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Watch Surface Plating and Finish
Custom Imprinted Promotional Products
Watch Finish Types:
- Polished:
The surface finish is shiny, has a high gloss & is reflective.
- Brushed:
The surface finish is matte, galvanized, has a low gloss & non-reflective.
- Platings/Coatings:
Soft (e.g. Brass) or unprecious base materials (e.g. Alloy) are enhanced with plating composed of precious (e.g. Gold) or harder (e.g. Titanium) materials. Plating thickness is measured in microns (µm). 1 microns (µm) = 1/1000 mm.
IPG - stands for Ion Plating Gold (Hues: Rose, White, Red).
IPB - stands for Ion Plating Black (Finishes: Matte, Shiny).
IPP - stands for Ion Plating Platinum (Color: Matte Silver).
Ion Plating - PVD Method Ion plating is one of the most advanced surface finishing processes in the watch industry. IP Gold has a thin layer of Gold (usually around 2-5 microns) elctroplated onto a Stainless Steel base. Ion plating makes the Gold plating more durable, adhere better, more wear resistant and offers a more intense brilliance. Ion plating is achieved by adding a titanium nitride layer to the component to be plated, resulting in increased stability. Gold plating is then applied.
The greatest advantage of the IP Gold method/process is that the result is a gold finish that is harder and more stable when compared to more traditional plating methods. Research has shown that Ion plating is five to eight times more efficient in terms of wear and corrosion resistance. The term "permanent coating" can be appropriately applied in this case.
Ion Gold, Platinum and Black plating won't flake off because the coating is inter-penetrated with the underlying titanium nitride material - distinguishing itself from other methods such as paint, powder coats and anodizing. "Dry" ion plating technology is superior in every way to the traditional "wet" plating method.
Physical procedure with pressure and temperature (PVD - Physical Vapour Deposition) method is distinctly superior to electrochemical/galvanic method.
Galvanic/Electrochemical Method With this traditional method employed by most promotional watch suppliers, the gold coating on the surface of the case and/or bracelet can be rubbed off easily over time.
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Watch Platings and Finishes 
