DLC aviation vintage chipped off!

[eXis10z]

I just grazed my hand against a table and to my dismay there was a small chip off on the bezel above the 12 o'clock marker. I thought DLC was supposed to be hard enough to withstand that? It wasn't even a hard knock. Or are DLC only good against scratches? To be honest I'm disappointed.

[Ed.YANG]

I had brushed my Ocean 44 DLC bezel with a pillar before... but nothing had happened to the bezel...
I guess it's the kind of strength that you grazed with the table, or you might have grazed it elsewhere some times back...
Currently what i see from your picture, is the edge of the rim looks chipped off... but i don't think you had caused a bigger damage like due to the "grazing" you caused cracks to form on the rest of the coatings around the watch.

[Kilovolt]

First of all let me say I am sorry for what happened to you.

FWIW my experience with Steinhart's DLC is different from yours.

Having a number of black watches I am equipped with a black permanent felt tip pen: it gives good results on the chips possibly after cleaning the spot with rubbing alcohol. Stabilo is my preferred choice.

[eXis10z]

Will this be covered by the warranty?

[Ed.YANG]

Most likely no... but i would suggest that you send an email to them to check it out... see if they're willing to make the case change with you.

[frenco]

No surface finish, no matter how hard, can resist all hits. If the blow is at the edge, it's even worse. My crystal desk did more damage to my watch than 10 years of uninterrupted use...
Keep in mind that the hard coat sits on some soft steel, so it's vulnerable even if diamond hard.
A ceramic case might be more resistant, but impacts can crack the case as well.
But even sapphire scratches, if you check the crystal of my aquatimer with a loupe, you'll see many scratches.

Warranty? what would be the defect you claim?

[eXis10z]

I have no idea. I was expecting it to be more hardy. This is DLC after all not PVD. I can't imagine how much it will cost to get them to change a case. I'll drop them an email and see what they say.

[Ed.YANG]

DLC is just a material, while Pvd is a process. Hence, DLC coatings is still subjected to wear and tear.

[James_]

That's taking it too far sending them an email saying you chipped the paint on your watch. It's bound to happen. That's why I would never buy a DLC or any coated watch apart from maybe Sinn tegimented watch.

[Lencoth]

That's taking it too far sending them an email saying you chipped the paint on your watch. It's bound to happen. That's why I would never buy a DLC or any coated watch apart from maybe Sinn tegimented watch.

Or maybe a Damasko with its ice-hardened case. But the problem is indeed that, while the PVD/DLC is very hard, the underlying is relatively soft. So it flakes off, thanks to the underlying stainless steel.