A year ago... Rust!

I took my brand new shiny Aqua Timer Edition Charles Darwin out to dive.

Not only did the watch serve me perfectly well (as the ultimate backup utility on each and every dive)...

...it also brought much daily joy to my eyes, as it went then through the multiple dives a day (from
Day to day). You can read/refresh your memory on that watch business here Rusting Watch

Now, as I sit here on the deck of the dive boat motoring back to Harbour after the last dive of this trip - I glance down at my watch, and am content!

Not only have we (my watch and I) had 19 successful and beautiful dives together) but it seems that the watch has now gleamed an all round patina and beginning to show it's "true colors" :-)

...and I love it!

When back next week, I shall post some pictures here allowing you all to enjoy (or not appreciate) my fantastic bronze Aquatimer.

It's definitely lost it's shine after another 19 dives !

And I still wait for the color green - for now, it's still all red,

and a 101 other shades of absolute patina joy!

no matter what color - I know that if I want I can restore it to a high shine again with a simple polish with a tine of Brasso and a rag and some string (to get into that groove under the bezel)

I just love it!

I look forward to the pics. Thanks for showing us the comparison, one year and a couple of dives later.
Very interesting.

Cheers Chris

Seeing is believing Mark ;-)

Can't wait for your pictures!

+1!

Look forward to the pictures Mark. Very interested to see how it is coming along.

Hi Mark,
The title of your post suggests the worst thing that could happen....oxydation of iron or steel. Than I read your post and the content was much to my relief..
Kind regards,
Adrian,
(alwaysiwc).

If memory serves me well you told me the aged patina can be accelerated by man made means. Have you been accelerating the aged look though?

+1

Hi Mark, can't wait to see the oxidation do it's work! I assume you have 'before' and 'after' pictures!?

Groeten,

Bob

in total then - this is after 35 dives...

patina joy indeed!

looking forward to further photos...

regards,
thang

It sure is coming along nicely and developing the patina of a true beater.
Very nice indeed.

I think it would be interesting to see how much oxidation will build up over time. Nice science experiment too :o)

Looks like dried gravy powder or beer deposits to me. What's IWC's policy on cleaning the case on service?

Very interesting pictures, Would be interested to see it in one year from now again.
I have to get used to it seeing an IWC-Case "like this", but it's a very cool
"project".

Cheers Chris

I'm going to be the dissenting voice here. Sorry Mark.
I do not think that what I see on the Aquatimer can be called patina. I believe it is the beginning of corrosion.
I'm not a seafaring person, but the little experience I have, indicates that all brass features on boats exposed to sea water must be regularly cleaned and polished to prevent corrosion.
Am I wrong?

Antonio - indeed you raise a good point. Of course and on this point I am sure we agree, it's not "rust"!

I'm not sure we will be able to fully answer this question here, as IWC would be required to advise on the base metal of the casing if we are to have a clear answer to your question/statement.

Many are unaware of the important distinction between brass and bronze. From the web we can learn why brass is so susceptible to corrosion!

By definition, brass alloys include zinc as one constituent element. When that zinc selectively corrodes and leaves a porous copper shell that retains its shape but has little strength.

Bronze, although it’s a copper alloy, is different from brass in that it’s free of any appreciable amount of zinc, and so is not susceptible to dezincification. Bronze’s parent alloying element is copper, but its primary alloying element is tin. As a result, pound for pound, bronze is often more expensive than brass, which contains less costly zinc.

Gunmetal, as its name suggests, was employed in firearms manufacture. It is a bronze alloy of 88% copper, 10% tin, and 2% zinc. It is not especially strong, but it is corrosion resistant and perfectly acceptable for below-the-waterline use.

(Details courtesy of wwww.proboat.comn)

Rust is just another word for oxidization - but for one specific metal - iron.

So your watch is indeed "suffering" from oxidization but it is definitely not rusting :-)

Either way I like it Mark.

Hi Mark,

From www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111994

BRONZE DISEASE:

Bronze disease is the result of exposure to chlorine compounds
which can come from any saline source, such as contact with saline
soils, atmospheric pollutants or airborne salt spray near bodies of
salt water. The chlorine reacts with the copper in bronze to form
copper chloride. The primary symptom is pitting, and the process
can proceed unchecked below apparently sound patinas, or protective
coatings.

The copper chloride is relatively unstable and the only way to
arrest the continuing corrosion is the complete removal of the
chlorides using electrochemical methods. All such methods of
chloride removal are advanced conservation techniques requiring the
employment of a skilled professional.

Well isn't that reassuring!

Ben, let me try put you at ease!

Take a look at this BRASS PIECE that today tells time.

It had been submerged for 80 years in sea water, yet after thorough cleaning it shows almost zero sign of being corroded / etched away. Now, yes there is no air / oxygen abundance under water which may/may not be a catalyst for the corrosion but either way, I am not too concerned that my watch case will corrode away!

I absolutely appreciate the tarnished look on this (tool) watch !

IWC do not clean or polish these cases during servicing.
Leo

Thank you Mark, that was a great story I had missed; I would love to learn more about diving in the North Sea! Interesting what Leo says about cleaning/polishing during service - I suppose it may be available upon request. I have seen a few of these watches in stores that have begun to react to the environment and the various people handling them and wondered what a new owner would do with them. I think I would prefer to start with one in a clean and polished state and grow it my way.

The point of having a watch with a bronze case is that it develops patina, or even rust, corrosion, whatever you choose to call it. I guess that it will take ages to have this corrosion lead to a malfunction of the watch. If you don't like this patina to develop, you can choose gold if you like the yellowish colour that it shares with brass, or you can choose steel or titanium: the latter is my favourite material for this kind of tool watches. Looking at Mark's watch, I suppose I couldn't resist the urge to scratch, hmm, to polish the rust away, even if I had chosen this brass case for its beauty, special looks. I compare this with cleaning the crystal when there is a fat fingerprint on it. Still, Mark's watch looks interesting, I wonder whether there would be some minimal coral growth on it after a while. How would it look in five years time?

Kind regards,
Paul