Ruby & Rach - the Reuben

Good Living Growers' Market
Pyrmont
Sydney
3 September 2011

One of the things about twitter is that sometimes, the pace of your tweetstream is so rapid that without bookmarking it, it can be hard recall where you read about something.

In this instance, it was Tony Gibson's venture "Ruby & Rach", a new sandwich stall at the monthly Pyrmont Markets serving only two items - a Reuben sandwich, and a Rachel sandwich, and with its inaugural appearance on 3 September. I cannot for the life of me remember who tweeted about it.

The Reuben is what drew me there, as well being intrigued by the idea of someone being dedicated to producing only two sandwiches.

Inevitably, I chose the wrong way to do the market circuit in search of the Reuben, and it was one of the last stalls I came to. By that point, all you could hear from me was "WHERE IS IT?!?"

Examples of both sandwiches sit at the front of the stall for illustrative purposes. The Reuben ($9.50), described as "corned Wagyu, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing on Rye", is made from 72 hour brined Wagyu.

As each order is placed, the bread is toasted, the corned beef hand-sliced and then warmed up, the cheese melted etc, and the completed sandwich wrapped in a what appears to be butcher's paper, which is great, space wise, for sandwich consumption.

Swatch’s Trésor Magique

Back in the early-mid 1990s, there was what I think of as the height of Swatch limited edition madness, when the release of special models would lead to overnight queues at Swatch boutiques, and it would get a little crazy. I only queued once, for the Vivienne Westood 'Orb' Pop Swatch, which I purchased to give as a gift.

It was also during this period that Swatch came out with what may be the most valuable, gram for gram, Swatch that they’ve made, the Trésor Magique Platinum 950.

‘Millesimal fineness’ is the system of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as ‘750’. 950 is the most common purity for platinum jewellery.

Made in an edition of 12,999, it was launched in 1993 by Nicolas G. Hayek at the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange) for the official price of US$1618.

The Falconer

The Falconer

31 Oxford St

Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Ph: (02) 9267 8434

You know how it is when you suddenly get a craving for the comfort food that is a steak sandwich?

Yes, that.

Unfortunately, wanting a steak sandwich and being able to find a steak sandwich at that exact time…a quick online search lead to the tantalising possibility that one might possibly be available at the old Oxford St stalwart which has been revitalised in the last few years through new ownership, The Falconer.

As a young kid, for a number years there was an almost weekly treat of a fabulous steak sandwich from a particular café in Canberra. It was a cut above the average 'old school' steak sandwich, as not only was the takeaway container a polystyrene box, but the steak was always good quality and cooked to medium, never well done, as tends to be the default position with steak sandwiches.

Fortunately, there was a steak sandwich on the lunchtime menu at The Falconer.

Described as a “steak sandwich with smoked mozzarella, crispy onion, slow roasted tomato and fries”, at $16 I wondered - would it be worth it?

The steak knife boded well.

It turned out to be not only an open sandwich, but only on a single slice of (toasted) bread, so if you want a sandwich that you can get your hands around and bite into, this is not for you. I admit that I’d have liked that second slice of bread.

The amount of bread notwithstanding, this is a pretty good steak sandwich, the beef generous in portion, tender and juicy. The melted smoked mozzarella, was something that I wasn’t so sure about, but once I ate it, I was pretty convinced. The crispy onions, fried to a point similar to that of fried shallots, were tasty, but occasionally a bit of a bugger to eat, as they kept on falling off.  The shoestring fries were generous in quantity, crisp and decently salted, the mixed greens not really dressed, and not really all that exciting, but providing some food greenery I guess.

As well as the steak sandwich, I ordered a blood orange juice ($5). This was surprisingly rather bland, I shall not order it again.

Was the sandwich worth the $16, and would I order again? I enjoyed it and would eat it again happily, but if I were to have another steak sandwich craving, I am not sure that I would necessarily wish to spend $16 each time.

However, the Falconer is a very welcoming comfortable place, and this was not my first visit there, nor will it be my last.

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Il Bacaro

Il Bacaro Cucina e Bar
170 Little Collins St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 96546778

The moment we walked in, we were greeted by a warm, dimly-lit restaurant. The restaurant proper is based around an 'U-shaped' bar with small intimate tables spread around it.

Il Bacaro is a relatively small and intimate place that buzzes with life and chatter. Whilst we were disappointed of not being able to be accommodated at our booked time (8.30pm), we were quickly accommodated at the bar, enjoying a house prosecco. This is a great alternative to Champagne, refreshing and slightly sweet.

Soon we were settled at our table. The hardest thing to do was choosing what to have! With the slowdown in my metabolism, I find I have less reserve in terms of calorie-loading and so what I choose becomes really important.

The bread was a standard affair - white bread with olive oil. Nothing to really report here except that it was quite tasty.

My first course was the double-cooked quail, while M chose the porcini mushroom risotto.

Tech Talk No.2 : 316L vs 904L (Grades of Stainless Steel)

This second in the 'Tech Talk' series will also be about watch materials, in this case, stainless steel.

A good majority of watch companies use 316L grade stainless steel for their cases. But, one brand in particular, insists on using 904L. So what's the difference? 

First, the dry stuff…

316L - Grade 316 is the standard molybdenum-bearing grade. The molybdenum gives Grade 316 high corrosion resistant properties and particularly high resistance to pitting (a form of extremely localised corrosion that leads to the creation of small holes in the metal) and crevice corrosion in chloride environments. Grade 316L is the low carbon version of 316. There is not much price difference between 316 and 316L.

Grade		C	Mn	Si	P	S	Cr	Mo	Ni	N
316L	Min	-	-	-	-	-	16.0	2.00	10.0	-
	Max	0.03	2.0	0.75	0.045	0.03	18.0	3.00	14.0	0.10

904L - Grade 904L is a non-stabilised low carbon high alloy austenitic stainless steel. The addition of copper to this grade gives it greatly improved resistance to strong reducing acids, particularly sulphuric acid. It is also highly resistant to chloride attack - both pitting/ crevice corrosion and stress corrosion cracking. It is also non-magnetic in all conditions. Further, it contains substantial content of the high cost ingredients nickel and molybdenum. 

Grade		C	Mn	Si	P	S	Cr	Mo	Ni	Cu
904L	min. max.	- 0.020	- 2.00	- 1.00	- 0.045	- 0.035	19.0 23.0	4.0 5.0	23.0 28.0	1.0 2.0

Now that the dry stuff's out of the way what is the main advantage of 904L over 316L? 

It's not a higher grade of steel, merely a "different" grade. All that extra chromium and nickel simply means that it has better resistance to corrosion and pitting than 316L and that it is a more heat treatable steel to harden, to be used in dies, punches, bending and blanking equipment. So in fact, 904L is a "tool steel" much like how Rolex were first made to be "tool watches". 904L steel is only more expensive because it is not as popular in general application as 316L. 

Nickel chunk (from Wikipedia)

Chromium crystal and 1cm3 cube (from Wikipedia)

So what about everyday wear as divers' watches? Well 316L is not actually designed for continuous submersion in sea water. But that's not to say it's not any good. It is still extremely resistant to corrosion, nearly impervious to atmospheric and other mild corrosive agents,  and it is more than adequate for things like boat railing and exposure to sea water spray.

So would this mean that if you really wanted to go diving, you'd strap a Rolex to your wrist? Unless you're planning to dive into sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide, it won't make a lick of difference. Plus, the seals, the movement, and most importantly, your body, would've dissolved long before that.

Molybdenum in crystalline fragment and 1 cm3 cube (from Wikipedia)

Also, how many people that wear a diving watch actually go diving with it? I think the amount of sea water most of these diving watches see are in publicity shots and perhaps at events. Watchnerds don't jokingly refer to their watches as "desk divers" for nothing!

The Omega Seamaster Chronograph Divers watch uses 316L steel

You must also keep in mind that the increased amounts of nickel and chromium and whatnot that reduce the susceptibility to corrosion and pitting only occur at high temperatures (for example, boiling concentrated nitric acid), which is not very likely in an ocean anyway.

So, at the end of the day, as long as you rinse your watch off with fresh water after a dive, or, if your sweat happens to be particularly acidic, rinse the watch every so often, she'll be right mate.

However, the higher content of nickel in 904L may lead to an allergic reaction on some people. Something to think about… (edit- according to @L_Horloger most of the nickel in 904 is captive, and not free. There is more nickel able to react in the 316, so is worse for allergies)

The Rolex Submariner Divers watch uses 904L steel

To finish off, here’s a little comparison of different materials used on diver's watches and their resistance to pitting :

The unit of measurement is PRE (Pitting Resistance Equivalent) - obviously the higher the number the better.

32 PRE (or higher) is considered as salt water resistant.

316L has a value of 24 PRE

904L has a value of 35 PRE


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Panamera Flieger 47

Pilots’ watches, whether they be B-Uhr heritage fliegers from the ‘knowns’ or one of the plethora of small brands which you only hear about through word of mouth or on watch fora, are one of the constants in the watch world. There are more fads than you can shake the proverbial stick at, but there will always be a healthy interest in these watches.

One of the ‘unknowns’ that I’ve come across recently is a brand called 'Panamera'. Not the Porsche Panamera, though they have produced a line of watches of this name, but a brand that is actually made by a German brand called Haemmer, which was established in 2008. Under their own brand (they call themselves “the brand for oversized watches") they seem to produce watches very similar to those made by TW Steel and UBoat.

Panamera, in addition to being a bit cheaper than Haemmer, are actually more attractive watches to my mind, though they too are similar, design wise, to other brands/ models.

Meet the Panamera Flieger 47.

Tech Talk No.1 : PVD vs DLC

(Obviously this is a topic regularly discussed in various fora, but I've trawled through a lot of them and summed it all up here, making it easier for you!)

Black watches are all the rage these days and they're really cool and stealthy. But have you ever wondered what that black stuff is? It could be simple black paint, to ceramic, and somewhere in between. The most common, however, is PVD...Or is it DLC?

I think that there are many of us who are either confused or aren't quite sure of the definition of PVD and/ or DLC. These terms seem to be interchangeable, and both are used to refer to watches with a black coloured coating. So, exactly which is which and how do we tell them apart?

Read on…

PVD is a general term encompassing many different type of coating, DLC is one of these types of coating.

For example, if we are talking about DLC, then DLC is the material and PVD is the process of applying it. Think of it as this: PVD is the brush, and DLC is the paint.

The process used by Penn State University

Here are some definitions:

PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) is the method used to deposit thin layers of material (e.g. DLC) by condensation of vapor in a high temperature and vacuum environment.

DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) and ADLC (Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon - a specific type of DLC) are vaporised coatings. DLC is done with the bonding of high energy precursive carbon rapidly cooled down on the surface. It is very similar to the process of making synthetic diamonds, meaning  that the carbon coating has the same attributes as diamonds. They are extremely hard and very resistant to scratches, thus making the coated metal surfaces more durable. DLC is a very hard coating, but the thickness is also a factor. Generally speaking, the usual coating thickness is just 5 to 10 μm, or 0.005 to 0.010 mm.

However, there are several coatings by method of PVD that will make the watch look black; coating such as nickel and ceramic. Some manufacturers will specify whether the watch was coated with DLC or not. When only "PVD coating" is mentioned, it could mean a less durable material was used.

Here is the problem: DLC coating is done by PVD, but not all PVD is a DLC coating. Does that make sense?

And another thing. "Coating" is probably not the best term to use, but I struggle to come up with a better one. PVD method actually "bonds" the DLC at a molecular level rather than "coats". Plus, if you manage to scratch DLC, it cannot be repaired without removing a layer of surface material from the entire piece.

Chart taken from pvtechnology.it - this gives you a relative comparison of differences in hardness

I did touch lightly on ceramic coating. Yes, this can also be quite confusing/ misleading. Some watch companies use a ceramic "coated" steel case but call it a ceramic watch. Others use a solid ceramic case with say, a steel inner case. I'll dig into this topic in another post…

If you want to get even more technical, read on:

It should be noted that the application temperature of PVD coatings can exceed the annealing temperature ('annealing' is the heat treatment wherein a material is altered, causing changes in its properties such as strength and hardness) of the steel, making the steel soft.

Since austenitic steels are not heat treatable, the only way to harden the surface is through work-hardening. When a steel is hardened, its strength is increased, and it becomes more resistant to denting and gouging. Machining, brushing, bead blasting and polishing will work the surface and make it harder. If the PVD process exceeds the annealing temperature, there will be no way to re-harden the substrate surface and regain the resistance to dents and gouges. Even if the thin crust of the PVD coating is super hard, it is too thin to provide structural the support required to prevent damage due to denting and gouging.

A good PVD coating application will keep the application temperature low enough not to anneal the substrate material, but even then these temperatures get into the drawing temperatures and still can affect the hardness.

So, you can see that there is much more to PVD coatings than just the type of coating used. How it is applied, how the surface is prepared prior to the PVD process are as important with regards to resistance to damage.

*Note: this article only deals with the black coating on watches and does not take into account commercial/ industrial machinery/tooling usage.

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