Is this rust or am I crazy or paranoid?

[harry in montreal]

Forget it bro. consider it patina

[jedinite]

Use a soft brush to scrub it

[ParisDakarBmw]

Originally Posted by Johny

little experiment....take an old stainless knife and put the tip in a flame(gas cooker) watch the colour change to pale gold. remove and cool then polish off the discolouration with a metal polish. the stainless steel welding industries use a paste to remove the (oxides) discolouration.

This is called "fire scale" and is common where the metals are welded. In the jewelry repair tade a chemical called "Pickle" is used. Boric acid, and distilled water is combined in a crockpot. It is heated, and left in the corner of a jewelers work area. After the gold, silver, or whatever is soldered, it goes directly into the pickle pot for a 10 minute bath. The boric acid removes the oxidation, and then the jewelry is then buffed to a high luster.

You can buy boric acid from some stores as roach poison. It's a powder. Just add a cup of boiling water, and 3 table spoons of boric acid. Dip the buckle (ONLY) in the hot pickle for 10 minutes. It should turn white.

Or you could take it to a jeweler, and have them check it out.

[Tools]

Judging by the close-up photo, I am now convinced that the joint is not welded. There is no melting of the parent metal on either side..

It is a solder joint.......... probably a strong silver solder.. That is typically the color a silver soldered joint would look.

My guess is that the two pieces are brought together with a strip of solder and flux in between, then the entire piece is heated until the strip melts and bonds the two pieces together...........

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by TheCanadian

Thanks for everyones feedback. I guess I am being paranoid lol. Just don't see how mine was discoloured and some others aren't. Oh well doesn't bother me as much now I'll just enjoy my watch :)

Yes.

[NMS75]

As stated above that is NOT rust, just discolouration from the weld.

M

[Johny]

Originally Posted by Tools

Judging by the close-up photo, I am now convinced that the joint is not welded. There is no melting of the parent metal on either side..

It is a solder joint.......... probably a strong silver solder.. That is typically the color a silver soldered joint would look.

My guess is that the two pieces are brought together with a strip of solder and flux in between, then the entire piece is heated until the strip melts and bonds the two pieces together...........

hi larry...im reserving judgement on this until i get more evidence. just cant make up my mind. need some cold hard facts. i wish that we had some jocke macros.

[TheCanadian]

I'll set up my tripod this weekend to take these macro shots as I took them all handheld lol. Jocke, maybe you can fly to Canada to take the photos lol. In all seriousness does anyone else have the same thing on their watch? If it's just discoloration I have no problem of just leaving and forgetting about it as long as it doesn't spread

[TSts]

Weld, solder joint? Neither. First is too aggressive, second is too weak. The clasp is brazed at that point, discoloration is normal as we braze articles here at my company. As ParisDakarBMW described above there is a process to take care of the discoloration. BTW, my IIC is normal in color - silver color as in the rest of the bracelet. I do find your discoloration to be odd.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by TheCanadian

I'll set up my tripod this weekend to take these macro shots as I took them all handheld lol. Jocke, maybe you can fly to Canada to take the photos lol. In all seriousness does anyone else have the same thing on their watch? If it's just discoloration I have no problem of just leaving and forgetting about it as long as it doesn't spread

its getting so serious that we will have to fly jocke in without delay. he will have to pack his new camera and tripod and pick up his assistant from Scotland.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by TSts

Weld, solder joint? Neither. First is too aggressive, second is too weak. The clasp is brazed at that point, discoloration is normal as we braze articles here at my company. As ParisDakarBMW described above there is a process to take care of the discoloration. BTW, my IIC is normal in color - silver color as in the rest of the bracelet. I do find your discoloration to be odd.

would brazing not discolour the whole thing and not just a narrow part.

[TSts]

Originally Posted by Johny

would brazing not discolour the whole thing and not just a narrow part.

It would, it depends on how agressive the brazing is (temperature and time wise) and what steps they would take to clean it up.

As I look at the clasp on my IIC I can see some discoloration (ever so slight - I've been working with different steels for 20 years and I do trust my eye!) due to heat on the blade going to the joint and also on the flip lock base that it joins to. Yet, the joint filler material is silver in material - as if attempts to clean it up have been made. All this I can see through my labs 40X microscope.

It appears to be a quick, yet aggressive braze joint.

Considering that Rolex robots are probably doing the work, the production process fits well with the high volume levels that are necessary.

[ParisDakarBmw]

My sub-c has it, and I'm not worried about it at all.

The metal isn't pitted, or oxidising any further. it is just a normal solder joint.

[ParisDakarBmw]

Also as clean, and perfect the joint is connected, I would say that an electric soldering process is used, and probably a machine at that.

I couldn't do it that crisp with a normal torch, solder, and flux on a 18k gold clasp. The area would usually need sanding to get it that perfect.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by ParisDakarBmw

Also as clean, and perfect the joint is connected, I would say that an electric soldering process is used, and probably a machine at that.

I couldn't do it that crisp with a normal torch, solder, and flux on a 18k gold clasp. The area would usually need sanding to get it that perfect.

hi p no dispute that it is a machine i think. fusion or non fusion is the question. and then welding. soldering or brazing. also is it only on two sides or all around.

[London Gent]

My GMT2c is exactly the same - don't worry.

While we are considering this part of the watch I wish the link was welded a bit further into the clasp - i.e more surface area welded.

It seems a potentially weak spot on the watch, although in all probability it will never be subject to a force strong enough to break it at that point.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by TSts

Weld, solder joint? Neither. First is too aggressive, second is too weak. The clasp is brazed at that point, discoloration is normal as we braze articles here at my company. As ParisDakarBMW described above there is a process to take care of the discoloration. BTW, my IIC is normal in color - silver color as in the rest of the bracelet. I do find your discoloration to be odd.

i was thinking may be plasma arc?

[TheCanadian]

Went to the AD this morning and confirmed it's solder lol. Showed me some TT watches that had the same thing. I can relax now lol

[Johny]

Originally Posted by TheCanadian

Went to the AD this morning and confirmed it's solder lol. Showed me some TT watches that had the same thing. I can relax now lol

well done.

[amaninspired]

My first post!

I had just noticed the same issue on my one-month old SS Daytona earlier today. I can relax now!