IT TURNS OUT THESE ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 304L, 316L, AND 904L STAINLESS STEEL IN WATCHES
Watch Studio Lovers, for those of you who love watches with stainless steel bracelets, you must be familiar with stainless steel codes such as 304L, 316L, and 904L. But do you understand the differences between these codes? Or have you just been wearing them without knowing the differences? This time, Watch Studio will thoroughly explain the differences between each code so that you can choose watches with the best stainless steel quality!
- Stainless Steel 304L
Type 304L is the most common and easily found stainless steel. Besides being used for watches, 304L stainless steel is also used for various household products such as the cooking utensils you commonly use. 304L stainless steel is relatively affordable. Therefore, watches with 304L stainless steel typically fall into the low-end watch category and are not part of luxury watch lines.
Watches with 304L stainless steel are more susceptible to corrosion than the other two types, 316L and 904L. They are also more susceptible to acid and can easily darken over long periods of use due to a higher carbon content compared to 316L.
- Stainless Steel 316L
This is the most common type of stainless steel found and used by watch manufacturers, with better corrosion resistance than type 304L. Type 316L has a high molybdenum content. The higher the molybdenum in stainless steel, the more corrosion-resistant it is.
If you have seen or heard the terms marine grade steel or surgical steel, these are other terms for type 316L. Due to its strength in resisting corrosion, this type is often used in the medical and marine industries. Therefore, various terms mentioned earlier have emerged. Medium to high-end (luxury) watches very often use 316L stainless steel.
- Stainless Steel 904L
The most superior type of stainless steel used by watch manufacturers is type 904L. Compared to the other two types, 904L has the highest corrosion resistance. You will often find this type of 904L in luxury Swiss Watch lines. For example, Rolex. Although type 904L is indeed more difficult to process, the final result of watches using this type of stainless steel looks smoother and its color is also brighter due to its low carbon content and high chromium content.
Of the three types of stainless steel commonly used for watches, to get a watch with good enough quality while keeping the price quite affordable, watches using 316L stainless steel are recommended. This type is already luxurious enough for watch lovers and users.
To get your favorite stainless steel watch, you can buy it at Watch Studio Indonesia, both in our online and offline stores. Here are some Watch Studio recommendations for you stainless steel watch lovers,