18K Gold Longines Evidenza Watch

[WVEngraver]

I was hoping to get this watch back from the store to complete the coverage as only the front was engraved for the Christmas rush.

A very useful tip which I learned was to antique the gold background by using some Midas Black Max applied with a small, soft stainless steel bristle brush. It only works on gold if you use stainless to apply it. Lightly polish it off and it leaves the background dark. Thanks fer lookin'. Chris

[Peter]

Looks great Chris.

Peter

[jetta77]

Very nice, and a good idea with regards to blackening the gold.
Jeff

[Ddbltrbl]

Beautiful watch Chris! And, thanks for the antiquing tip!

[nomentalgiant]

Chris,

The watch looks fantastic!

I'm curious whether you had to take out the movement before engraving, or can these watches tolerate the impact of a pneumatic graver without a problem?

[Vanknife]

Good day Chris,
This is nice embellishment to a good looking watch, well done.

Cheers

"VAN"

[Roger Bleile]

Outstanding The watch could not be better. Beautiful design and execution.

CRB

[rbaptiste]

Very nice and clean work

[jlseymour]

Very nice Chris, your engraving gives the watch allot class...
Jerry

[WVEngraver]

Thank-you Peter, Van, Roger, Roland and Jerry - I initially thought the design was going to be too simple but it seemed to come together after shading and antiquing.


Hi Ddbl and Jeff - glad the tip is of help. I don't know why it only works with the stainless brush but if you apply it with anything else, it just runs off the gold and does nothing.

Hi James - yes, this watch was completely disassembled except for the crystal which is sealed in at the factory. I used clear packing tape over the crystal and used an Exacto to trim the excess.

I pre-polished by hand (using 2000 grit paper) to get out the small scratches and dents then engraved it. A final polish then a quick immersion in an ultrasonic cleaner with Magic Luster rouge remover then it's ready for the Black Max.


Chris

[brandvik]

Chris,

That's gorgeous. The design, the cutting and the background are all perfection. Thanks for posting.

[D.DOUGLAS]

Chris, Looking good. Nice photo too!

[Daniel Houwer]

Nice Watch Chris!
Can I ask how you fix it on your vise? Also take it that the clockwork has to come out just like the glass.

Daniel

[WVEngraver]

Thank-you Jim + Doug. The photo was taken inside of one of those little white pop tents made for photos. Those little things are amazing.

Hi Daniel - that's an excellent question. I used 4 steel pins with the little rubber tubing on them. They worked out well because I didn't need to hold the bezel tight. 18K cuts real easy. Everything came out but the crystal as that is pressed in at the factory.

Thanks again guys and I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Chris

[Herman Knives]

Chris, did you use our old standby Monarch or the Lindsay Classic?

[WVEngraver]

Well well well Herman ... you're not trying to stir the pot of free enterprise and commercial opportunity between competitive engraving implement manufacturers again?

I know how much more emphasis you put on the tools over skill so I'll answer your question honestly ......

I'm using my Classic almost always now that I've become accustomed to the foot pedal. There are rare exceptions, like for this watch, where I used these new high-tech precision instruments .... I just got them back from Rome where they were blessed by the Pope so I can't miss. The blessed olive oil sure helps the cutting too. I'll be more than happy to lend them to you especially if it will help you with your fine line shading.:smilie5:

[FlatBrokeForge]

Chris,

How do you maneuver all those tools under your microscope?

Or did you just do your cutting with the naked eye?:fingerscrossed:

Also, what angle is the chisel sharpened to? Heel?

[SpiderCurt]

Hi chris

Now I know why I haven't been getting much depth in my background relief... I haven't been using a big enough nail

[PatP]

wow thats stunning, great job on that fine watch.

[WVEngraver]

Thank-you very much Pat.

Chris

[pilkguns]

that's a real nice job on a difficult object

[Dave London]

Chris
Excellent work thanks for showing:whoo:

[WVEngraver]

Thank-you Scott and Dave. I appreciate it very much.

Chris

[JJ Roberts]

Chris...Beautiful design..well executed in a tight space. You got a bright future in engraving.

Yours truly,
JJ Roberts, Manassas, VA

[WVEngraver]

Thank-you JJ.

We'll see how this economy plays out. There's a chance I could be venturing into the field of french fry engineering before summer . It's no big deal, it's like riding a bicycle.....

[D.DOUGLAS]

Hey chris i was looking at your tools. You engrave I beams with those? I bet you have some big Guns.

[KDavid]

Beautiful watch Chris, are you still working in your underground bunker?
David

[ron]

hey Dave ,,, yes he is ,, he only comes out in Feb. with the ground hogs..:smilie5::smilie5::smilie5:and hey don't pick on Chris after all i gave him those tools , i told him that is what beginner engravers use .ron p.

hey Chris ... are we still friends ..

[WVEngraver]

Hahaha!! You guys are too funny.

The Pope told me I can cut anything with those tools and it seems to be working ... orange scaly patina and all

You're such a wonderful teacher Ron. Of course we are still friends but you still haven't told me what it is exactly you teach:smilie5:.

I have a confession to make, my bunker is actually above ground. All poured concrete and re-inforced block. One way in and one way out with full video surveillance recording 24/7. I'd really like to have a model 1874 Gatlin gun in 45/70 on my deck but I'll settle for a miniature Napoleon. The caisson would make a great card playing table in the summertime.

Catch you guys later and thank-you.

Chris

[Steve Lindsay]

Originally Posted by WVEngraver

Chris, I am examining the picture of your hammer with the wrap on the handle. Is that a special grip material? I believe I have seen this used often on the Red-Green show.

Did you see the definition of a hammer in the water cooler?
HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer
nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the
most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to
hit.



Chris.. The watch is beautiful!! Keep up the good work

Originally Posted by WVEngraver

Steve

[Dale]

Hey Chris impressive man, I love it.

I will share something with you I picked up that would look fantastic on a watch like this with the engraving.

I have always loved the black enamel inlay with a gold or silver case.

I did a solid nickel case that was already engraved and did my own black enamel inlay which turned out quite nicely.

What I did was mask off the case around the engraved parts and the rest of the case I did not want enamel on.

I then powder coated the case with a thin coat, stuck it in the oven for a small bit of time, did another thin coat while hot, heated it again, and did this three or four times till the top part of the case was covered.

Then I did the initial curing bake.

After that I sanded with fine sand paper until I could see the engraving through the baked powder coat enamel and after that took my polishing wheel to it.

The cool thing about this is if you ever scratch the stuff which is hard to do, you can always buff it to a shine again and buff out the scratches in the enamel.
I have tried to upload a photo of it, hopefully it will work.

Way to go Chris, I love it man, you inspire me.

Dale

[KDavid]

The Red Green Show is one of my favorite shows:smilie5: