Beadblasted

[stooo]

Shameless picture request for beadblasted watches..... Please.

I'm thinking it gives a utilitarian look but outside the PRS18, aerospace, sinn, damasko what's out there?

[RLE]

I hope Andy doesn't mind but this was my old O&W Mirage that had been blasted before selling to Mr Tims.

[NenoS]

Not exactly bead blasted but maybe one of the best looking , if not the best, mat finished watches IMHO.
http://www.panerai.com/en/watch-coll...tanio-pam00177

[KurtKlaus]

there's a pic on the web somewhere of a DIY bead blasted IWC 3717 that I absolutely love

[TomGW]

I hope Andy doesn't mind but this was my old O&W Mirage that had been blasted before selling to Mr Tims.

Was that mine at one time? I had one that I sent to Bry (Satintime) for a full beadblast as I thought it suited the style better than a polished finish. The dial and hands are vaguely similar to the Heuer Bund so I opted for the beadblast finish.

[Kister]

Mkii watches.com has very nice beadblast watches like Fulcrum or Paradive.

[shadowman]

Bead-blasted is a nice look but you're buggered if you knock or scratch it. With a brushed finish and some careful DIY (or via a pro) you can restore damaged areas in isolation or at least minimise it. A bead-blasted case has to be blasted all over again. Just a thought.

[andrew]

Bead-blasted is a nice look but you're buggered if you knock or scratch it. With a brushed finish and some careful DIY (or via a pro) you can restore damaged areas in isolation or at least minimise it. A bead-blasted case has to be blasted all over again. Just a thought.

BTDT. Bead-blasting is quite delicate and tough tool watches thus finished must be pampered to keep them looking pristine. A polished watch you can beat up - then have all but the worst scratches buffed out at home with a Cape Cod (although any shape, regardless of finish, is prone to pver-polishing and loss of edge definition, etc). Brushed finish is harder to re-do, but not impossible if you have a few materials.

[Quasar]

A bead blasted Kemmner Turtle Blue which I got a year or two ago.

[Quasar]

Another Kemmner with a bead blasted case, rarely worn.

[stooo]

Thanks chaps.

I had not really considered how damage could or could not be rectified on a BB watch. It's a good point, though I can't say my Aerospace showed much damage (maybe the magic of Ti?)

Oddly I had wondered what a Turtle would look like blasted, but it just looks a little anaemic, maybe a bit too raw.

[andrew]

Thanks chaps.

I had not really considered how damage could or could not be rectified on a BB watch. It's a good point, though I can't say my Aerospace showed much damage (maybe the magic of Ti?)

Breitling puts a very "satin-like" brushed finish on its titanium watches and a handful of steel ones. It can be mimicked by using a medium-grade wheel turning quite slowly, according to the advice of one helpful chap here recently. It does help to hide scuffs and the effects of "brassing".

Sinn's surface treatments seem to work well with satin (not brushed) finishes. If I was to buy another bead-blasted watch, that probably what I'd consider.

[cbh]

Is there anyone around these parts that can do beadblasting, as both Bry and Twickersdude (who previously did one very nicely for me) are awol.

[walkerwek1958]

BTDT. A polished watch you can beat up - then have all but the worst scratches buffed out at home with a Cape Cod.

That's like trying to bore through a mountain with a carrot! Anything more than very light scratches needs a far more robust approach.

As for bead-blasted finishes, they are not easy to refinish (other than bead-blasting again). However, a scotchbrite wheel produces a similar effect. This type of wheel would be expected to produce a nice brushed effect, but it doesn`t. The end result is much more like beadblasting. Sounds wrong, but it isn`t; I tried one in the expectation that it would give a brushed finish and was surprised at the result.

Paul

[andrew]

That's like trying to bore through a mountain with a carrot! Anything more than very light scratches needs a far more robust approach.

True, deeper gouges will need a wheel of some sort (or even filling/cold-welding) but I've restored polished finishes to former respectability in a way I never could with anything mechanically finished. I occasionally use an inexpensive dremel and polishing wheel left overnight in a Cape Cod wrapper to get rid of deeper scuffs on bracelets - works quite well.

As for bead-blasted finishes, they are not easy to refinish (other than bead-blasting again). However, a scotchbrite wheel produces a similar effect. This type of wheel would be expected to produce a nice brushed effect, but it doesn`t. The end result is much more like beadblasting. Sounds wrong, but it isn`t; I tried one in the expectation that it would give a brushed finish and was surprised at the result.

This is useful to know, thank you. I wonder if this is what Breitling does with its Ti and other watches (SOP, Blackbird etc). Up close you can see a grain but from a distance it looks very matt.

[JackW]

Both watches are long gone now, but these were my favourite beadblasted watches:

A Squale 50 atmos that I had my watch guy beadblast:




And a Sinn 756 UTC:



It is true that the Squale developed a 'shiny patch' on one of the sides rather quickly by the way, but it never really bothered me.