GF Dress. Unusual band BIN $US90 US only

[Lillegutt]

Found this one.

Probably gone in short time. I can't remember to have seen this combination of band earlier. Usually this type of band are SS?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1292596482


JHH

[bruce wegmann]

You are correct; this style bracelet, as far as I know, is always stainless steel. And, I think this one is, too (it has simply been gold-plated, something Time Computer never did). The telling clue is the clasp hinge; it's gold-colored, as the rest of the band, but this is never the case unless the bracelet is solid gold, too, and that is certainly not true here. The caseback is wrong, as well...it should be gold-colored, and marked 14K Golfilled, and it is not. This is an interesting assemblage of parts, but nothing of special note or value.

[azimuth_pl]

You're right on this one, you can clearly see wear marks on the case and bracelet down to the steel.
The caseback must be original but was not plated.
Still a nice modification as stainless steel is not easy to be plate.

[bruce wegmann]

Plating stainless steel can be done...it's not difficult, just complicated. Most stainless alloys rely on a high nickel content for their corrosion resistance, so, the first step is to put a thin plate of pure nickel on the steel; this gives excellent adhesion and provides a good base for the next step. Copper and nickel have a chemical affinity for each other and bond well, so a thin layer of copper is the next step. Gold and copper have a similar affinity, so the final step is the gold plating. Most platers skip one or both of the intermediate steps, and the gold plating eventually begins to blister and peel off the base metal (which you can see here on the sides of the case). Clearly, this is a 3408-2 Dress watch, purchased by someone who really wanted a gold-tone model but didn't like the mesh bracelet, so they had this done (why they elected not to plate the case back is anybody's guess).