I often get asked just how tough (the case and bracelet) the metal Dia-Schild and Duratec (scratch-resistant) metal truly is.

Scratch-resistant 'Dia-Shiled' 'Duratect' 'DLC'. Since this has been resurrected and is walking, check what Seiya Kobayashi has to say on the matter. I'll take a stab at the how-to in metals hardening if there is interest. I hope this short vocab guide makes it easier for the confused. Next time the question ' Which is better, Duratec or bright?' comes up, just note that 1) the spelling is way off and 2) the answer is way more involved than a yes-no. The only difference between Casio and their competitors is the absence of branding such as Duratect (a rather confusing term) and Diashield. Casio employs all these methods in their Oceanus and MRG lines, which are Ti only. It's possible the softer Ti on the Spirit is to blame though.ĭLC, CVD (TIC/TIN and similar), IP etc refer to the hardening technologies, as they are commonly known. The performance and aesthetics of a Diashield Spirit lags behind a Brightz, for example. Unfortunately, it appears the Diashield quality correlates with price band. A Brightz watch scratches about as easily as an SS one, but is much lighter.ĭiashield is Seiko's version of DLC, and many new JDM models are Diashield treated. The main advantage though, is it's virtually indistinguishable from SS. Brightz is a Seiko developed Ti alloy that's 30% harder than steel, and much harder than regular Ti. Rather the type of Duratect, for example, TIN, TIC, PTIC, MRK, DLC, GTIC, IP or combinations thereof must be specified.īrightz and Diashield are registered by Seiko. In short, it is not descriptive to say Duratect.

A Duratect marked watch (on the caseback) has been surface treated, but a variety of methods are used on different models to achieve different levels of hardness and finish. It is Japlish for dura-techko or durable technology. I'd like to offer a brief walk-through of the various terms one will come across shopping for a high-end JDM quartz.ĭuratect is a marketing term registered by Citizen. To date, very few of these watches have been offered to the international market, which explains the dearth of English literature on these technologies.

The big three Japanese watchmakers have been quietly adding scratch-resistant watch cases and bracelets to their lineup since the 90s, especially Citizen.

Super lucid chromium plating cylinder