Laco Westerland Erbstück under the microscope

Welcome to another installment of the Watch Under the Microscope series. Today we're taking a closer look at a new watch, but right out of the case it looks like it's seen 80 years of rough treatment. We're talking about the Laco Westerland in the Erbstück version. The word Erbstück means " heirloom" in German, and at first glance the watch may indeed resemble a piece that was found in a forgotten drawer during an heirloom proceeding. But first, a few basic details. Inside the 45mm case, you'll find the Laco 210 movement, which is based on the Sellita SW 210 movement. The large crown is used to wind the movement by hand. The sterile dial without inscriptions is covered by a modern double domed sapphire crystal with an inner anti-reflective blue colour treatment. The caseback is press fit with a table of important data. On the side of the case we find the typical FL23883 marking. The watch is fastened on the wrist with a solid leather strap with double lock and the necessary rivets.
But how did the watch perform under the lens of a microscope? Let's take a look.
For most watches, the goal of manufacturers is to strive for maximum purity and perfection of both the case and the dial. Here, however, we have to look at the other side of the coin and admire the various artificial imperfections. The case has not only dents (clearly visible on the lugs) and scratches, but also hints of oxidation. The glass, of course, is perfectly clean and looks almost immaculate compared to the rest of the watch. Even the dial and luminescent layer have not escaped artificial aging, and so you will find lighter and darker spots on the numbers and minute markers when illuminated. One of my friends said it glows like an 80-year-old watch, and he's absolutely right. The high quality of workmanship is evident on the heat-blued hands, where the edges are virtually dust-free, and even the application of lume is of a high standard.
To summarize, the premium for this finish is large, however, I can't imagine how much manual labor and time is behind the process of artificially aging a watch. Each piece is an original, and you can even choose the level of how "used" the watch will be. For me, this is a watch with incredible charisma and no piece has left such an impression on me in a long time.
Thanks to Helveti.cz for lending me the watch, if you are interested you can buy it here: https://www.helveti.cz/laco-westerlan...