Wear, scratch and impact resistance tests

Degradation of the visual aspect of a watch or jewel when worn is an essential perceived quality factor for the consumer.

Surface alterations of items can be due to all kinds of stresses, in particular mechanical stresses. 

It is possible to evaluate, or even reproduce in the laboratory, some of the effects of mechanical deterioration of items when worn. We have developed scratch and impact tests based on meticulous observation of market returns, tests which are reproduced in standard ISO 23160 for watch cases and their accessories, which describes the tests below.

Vibration wear using mobile ceramic chips is a test initially developed for gold plating. It is used to subject items to intense dynamic abrasion wear. Particularlysevere on thin coatings, it provides a qualitative verification of quality and adhesion of the coatings.

Scratch and impact tests effectively reproduce the sensitivity of items to scratching by friction on non-abrasive surfaces, as well as damage resulting from accidental friction against very rough, hard and abrasive surfaces.