View the Oceanus OCWM700TBA-1AV Photo Gallery.

Watch Report recently received the black Ion Plated Oceanus OCWM700TBA-1AV. Since I already reviewed its silver-colored titanium sibling (the Oceanus OCWM700TDA-1AV) which has identical functionality, I decided to use this opportunity to write an article on the process of turning metal watches black.

When deciding which materials to use for a watch case or bracelet, manufactures have to take several things into consideration like cost, intended use, desired color, and target weight. They also have to consider the drawbacks of various materials. For instance, titanium is strong, super light, durable, non-corrosive, non-allergenic (some people cannot wear stainless steel due to nickel allergies), and unlike stainless steel, it's unaffected by salt water. This combination makes titanium a great material for dive watches, however one drawback is that its surface hardness is relatively low which means it's easily scratched.

One method that can be used to change the surface properties of a material is called Physical Vapor Deposition, or PVD (you'll also see it labeled as Ion Plating, or IP, which is a variant on PVD). The PVD process involves placing the item to be coated in an inert (non-reactive) atmosphere, heating it up to 400° C or so (depending on the process), and basically spraying it with the molecules that you want to coat it with. That's the general process, however there are a lot of subtle variations like using charged ions for the ion plated variation. PVD has been around since 1838 and is heavily used in semiconductor manufacturing, automobiles, and many other places including, or course, watches.

PVD results in a coating up to a micron or so thick that's tightly bonded to the base material. It won't flake off, as the coating is interpenetrated with the underlying material which is what makes it different from paint, powder coats, or anodizing. If you hit it with sufficient force, however, you can go through the PVD and into the material below, and since it's still a coating, polishing to remove scratches is not recommended.

Another more advanced technique is Chemical Vapor Deposition, or CVD. The main difference between PVD and CVD is that the deposited material is produced via a chemical reaction instead of directly coating the surface. The titanium nitride hardening on the Citizen PMT56-2711 that I reviewed is the product of CVD, and holds up extremely well.

Better still is DLC, or diamond-like Carbon, where, via secret-sauce processes, the surface of a watch is coated with something very much like synthetic diamond! With an incredible surface hardness, this is very nearly impossible to scratch, and can been seen on some high-end Citizens like the Attesa, on the Casio MR-G watches, and on watches like the Rado V10K. DLC is also used in the engines of most super sport motorcycles, on implantable human heart pumps, and in other exotic tasks than can afford the artistry required to create it.

In the world of watches, PVD is most commonly used to produce a flat black "stealth" finish which is quite attractive. It wears better than the stainless or titanium underneath it, and is used on both cases and bracelets. There is a lot of variation in the technique used, so different brands and models will have different levels of durability; unfortunately, the relative quality is hard to discern when purchasing. Be aware that PVD cannot be re-applied, and even marquee brands like Panerai will only remove the coating if its damaged. Many people consider scratches in PVD finishes to be signs of real use, however. They feel that scratches give a "tool" watch some serious character, and wouldn't buff them out even if they could.

View the Oceanus OCWM700TDA-1AV Photo Gallery (silver titanium).

View the Oceanus OCWM700TBA-1AV Photo Gallery (black titanium).

Announced in July 2007, the sleek and professional Oceanus OCWM700TDA-1A is the latest addition to the Oceanus line of classically styled quartz watches with leading-edge technical features. This Oceanus (which I'll call the 5 Motor Tide Graph) is similar to the OCW600TDA-1AV previously reviewed, however the 5 Motor Tide Graph seems a little more geared toward the worldwide business traveler; not only can it receive atomic time calibration signals in the US, but also in Japan, Germany, and England.

The feature of the Oceanus 5 Motor Tide Graph that I find most interesting is, well, the tide graph. At the top of the multi-function dial at the 3 o'clock position is a small tide chart. Moving from right to left, it indicates local tide height based on latitude and the intertidal interval. Since tides vary with local geography, you can calibrate the watch to match your local cycle.

What sort of globe-trotting person needs a tide graph? My personal theory is new managers who still surf, sail, or dive. I have a co-worker in exactly that role, and he really likes this Oceanus. Combined with the non-corroding titanium case and 100M water resistance, it can go from surfing to staff meeting and look great both places.

Oceanus has just released a very nice new 5 Motor watch. I recently reviewed an earlier 5 Motor model which I was very impressed with. If you are new to Oceanus watches, Oceanus is a Casio brand which does an excellent job of combining digital technology with a clean and handsome design.

The point of the 5 Motor is to pack a great deal of functionality into a nice looking case without using a single LCD. Why the aversion to LCDs? Simple aesthetics. Having a high-tech watch used to mean trading a clean, classic design for LCDs and big blocky digital numbers. The Oceanus 5 Motor is for men who are geeks at heart, but who don't want to wear their geekiness on their sleeves.

For an in-depth review of the 5 Motor and its features, check out my review of the OCW600TDA-1AV. The OCWM700TDA-1A has the following new features:

• The new 5 Motor is now a multi-band atomic watch, which means it is capable of calibrating in the US, UK, Germany, and in Japan. (Previous models only calibrated in the US and Japan.)
• Tide indicator. After selecting your home city, the new Oceanus 5 Motor will give you a rough indication of the local tides.
• Available in a very nice black IP (ion-plated) finish (titanium version shown here).

Update: Read the Oceanus OCWM700TDA review.

View the Oceanus 5 Motor photo gallery.

Oceanus seems to represent Casio's desire to creep upmarket in the US. In Japan, you can actually drop over $1,000 on a high-end Casio G-Shock, but to most Americans, the brand Casio usually means geeky at best, and cheap at worst. Frequent readers of Watch Report know better, however. In my opinion, Casio makes some of the most technologically advanced, rugged, and interesting digital watches available. But since Casio doesn't have time to wait for Watch Report to enlighten the entire American watch-buying public, they have repackaged their ingenuity into a shiny new brand: Oceanus.

I do think Oceanus watches are deserving of a brand all their own. With features that go beyond even my favorite US G-Shocks (titanium construction, handsome, low-profile cases, sapphire crystals), they deserve a chance to make their own way in the market.

The Oceanus 5 Motor is a further refinement of the Oceanus line. It boasts most of the features of the Oceanus Chronograph, but without the LCD in the 3 o'clock position. Why was Casio motivated to completely remove the LCD and figure out how to cram five individual motors into a single case? The point of the Oceanus 5 Motor is that it's a geeky watch that doesn't look like a geeky watch, so the fewer LCDs and LEDs, the better.

The downside of removing the LCD is that the watch gets slightly more complicated. The unit I received didn't come with an instruction manual, and after about 10 minutes of playing with buttons and watching the seven hands (seven!) spin and reel, I headed online to hunt down a PDF version of the booklet. Fortunately, with a little guidance, I found the 5 Motor fairly easy to use, however if you're the type who refuses to read manuals, you probably won't get the most out of this watch.

Casio accomplishes another first with the Oceanus. There's nothing new about combining atomic time calibration with solar power, but I don't think I've ever seen a solar-powered atomic chronograph. The Oceanus is a very functional and sophisticated watch in a rugged but attractive package. Features include:

• Solar powered.
• Atomic time calibration.
• Chronograph with a resolution of 1/20th of a second.
• Stopwatch with a resolution of 1/100th of a second.
• 5 daily alarms.
• Dual time (monitor the time in a second time zone).
• LED "auto light". (The LEDs can be configured to illuminate automatically when the watch is tilted toward your face.)
• Titanium or stainless steel case.
• Choice of titanium or stainless steel bracelet, or genuine leather strap.
• Sapphire crystal.
• Tachymeter.
• Automatic calendar.
• Water resistant to 100 meters, or about 330 feet.