Due to the laws of physics, a perfect black surface is almost impossible, but this does not mean that scientists have not done their best to make the darkest surface ever made a reality. Review replica watches
I briefly discussed this before in “Design Discussion on Contrast and Texture: How Vantablack and Other Technologies Break Watch Specifications”: Over the past few decades, multiple methods have been used to create the darkest surfaces.
In the early 1980s, the use of chemically etched nickel-phosphorus alloys began to be studied, and around 2002, researchers at the British National Physical Laboratory finally created a surface that only reflected 0.35% of light. They call it super black.
The record lasted for seven years, until the nanotube-based Vantablack coating developed by Surrey NanoSystems reflected only 0.035% of the light, ten times that of Super Black. Then, a few years later, Surrey Nanosystems defeated its own material with a modified Vantablack that reflected so little light that the sensor could not even pick it up. This material is almost as “black” as possible, but at a price-both visually and literally.
To create the darkest surface in human history, special equipment is required beyond what most laboratories can provide. By using an improved form of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), carbon nanotubes are “grown” in a special reactor at 450°C that uses a plasma arc to help create vertically aligned and very close samples.
There are 1 billion carbon nanotubes in 1 square centimeter of Vantablack. The cost of buying a sample that is only 40 mm (about 1.5 inches) square is 350 Euros. Although the sample is very impact-resistant and heat-resistant, it can be easily damaged if only touched with fingers.
But there are bigger problems.
One of them is that Vantablack is a controlled export material, and it is not easy to obtain samples only by obtaining a license (there is a formal “public personal export license” letter for record). cheap watches Price
Another problem is that if you have an actual application to use Vantablack, it needs to make the material that will not melt or deform at the temperature of the application fit the actual machine, and the application must be a certain kind of Moving. once
Therefore, even experimenting with the darkest black is not a scientific feat, and it is more difficult to find applications (whether practical or not) in our daily lives.
Moreover, watchmakers and other talented craftsmen have tried for hundreds of years to create a deep black: polished.
Black polished
Okay, not just polishing. In fact, this is a special polishing technique called many names: mirror polishing, block polishing, cross stitch polishing and flat polishing.
But the most commonly used name is black polish. The name is so named because when the polished component is at an angle to the light, it will show a perfect black reflection, because no light is reflected on the viewer’s eyes. Tiny scratches or blemishes are found because it will “glow”.
Many watchmakers and brands use this type of polishing on parts such as screws, studs, or swan neck adjusters, but some brands put more effort into larger and more difficult parts.
Based on the timepieces seen at Baselworld 2018, I can safely say that the best in the black polishing industry is Greubel Forsey (no real surprises), and the quad tourbillon blue is all the evidence you need .
Black polished to a new level
The Four-Body Tourbillon Blue in Gaupe Fortunes is a four-part tourbillon in two 2018 editions, a very sophisticated and popular watch from the brand that has illustrated Gaupe Fortunes’ incredible skills and expertise. The design direction of the latest version is slightly different, and the blue dial is the real achievement.
Koppelfors is well known for its exquisite finishing and is widely praised for achieving some-if not-the best in the industry. Every component is perfect, and no dust or tiny scratches are found in the Greubel Forsey timepiece.
Greubel Forsey (fake Greubel Forsey) even used a very difficult black polishing process on many parts, some of which are quite large, such as the tourbillon bridge on the invention 1 or the balance bridge on the signature 1.
However, compared to the new quadruple tourbillon blue, these components are baby, because its entire dial is black polished. The flawless perfect surface is absolutely spotless, which is absolutely unbelievable, not to mention that the dial is also composed of six separate parts, all of which are also perfectly black polished.
If that’s not enough, the dial is actually made of gold (rather than the more common metal polished in black: steel) and then chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coating to create an amazing blue.
You may know something about component polishing and then say “Wow, that’s impressive.” But if you really know how complicated and difficult black polishing can be, then the vast land will suddenly become the Sistine Chapel.
With the development of technology, black polishing is very simple. You need to use finer and finer abrasives and perfectly flat surfaces, and carefully polish the parts until you get a mirror effect. However, this simple explanation conceals the very delicate and experienced touch required to achieve such a surface treatment, as well as the difficulty of polishing such a large surface.
Achieving perfect black finish on components is not only a question of patience (patience is important, but it is not the only problem), but to a large extent it is a matter of contact. As I heard multiple watchmakers repeat it: either it can be done or it cannot be done.
After some polishing, you can slowly grind all the abrasives and finally get a good polished surface. But when using black polishing, you must maintain a perfectly flat surface and polish it smoothly at the same time, so that you can’t see any blemishes or tiny scratches.
Excessive force, too slow or too fast, the abrasive mixture is too wet or too dry, there is only a small piece of abrasive of different sizes in the mixture, all of which may be introduced and damage the small scratches or uneven surfaces.
Larger means more room for defects
But why should it be ruined? Why can’t you just start over with a more aggressive abrasive and then start again?
This is usually not an option, because the components have strict tolerances on thickness, flatness, and right angle, so too much polishing can cause the components to be unusable due to dimensional errors. The parts are no longer suitable, so only a moderate amount of polishing is difficult enough, let alone an absolutely perfect polishing of a piece of the entire watch size.
The blue dial on the quadruple tourbillon blue is a superb technique, a model of superb technique in practice. The tiny screw head hidden at the back of the movement is very small or too small, you need to use a magnifying glass to see it is completely different from the entire front of the watch, so you will see it every day when you wear it.
There is a perfect black polished surface of nearly 40 mm for everyone to watch. No matter how small, the scratches here will be obvious flaws on a “blank” blue ocean.
In this way, the execution on Greubel Forsey’s arena is eye-catching and worth mentioning. Thanks to the CVD coated gold, the blue glows at right angles, but disappears as a pure black reflection in the other direction. If the ambient light is bright enough, you can see a faint blue hue, but the strong black polishing will try to hide it from a certain angle.
This is what makes this work stand out, showing that Greubel Forsey is not afraid of challenges. Most people think that even creating an incredible four tourbillon is a major achievement, but no one knows that this brand can win the crown.
Of course, looking at the entire watch, there are many things to impress you. The design of the tourbillon enables multi-axis rotation. The design of the numbers and instructions is more concise and modern; the barrel-shaped polished tourbillon bridge; the expected perfect finish of the entire movement (front and back). All these details make an amazing timepiece.
But the black polished gold dial (provided by titanium oxide CVD) painted in a stunning blue is the champion of this watch. The dial is made of three layers and six pieces, a breathtaking victory, and interestingly, if the observer does not know that it is black polished gold, it is still underestimated.
Dealing with this piece is really the key to making a deal: the moment you turn the watch correctly and change the dial from such a shiny blue to dark black is the moment you realize that you are holding something special.
This watch is excellent and helps remind high-end watch lovers that Greubel Forsey will pursue perfection.
Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon Blue is a groundbreaking work whose composition almost eclipses the entire watch (almost impossible in Greubel Forsey). I can say with certainty that it takes a lot of effort to create such a perfectly sized black polished dial, which means that you won’t find it in every model next year, so it will be worthwhile to spend some time searching for this dial.
Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon Blue
Case: 43.5 x 16.11 mm, platinum or 5N red gold
Movement: Manually wound GF Quadruple Tourbillon with Quadruple Tourbillon
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds; power reserve