Question: Watches to engrave

I've been thinking about trying my hand at engraving watches. I know that some are just horrendous to cut and others are quite nice. What brands are good and where can you get your hands on new ones that will work??

Hi Silverchip

Just about any watch will do the job..............Naturally you want to avoid anything plated but other than that most watches should be perfectly fine.

The watch metals, as far as cutting goes, can vary considerably. Not all 316L cuts the same. There is a big difference between cases of different brands............cast, machined, blah, blah, blah. All the usual stuff.

I wouldn't say any of them are nice to cut..........that would be really stretching it. Watch metal has it's own unique characteristics that you will soon find out is different from most other metals.

Buy a good looking cheap watch which has good areas to engrave and is made of 316L Stainless................and have a play. That will tell you everything you need to know

Cheers
Andrew

Hello Silverchip- I am currently finishing up an Invicta that I bought on Amazon for about $80. There are many others as low as about $50. As Andrew mentioned it doesn't cut easily but it cuts! As you are browsing watches on Amazon you can look at the description and be sure it is labeled 316 for the case material.

Thanks guys I'll get shopping!!

Where does it say the type of stainless? Mine just says stainless steel.

Because it says stainless steel I believe you can assume it is 316 due to the anti-magnetic properties of 316. My understanding is that companies like Rolex have their own specific brand of stainless that is perhaps a bit easier to engrave. I hope to engrave a Rolex someday!

Thanks you.