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Blazinbell

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 6, 2014
80
30
NY
Will the black coating come off? Or is the black SS consistently throughout the case?
 
I work with DLC coating for a living and if it scratches it usually just turns the coating a light grey color.
 
Wow that pretty impressive. So in the black SS the DLC is bonded at the molecular level. Not just a coating?
 
What happens is the Space Black owners will go home to cry themselves to sleep, then wake up to rant on MacRumors.

Unless they have warm milk and cookies ...

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Wow that pretty impressive. So in the black SS the DLC is bonded at the molecular level. Not just a coating?

It may be, but please consider that this is not a hand made traditional watch body, but a mass-produced product. I would not expect wonders.

The SS black is there for margin and to make you feel like a special snowflake (in black).
 
Does it mean we can forget about a black Milanese band?

It doesn't necessarily have to be DLC coated. Marc Newson did make a black Milanese loop so I'm not sure why Apple didn't do the same. If there isn't a wear issue, they might introduce a black Milanese loop and other more compatible bands for the Space Black down the line.
 
In the "Steel" :apple: Watch video, Ive says that the space black watches have an "additional diamond like carbon layer added to achieve a durable finish, and a brilliant appearance".

Obviously it's not going to be diamond, but the fact they say "diamond like" to me says it's going to be pretty damn hard, probably to a similar extend of the sapphire display.
 
In the "Steel" :apple: Watch video, Ive says that the space black watches have an "additional diamond like carbon layer added to achieve a durable finish, and a brilliant appearance".

Obviously it's not going to be diamond, but the fact they say "diamond like" to me says it's going to be pretty damn hard, probably to a similar extend of the sapphire display.

Welcome to Marketing ;)

Do not ever read the labels on women's skin care.
All kinds of magical BS is in there.
 
Welcome to Marketing ;)

Do not ever read the labels on women's skin care.
All kinds of magical BS is in there.

Maybe true, but to be fair, diamonds are made from carbon and are clear/colourless (I know you do get yellow diamonds). From what I've seen this is basically a black clear carbon coating on the watch, hence under bright light it looks lighter in photos because you are getting more reflection from the SS below, and in low light it looks dark in pictures.

So the chemical make up will be somewhere between graphite (black, soft and not clear) and diamond (colourless for the most part, hard and clear) no doubt in order to make it both black and clear. As such, you would expect it to be between graphite and diamond in terms of hardness as well.
 
It may be, but please consider that this is not a hand made traditional watch body, but a mass-produced product. I would not expect wonders.

The SS black is there for margin and to make you feel like a special snowflake (in black).

Welcome to Marketing ;)

Do not ever read the labels on women's skin care.
All kinds of magical BS is in there.

Instead of just jibber jabbing about whet you think may or may not happen take a look at what DLC is first.:D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbon

Exactly, Julien.

Apple has specifically stated that the Space Black Stainless Steel Apple Watch has an "additional diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer".

"Diamond-like carbon (DLC)" isn't just some BS marketing term that Apple has come up with for the Apple Watch - it is an actual thing, as shown in the Wikipedia link above.

DLC has many uses, including on watches.

Apple may not have gone into detail about how the DLC layer is added, but the simple fact that it calls it DLC gives a strong indication of what it is and how it is applied. If it was just some crappy coating that was "painted" on and could easily be scratched it wouldn't be DLC.

http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-watch-is-made

..Our case now finished, our video takes a dark turn to quickly show the black variants and mention the "brilliant, diamond like carbon layer." Running with the knowledge that Apple tends to be very precise with their language, the implication is that the process they are using is a Tungsten DLC coating produced in a vapor deposition process. This is a very tough, very thin layer of tungsten that is bonded to the surface of the part in a vacuum chamber, and is the standard blackening process for the vast majority of high-end watches, knives and some mill cutting tools. TDLC has a reputation for being extraordinarily durable, though it has been somewhat surpassed by other, more involved, treatments at this stage.
 
Instead of just jibber jabbing about whet you think may or may not happen take a look at what DLC is first.:D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbon

DAMN!
The hardest, strongest, and slickest is such a mixture, 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 (i.e. type 304) stainless steel against abrasive wear; changing its lifetime in such service from one week to 85 years.
 
DLC is extremely hard. It's practically like coating the watch in a diamond. I believe it's black and not clear because it's amorphous. Don't let the color fool you, it's nearly as hard as crystalline diamond.

I expect to see video of people trying to scratch the surface and not being able to when folks get their hands on the SB SS.

Check out this guys video of a scratch test on a DLC coated watch band link. Most metals are actually etched away before affecting the DLC.

http://youtu.be/6WDPdznF8XE
 
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Doubtful that the black SS will scratch under normal wear and tear. DLC is a strong coating. Remember nothing is 100% but it would take real abuse to scratch it
 
How easy is it to scratch?

Easier than you would think, especially since it is a fairly thick coating by its nature.

I tried on a space black sport at my Apple Store the other day and after giving it a good look over i don't think it'll scratch very easily. They did a good job on the coating. Whoever Apple chose to be their vendor for this did a very exceptional job.
 
Easier than you would think, especially since it is a fairly thick coating by its nature.

I tried on a space black sport at my Apple Store the other day and after giving it a good look over i don't think it'll scratch very easily. They did a good job on the coating. Whoever Apple chose to be their vendor for this did a very exceptional job.

Are you talking about the Space Gray Sport? We're talking about the DLC treated Space Black SS
 
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