# Why Do "Silver" Watch Dials Appear Off-White?



## Peter Atwood (Feb 16, 2006)

Title says it all. I have owned many classic watches with silvered dials but I don't understand why they appear to be a warm off-white in color. Can someone explain the process to me? Thanks!


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## Rav3n07 (Feb 25, 2015)

Maybe an issue with your eye sight?


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## Peter Atwood (Feb 16, 2006)

Umm, no, my eyesight is just fine. You have shiny silver like metal and then you have a creamy off white like on this watch dial:


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## ParsonsArcher (Oct 8, 2014)

It's the brushing & natural oxidation that causes the dial to have a "whiteish" hue


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## Somewhere else (Feb 17, 2006)

ParsonsArcher said:


> It's the brushing & natural oxidation that causes the dial to have a "whiteish" hue


There is no "natural oxidation" on a watch dial. This is stopped by the lacquer or the dial would turn black. Once a dial is stamped out, there are any number of surface finishes that can be put on it. One option is to silver plate it. In most cases, ones this is done, it is lapped or honed to produce the whitish color such as your Dornbleuth dial shows. The dial is then immediately lacquers to avoid corrosion. This is the classical method. However, in the case of the Dornbluet dial, I would be very surprised if it was anything other than a solid silver dial, but the process is the same, except in this case, you have a surface that is much easier to work with than silver plate.

You don't see this too often anymore, but by masking honed areas, you can get several colors of silver on the dial, ranging from the off white color to bright silver. I once made a series of dials for a client --a teddy bear company--that used this effect. I had them made by the Schwam Dial Company in Lancaster, PA, which unfortunately now is entirely privately owned, and not accepting outside work.

What dial makers are doing much more frequently is changing to using aluminum dials, and the honing or lapping them to give the right color. This cuts out the entire step of silver plating, and also gives you a surface that is more controllable for final finishing than silver plate.

Incidentally, one of the best places to find out about honing, lapping or other surface treatments on silver plate is on saxaphone and other wind instrument forums. They're much less reticent about trading the "secrets" of how to get these various finishers than dial makers are, who guard their finishing secrets jealously.


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## spain72 (Oct 27, 2010)

"Refraction" probably plays a role on it all. Try to check difference between dials under a sapphyre glass and those under a plexy...


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## G. I. (Feb 28, 2015)

spain72 said:


> "Refraction" probably plays a role on it all.


The smoothness of the dial surface even more. A mirror polished silver surface would reflect the environment (specular reflection), a matte or frosted one has more and more diffuse reflections that change the colour of the surface.


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## Arie Kabaalstra (Nov 24, 2013)

the off-white color is achieved by "picling"the silver with sulfuric acid or sodium bisulfate.

after making the dial, of solid silver, it is polished or lapped, and then put in the acid solution for a couple of minutes, then sometimes heated with a gas torch..
this gives the silver it's fine texture that makes it appear off-white..


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## Leonine (Mar 27, 2012)

It's simply different colors reflecting off the silver surface. Different surroundings make it appear different colors. 

Otherwise how would you actually know it is silver?


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## mikewood (Mar 7, 2015)

It's the light. 
Different colors of white light are designated by temperature. The more red the lower. The more blue the higher. Red light makes things look muddy or tan. Blue light makes them look clean or icy. Daylight is about 4300 or more red than blue. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## dimman (Feb 10, 2013)

Lacquer or clear coats aren't always 100% clear/untinted. This is particularly true with vintage. First the old lacquer has a slight tint, second the lacquer degrades over time (from oxidation and probably UV).


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## Somewhere else (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm curious. You asked precisely the same question on the repair forum and seem to have even moved all the answers over here including mine. What is it that wasn't answered? Maybe you can explain this to us and we can try better to answer your question.


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