To the naked eye is there any visible difference between 904 grade steel (the kind used in genuine Rolexes) and 316L grade steel? Thanks and sorry if this has been asked/answered already.
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904 grade steel vs 316L
- Thread starter tee3509
- Start date
Some say they see no difference. Some say the 904 is "brighter"... Not the best pic here, but see for yourself...
Genuine on the left, Rep on right.
Genuine on the left, Rep on right.
Thank you. I honestly don't see any appreciable difference and even Omega uses the 316L so it can't be all bad. Thanks again.
You're welcome... and 316L is not bad at all. I think 904 is mostly a marketing gimmick, and certainly provides no advantage to 99.999% of us... I don't know about you, but I don't keep my wrist around corrosive elements 
doesnt the 904 have more nickle in it thus making it a slightly different color? I know one of the two is more blueish looking and one is more greyish looking. You would never be able to tell unless you had the two side by side, then theres definatly is a noticable difference.
dizz
dizz
A noticable diffrerance on two out of the package watches. As the two watches age, are beat up, received differant levels of maintance, the differance becomes minimal. I know a guy with a 3 year old rolex that is so dirty he has to spit on the crystal to read the time cause it gets so many fingerprints, sweat, grease, ect on a daily basis and is rarely cleaned. My watches get a cleaning each night before going to bed when i wear them, and another before i put it on. My watches are typically more brilliant then the average watch owners regardless of brand.Dizzy said:
I've had both 904 and 316L stainless steels in my hands at the same time- not on watches, but in flat plate form.
To me, there isn't a visual difference. That is, if both steels have the same processing and are brushed/polished by exactly the same methods.
Two watches, side-by-side, one 904 and one 316L, might well be different in appearance- as the two pictured above are- but IMO the diff is very small and probably you coulf make one look just like the other with a suitable application of scotchbrite, Mother's Mag Wheel Polish and/or cape cod cloth, plus a little dragon spit. :mrgreen:
To me, there isn't a visual difference. That is, if both steels have the same processing and are brushed/polished by exactly the same methods.
Two watches, side-by-side, one 904 and one 316L, might well be different in appearance- as the two pictured above are- but IMO the diff is very small and probably you coulf make one look just like the other with a suitable application of scotchbrite, Mother's Mag Wheel Polish and/or cape cod cloth, plus a little dragon spit. :mrgreen:
supermanx said:... My watches get a cleaning each night before going to bed when i wear them, and another before i put it on. My watches are typically more brilliant then the average watch owners regardless of brand.
...Finally I see someone with the same habits as me, who cleans his watches before going to bed, and clean them again before getting to wear them.
I´m - as you seem to be too - as paranoid about shine/fingerprints with my watches as I am with my cellphone and laptop or whatever. I just can´t stand fingerprints on screen, nor places that should be shiny, blurred.
Regardless of brand too.
I take my watches to the sink, and wash them with soap under running water, using just my hands to do that - not anything else to not 'brush' the watch to much. Then I dry them up, and let them rest overnight on a cloth before taking them to the watchbox, to not get the watchbox-cushion humid afterall.
Cheers,
Spirit.
AllergyDoc
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Rolexes have a slightly different hue than our reps. Using polishing compounds I have managed to replicate that finish fairly well as people who have bought watches from me may have noticed. It just takes time.
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See links for stainless steel properties. It seems to me that both have the same benefits just 904L uses more expensive materials in the mix. 904L first then 316L. http://www.azom.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=1022 and http://www.azom.com/details.asp?articleID=863
pls look at this... the middle one on my datyona is not gen, but I have been wearing for over 2 years.. needs polishing
the other two are gen - the one next to daytona is the gen daytona bracelte...it is 30 yrs old+
the other two are gen - the one next to daytona is the gen daytona bracelte...it is 30 yrs old+
I think you can easily tell which is 316 and 904 if you have some good lighting on it.
rep
gen
shinier and different hue
rep
gen
shinier and different hue
No comparison to 316 and 904. Looking at pictures on the net to determine how the finish of the steel compares is like pulling a pair of nylon panties over your head to read a book at night under low lighting conditions...
Try and imagine that- oh yeah - and the panties have been worn before too!!!
Now do ya got it?
Side by side, in your hand, you can pick out the 904 vs 316 ever time. The 904 ALWAYS has a brighter silver look to it. When you combine that with the fact that the 904 has a WAY and I mean WAY harder finish, the 904 almost always has little to no surface scratches on it like 316. Fakemaster is right when he says if you spend enough time on a 316 bracelet, polishing it and using the right treatments and techniques you can get it really close to the look of a 904 bracelet. The only major problem with this is that within a matter of just a few weeks (if the watch is worn regularly) the softer 316 stainless will develop a bunch of fine "desk diving" scratches all over the surface. The only way to get it back to 904 looking quality is to polish it out and touch up the brushed finish. This requires constant work, but can keep a 316 bracelet looking close to 904 in it's appearance.
The 904 on the other hand always stays "bright" and because it is so hard to scratch, really doesn't develop the "desk diving" scratches easily. A 904 bracelet can go months if not a whole year before it starts looking degraded.
The same is true for the watch head. Next time you have a genuine 16610 in your hands look closely at the brushed marks on the top of the case lugs. Then look at the brushed marks on the top of the lugs of a Rep. I guarantee you - you will see much "brighter", more pronounced brush marks on the Gen. That is because the Gen head is made from 904 too.
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Try and imagine that- oh yeah - and the panties have been worn before too!!!
Now do ya got it?
Side by side, in your hand, you can pick out the 904 vs 316 ever time. The 904 ALWAYS has a brighter silver look to it. When you combine that with the fact that the 904 has a WAY and I mean WAY harder finish, the 904 almost always has little to no surface scratches on it like 316. Fakemaster is right when he says if you spend enough time on a 316 bracelet, polishing it and using the right treatments and techniques you can get it really close to the look of a 904 bracelet. The only major problem with this is that within a matter of just a few weeks (if the watch is worn regularly) the softer 316 stainless will develop a bunch of fine "desk diving" scratches all over the surface. The only way to get it back to 904 looking quality is to polish it out and touch up the brushed finish. This requires constant work, but can keep a 316 bracelet looking close to 904 in it's appearance.
The 904 on the other hand always stays "bright" and because it is so hard to scratch, really doesn't develop the "desk diving" scratches easily. A 904 bracelet can go months if not a whole year before it starts looking degraded.
The same is true for the watch head. Next time you have a genuine 16610 in your hands look closely at the brushed marks on the top of the case lugs. Then look at the brushed marks on the top of the lugs of a Rep. I guarantee you - you will see much "brighter", more pronounced brush marks on the Gen. That is because the Gen head is made from 904 too.
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