Abe Fromen 1,620 Posted July 21, 2021 Not sure if this has been previously discussed but... I'm loving my titanium Peligos and i see them come up on M2M frequently at fair prices. Which got me thinking... titanium as a metal is expensive to make, expensive to manufacture and has amazing properties. Then there's 904L. Yes it's a higher grade than the regular stainless steel but why is the price difference between rep watches in Ti so vast for rep watches made of 904L? Is it truly just mark-up aka greed? Charge more because the client will pay it? FWIW I've had gen Rolexes made of 904L and IMHO there was zero difference in a real-world application between 904 and 316. IIRC 904 is supposed to be more stain and rust resistant, yet no one, not even a commercial diver, will really require this grade of stainless on their wrist watch. Overkill... whereas titanium does the job just as well and is lighter and has a different hue that some love or hate, but there it is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deju 1,860 Posted July 21, 2021 Ti is softer, most likely easier to work with. 904L is harder and therefore harder to machine and requires better tooling... More overheads more cost. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted July 21, 2021 Because they can. And a commercial diver won't wear a watch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abe Fromen 1,620 Posted July 21, 2021 15 minutes ago, NCRich said: Because they can. And a commercial diver won't wear a watch. I know this as my step-son is a commercial diver. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tribefan 6,768 Posted July 21, 2021 Titanium is more difficult to machine than steel. Ti big advantage is weight / density. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zarbus 138 Posted July 22, 2021 On the one hand, Titanium is expensive to make/work with, but we can assume it's been around long enough in many different industries for these processes and machinery to be well known and "easy" to implement. In the other hand, 904L steel is known to be difficult to machine and apart from very specialized industries using it for its superior corrosion resistance, it's kind of overkill for most applications and 316L is enough. Which may explain why the processes and machinery are still expensive. Now the question is: is the 904L steel in reps real 904L steel? Apart from a subtle difference in how it shines, random people would not be able to tell and are not going to run sulphuric acid tests on their reps. Also is it possible to slightly change the formula of 316L to just change the way it shines enough for it to pass for 904L? For Titanium it's easy to tell if it's really titanium since it's very light. Anyways, just a few thoughts but I don't want to confuse people or create unfounded doubts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abe Fromen 1,620 Posted July 22, 2021 Spoiler Spoiler Interesting thought of changing 316 recipe to make it shine like 904L. I mean, the difference is quite minimal and I'm sure it can be done. I just thought it odd that new 904L type watches were pushing up close the $1000... when you can get a Ti Peligos for much less than half that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GenTLe 1,496 Posted July 23, 2021 16 hours ago, Abe Fromen said: Reveal hidden contents Reveal hidden contents Interesting thought of changing 316 recipe to make it shine like 904L. I mean, the difference is quite minimal and I'm sure it can be done. I just thought it odd that new 904L type watches were pushing up close the $1000... when you can get a Ti Peligos for much less than half that. It has nothing to do with 904L, it has to do with the fact they are fake rolex and people are ok to pay those stupid prices. Only that. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCRich 13,745 Posted July 23, 2021 6 minutes ago, GenTLe said: It has nothing to do with 904L, it has to do with the fact they are fake rolex and people are ok to pay those stupid prices. Only that. It's called marketing. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Intresting 21,669 Posted July 23, 2021 54 minutes ago, NCRich said: It's called marketing. aka smoke and mirrors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abe Fromen 1,620 Posted July 23, 2021 2 hours ago, GenTLe said: It has nothing to do with 904L, it has to do with the fact they are fake rolex and people are ok to pay those stupid prices. Only that. Oh i know. Personally I'd never pay a premium for a replica 904L rolex. The regular 316s pass muster just fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tribefan 6,768 Posted July 23, 2021 There are some long threads over on RWI on the actual content of 904 in rep watches, one of the TD's had a tester verify. Most of them had little if any 904. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zarbus 138 Posted July 23, 2021 3 hours ago, tribefan said: There are some long threads over on RWI on the actual content of 904 in rep watches, one of the TD's had a tester verify. Most of them had little if any 904. Not too surprised. The rep world rewards with its gems those who do some research and punishes those who impulse buy based on marketing and hype. Actually the Gen world is the same 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rozza72 58 Posted August 27, 2021 On 21/07/2021 at 15:54, tribefan said: Titanium is more difficult to machine than steel. Ti big advantage is weight / density. On a complete side note, when the US was researching into the predecessor for the SR71 Blackbird they didn’t have enough TI to build it. Biggest producer was the soviet union, so they bought it off the USSR…love it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
