Review: Damasko DC 56 Black Chronograph

I've had this Damasko DC 56 Black Chronograph for almost a month now and I am very impressed with it so far.

Impressed with:

- the size

- the readability

- quality of the finishing and PVD coating



Damasko a watchmaker from Germany, started in 1994. They produces their own watch parts as well as watch movements and cases. At one point, they were producing watch cases for Sinn, another well known German watch brand.



This is not a brand new piece. I am probably the 3rd (and last!) owner of this piece, but upon picking this up from an SC bro, i was immediately impressed with the minty looking finishing.

Maybe it was not worn much or could have been a drawer queen... either or, you will normally see some scuff marks here and there. But there was none.



Before I get into the pictures and babble on about this watch, let's get the watch statistics out of the way:

(source: http://www.gnomonwatches.com"http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg10/big-e-294/Damasko%20DC56%20Black/DC56Black2.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy">



Size

At 40mm, it is the perfect size for my sub~6.5" wrist. The 7750 is not a big diameter movement, but it is very thick. Yet this case allows me to wear under my shirt cuff with ease.

So much so, it is very comfortable on either nato or leather strap.



Readability

The dial layout is very well thought out. At first glance, it looks like any other pilot watch with the typical pilot dial.

Yes, that is true, but if you look closely, the subdials, numbers, hands and even the day/date & logo placement is precisely placed to achieve they symmetry on the dial.



The day/date is modified, so that it is a little off center from the usual [3] hr position. Why?

It is so the Damasko name can be symmetrically placed at the [3] position together with the day/date!







The running second hand subdial at [9] is chosen to only have 4-crosshair rather than filled with second markers. The second sub-dial hand is also designed to have a similar length to the crosshair - distinguished only by the hands being slightly thicker.







The C1 Superluminova is applied as a 'dot' to indicate each hour and a lumed 'triangle' for the [12] marker. The hour and minute hand is lumed, but the subdials and main chrono hands are not.



Finishing and 'Damest' coating

I have always wanted a PVD watch, but heard of many stories on how it can be chipped off and the pvd layer wearing thin after a couple of year, which made me reluctant to purchase one.



When I came across Damasko, I was impressed by their patented steel-hardening process and the PVD Damest coating. All which results in a hardness up to approx 2500HV. Both of these processes increases the corrosion resistance of the steel.

However, the setback is that the Damasko steel become more susceptible to magnetization, which is why Damasko installs an antimagnetic shield in their timepieces.



I found some comparison graphs (source: http://watchotaku.com"http://www.damasko.de/eng" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.damasko.de/eng"http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg10/big-e-294/Damasko%20DC56%20Black/Damest-coating.png" alt="" loading="lazy">











It all sounds good in theory, but in the real world, how does this hold up?

I must say, so far so good!

When I picked up this piece, I expected some scuff marks. There was none.

I figured it could have been a drawer queen or had minimal wear. So I'll check on the underside of the lugs for the usual scratch marks which results from a couple of strap changes.

There surely will be some scratch marks from passing through so many owners changing straps - there was none!



On the second week of wear, I had whacked it quite hard against the toilet cubicle door. I took a deep breath and looked at the watch - no dents, no scratch (PHEW!)



So I am impressed that Damasko has delivery on its claims.















I probably could ramble on about this watch and the technology, but I won't bore you.

If you are interested, here are some links I came across:

http://www.damasko.de/eng/technik_damest-eng.htm"http://www.damasko.de/eng/" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.damasko.de/eng/"Technology" link)

http://watchotaku.com/display/swr/Materials+for+watchmaking"http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg10/big-e-294/Damasko%20DC56%20Black/DC56Black1.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy">



Thank you guys for reading. :D

And thanks to all the SC bros who advised me to get this Damasko (my first German watch and also my first ETA based watch).

excellent review Director



puts my other reviews to shame :lol: joking :mrgreen:

"lunarin79"

excellent review Director



puts my other reviews to shame :lol: joking :mrgreen:

tankew CEO... simple review. talk about what i like oni :oops: :oops: :oops:

It's was a impressive & into detail review... 8-) GX bro... 8-)

Wow Bagus BoyBigE, very well written Damasko review and i like it.



To be frank, I regret it but its all fine now cos I know you r one gd owner of the black DC56 ;) .

thanks guys...



i must add that the lume application, although it is even, but it is no where close to the brightness compared to my Seiko's Lumibrite lume.

"kermit e froggy"

Wow Bagus BoyBigE, very well written Damasko review and i like it.



To be frank, I regret it but its all fine now cos I know you r one gd owner of the black DC56 ;) .

Thanks Kermit for holding this for me :D

I'll take good care of her.

1+ like

:D great review.. Mod director :)

Nice and great review !

No horse run! Great review!!

A nice review! ;)

Tks for sharing.