Materials

Diamonds

The diamonds on the dial are around 1mm in diameter and weigh around 0,005 carat per stone.

The diamonds feature a "simplified brilliant cut". It's called "simplified brilliant cut" because a round cut diamond (round brilliant) usually has at least 56 facets. Round cut diamonds with a "simplified brilliant cut" have 8 facets on the top and 8 facets on the lower part as well as a table, so a total of 17 facets. Due to their small size they are ideal to be put on a watch dial. Diamonds with a "simplified brilliant cut" in the size range up to a maximum of 0,02 carats achieve a higher brilliance than round brilliants. This is due to the fact that larger facets have an optimal effect in that size range.

316L stainless steel

All LOUIS XVI watches are made out of 316L stainless steel. It's the same steel that is used to manufacture surgical instruments, which rely on toughness and resistance to corrosion.

So what is the difference between 316L stainless steel and regular steel? In essence 316L stainless steel contains less carbon than the standard 316 steel and therefore is a lot less prone to corrosion caused by acids contained in sea water and sweat.

A watch made out of 316L stainless steel is the perfect fit for people with an active lifestyle. You can be assured that your watch will withstand every challenge.

PVD - Physical Vapour Deposition

PVD stands for "Physical Vapour Deposition". The PVD coating is used to make watches more durable, increase their resistance and make their appearance more attractive.

During the vacuum coating process, very fine layers of hard materials are applied to the base material in the form of steam, so that a comprehensive lacquer layer is formed. The complete powder coating process must take place in a vacuum chamber to prevent a reaction between steam and air. Coating thicknesses starts in the nanometer range. However, layers of up to a few micrometers can be built up by repeating the process several times.

The great advantage of the vacuum coating process is that the atomized material does not undergo any chemical reactions with the surface. The adhesion is exclusively due to the process.

The conventional PVD process results in a strong black surface. Black watches are therefore usually treated by the PVD process and can be recognised distinctly. In addition to the conventional coating with the black material, there is also the PVD gilding. In this case, a thin layer of metal is also evaporated and applied to the watch. This has the resulted effect of not a black surface, instead a golden or red-golden varnish is created.

PVD gilding uses identical processes to those used for conventional PVD coating. The difference is that no lead or graphite is sprayed on, but rather gold particles.

Sapphire crystal glass

All our watches are equipped with a scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass. Much more scratch resistant than mineral glass, which is often used in common watches. Sapphire crystal glass can not be scratched by everyday use. If it was only for the obvious benefits, all watch manufacturers would choose sapphire crystal glass. But most manufacturers do not because of its premium cost.