variety of vacuum deposition methods used to deposit thin films by the condensation of a vaporized form of the desired film material onto various workpiece surfaces (e.g., onto semiconductor walls) or watches. The previous techno speak is from Wiki, I added or watches. A better choice is DLC (diamond like coating) which is much more durable than PVD and is used on things like drill bits. I have a Resco Patriot with DLC coating and it's bulletproof.

[thewatchguy93]

Originally Posted by zenman63

Its like an extremely durable plastic coating that is also known DLC (Diamond Like Coating)

Diamond Like Carbon*

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by zenman63

Its like an extremely durable plastic coating that is also known DLC (Diamond Like Coating)

Not plastic

[77T]

Originally Posted by MJK737

A better choice is DLC (diamond like coating) which is much more durable than PVD and is used on things like drill bits.

Agree DLC is better than PVD...

[Thatguy]

An easy way to mess up a very nice watch.

[MJK737]

Diamond like Carbon, Diamond Like Carbon, Diamond Like Carbon. OK check! I got it now!

[kilyung]

PVD is the process. DLC is the coating. Both acronyms are used interchangeably to describe the same thing.

[MJK737]

Originally Posted by kilyung

PVD is the process. DLC is the coating. Both acronyms are used interchangeably to describe the same thing.

I'm no engineer but I'm pretty there is a big durability difference between PVD and DLC. No offense but experts please weigh in.

[SUBversive]

Pvd = airport designation for providence

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by MJK737

I'm no engineer but I'm pretty there is a big durability difference between PVD and DLC. No offense but experts please weigh in.

I am an engineer.

Physical Vapor Deposition is the process used to apply amorphous carbon coatings. DLC is an acronym for diamond-like carbon. As the name implies, diamond-like carbon has some of the valuable properties of diamond. When applied in pure form it is as hard as natural diamond - or even harder. In pure form these diamond coatings offer extraordinary protection against abrasive wear and attack from atmospheric moisture and chemical vapors.

Although smooth when seen with visible light, diamond like carbon actually has the form of a cobblestone street. Little known is the fact that in nature there are two different crystalline geometries for diamond. "Common" diamond known from jewelry has carbon atoms arranged in 3-dimensional cubic lattices. In a rare form called lonsdaleite the lattice would be hexagonal, like cells in a beehive. In DLC the cobbles are not crystalline; they are amorphous because they are made from random alternations between cubic and hexagonal lattices. The cobbles have no long-range order and so they have no fracture planes along which to break. The result is a very, very strong material.

By stacking more and more layers of these nodules, DLC coatings can be made that at the same time are amorphous, flexible, and yet purely 3-dimensionally (sp3 ) bonded "diamond". The hardest, strongest, and slickest is known as tetrahedral amorphous carbon, or ta-C. For example a coating of only 2 μm thickness of ta-C increases the resistance of common (ie. type 304) stainless steel against abrasive wear; changing its lifetime in such service from one week to 85 years. Such ta-C can be considered to be the "pure" form of DLC, since it consists only of sp3 bonded carbon atoms. Fillers such as hydrogen, graphitic sp2 carbon, and metals are often used in 6 other known forms of "impure" DLC to reduce production expenses. Such economies decrease the service lifetimes of the articles being coated; sometimes by drastic amounts.

[financeman]

Originally Posted by Frogman4me

A bad idea

X1000
Just fugly!

[incontrol]

Wow Mike! Thanks for the education! I did not know much about DLC coatings.

[thomaspp]

An ugly proposition..

[MJK737]

Wow!
At Subversive, Ha that's funny been there many times, short runways!

At Kilyung, you lost me at engineer (no offense, I know I asked) but why do certain companies state their watches are DLC coated and not to be confused with PVD? They claim DLC is more durable? They claim PVD scratches easier?

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by MJK737

@Kilyung, you lost me at engineer (no offense, I know I asked) but why do certain companies state their watches are DLC coated and not to be confused with PVD? They claim DLC is more durable? They claim PVD scratches easier?

As I said, PVD is the process. You can PVD other materials other than DLC. So you could PVD gold or platinum into a ceramic bezel like Rolex does but those coatings are not DLC and thus not very tough. The companies you're referring to are trying to differentiate between between different types of coating materials by separating the non -DLC under 'PVD' vs DLC PVD. It can get confusing to the layman otherwise.

[Time2time]

Probably
Very
Daft

[paverman]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I am an engineer.

Physical Vapor Deposition is the process used to apply amorphous carbon coatings. DLC is an acronym for diamond-like carbon. As the name implies, diamond-like carbon has some of the valuable properties of diamond. When applied in pure form it is as hard as natural diamond - or even harder. In pure form these diamond coatings offer extraordinary protection against abrasive wear and attack from atmospheric moisture and chemical vapors.

Although smooth when seen with visible light, diamond like carbon actually has the form of a cobblestone street. Little known is the fact that in nature there are two different crystalline geometries for diamond. "Common" diamond known from jewelry has carbon atoms arranged in 3-dimensional cubic lattices. In a rare form called lonsdaleite the lattice would be hexagonal, like cells in a beehive. In DLC the cobbles are not crystalline; they are amorphous because they are made from random alternations between cubic and hexagonal lattices. The cobbles have no long-range order and so they have no fracture planes along which to break. The result is a very, very strong material.

By stacking more and more layers of these nodules, DLC coatings can be made that at the same time are amorphous, flexible, and yet purely 3-dimensionally (sp3 ) bonded "diamond". The hardest, strongest, and slickest is known as tetrahedral amorphous carbon, or ta-C. For example a coating of only 2 μm thickness of ta-C increases the resistance of common (ie. type 304) stainless steel against abrasive wear; changing its lifetime in such service from one week to 85 years. Such ta-C can be considered to be the "pure" form of DLC, since it consists only of sp3 bonded carbon atoms. Fillers such as hydrogen, graphitic sp2 carbon, and metals are often used in 6 other known forms of "impure" DLC to reduce production expenses. Such economies decrease the service lifetimes of the articles being coated; sometimes by drastic amounts.

Mike, your making my head hurt

[MJK737]

Originally Posted by kilyung

As I said, PVD is the process. You can PVD other materials other than DLC. So you could PVD gold or platinum into a ceramic bezel like Rolex does but those coatings are not DLC and thus not very tough. The companies you're referring to are trying to differentiate between between different types of coating materials by separating the non -DLC under 'PVD' vs DLC PVD. It can get confusing to the layman otherwise.

Ahh now I get it! Thanks for that I learned something new I think! So what material is used to put the black non DLC coating on the many dive watches out there that claim to use PVD?

[kilyung]

Originally Posted by MJK737

Ahh now I get it! Thanks for that I learned something new I think! So what material is used to put the black non DLC coating on the many dive watches out there that claim to use PVD?

Some of the more common PVD coatings are TiN, CrN, TiCN, AlTiN black, TiCN - bronze, TiAlN – bronze, ZrN.

[MJK737]

Wow! Now I really get it thank you sir!

[Roller07]

Originally Posted by Thatguy

An easy way to mess up a very nice watch.