Is PVD coating good or bad?

I think there are a lot of pvd black watches that wear very well when the sharp edges get exposed. As for gold tone pvd I’m a bit more hesitant, both because they don’t age as well and because the colour is hard to get right.

I will let you know but it's definitely prone to scratching off

That’s is what I was worried about. It scratching off easily

My Holton Pro has been ok. Think Elliot Brown does some case hardening treatment. Whether or not it's before or after the PVD don't know. But it's held up pretty well.

It’s not nearly as hard as DLC coating. It’s really depends on how hard you are on your watches. PVC scratches fairly easily.

I like the Hamilton pictures above which has the PVD coated bracelet as well. The bracelet is what I am worried about. Especially the rub points such as the clasp. I can see it looking bad quickly and ruining the look of the watch

I have only ever owned black pvd watches and they have held up great. Hamilton has a really great coating. Seiko puts a hard-coating on theirs. I actually had an issue with a spring bar snapping out on my Sumo. It didn't scratch it but instead dented the stainless steel. The pvd coating is still fully intact

I tend to shy away from them. I had a Citizen Promaster Land GMT that was black PVD. It picked up a pretty significant ding early on, and I would not consider myself to be particularly hard on my watches.

While I think they look awesome. I don’t think it’s worth the up charge for something that may not last. I am not one to be easy on watches

I have the hamilton above and I personally can't wait for it to patina with wear. I got really into having a PVD watch after watching some rolex AD talk about how PVD coating ruined a beautiful watch..... honestly I thought it looked amazing, that watch had so much personality. It was worn and you could see it in every link. To me that made it one of a kind and I immediately thought if I eventually find a watch like that I would get it

That’s a cool take on it

Coatings always wear eventually. Sometimes its a cool battle worn look if you are not into the mint look.

Depends. I like a black case, but I do not care for PVD bracelet. Like car paint, not all PVD is created equally. Would also lean DLC first.

DLC is better that PVD but of course you have to pay a premium for it. I'd been thinking about having a pvd since I saw a Ball, and this came to mind. I think I would wear it and let it be letting the wear and tear be part of the character of the watch

If all my watches, the black PVD Hamilton Khaki King shows the most wear.

I have 3 watches with PVD but since I am very careful and I also rotate my watches, they are in perfect condition.

I have the same sentiment as you. I really like the look of a blackout watch but very afraid of the black coating wearing off or showing scratches of the silver metal underneath. As someone who gets bothered by scratches on my regular stainless steel watches, i think pvd is not for me. Yes i baby my watches but not to the point that i dont wear them. 😄

DLC is a much thinner but far harder coating (Diamond) —but chips easier - while PVD is thicker coating but softer material (titanium nitrate) and has a matte finish. More colors available in PVD. PVD does not chip easy but does scratch.

I have dlc coating on my bracelet that i got from Strapcode and i scratches it the first day i had it (which honestly doesn't bother me that much. It's a memory from a family vacation) but i have never scratched my pvd watches. I rotate them but i wear them daily and i recently downsized so the rotation is shorter

This will be 2 years old in February and there is nary a scratch

In the case of black coating, I would go for DLC coating rather than PVD. And if the watch is made from titanium then PVD is more prone to scratches than on steel cases. On titanium it is usually done for surface protection primarily than aesthetics. Has its pros and cons.

The DLC coating is thinner but it more like a bond to the metal (basically carbon bonding) and doesn't scratch easily and gives an extra layer of protection on the surface. It can be refinished also through brushing and polishing. Plus it doesn't fade over time.

PVD on the other hand is a coating that is prone to scratches and fading. It will depend on how good the quality of coating is on the watch. The higher end MR-G G-Shocks are known for their advanced PVD coating methods that are superior to anything else on the market.

Citizen has titanium cases in their expensive models that has a grey color tone which is done through their titanium alloy and lacks any PVD, also gets their Duratec coating. It is a nice alternative if you dont want to go full PVD especially in the case of titanium.