GERMAN SILVER

German silver is an alloy of copper, zinc and nickel that has a golden/silver color. In other words, it is brass with 20% nickel. It is known for its very good machinability and is said to have a higher quality than brass. It is used for the manufacture of watch elements ranging from the wheel plate to the mainplate and bridges. One of its main characteristics is that it is very resistant to corrosion.

German silver can be found in components such as mainplates, bridges as well as wheel plates for example.

Advantages:
The main advantage of german silver is that it is easy to machine, so it does not wear out the cutting tools very much. Its oxidation is only a surface oxidation which has a self-protective effect and does not go deep. Nickel silver is also seen as qualitatively superior to brass because it is a little harder.

Disadvantages:
German silver is therefore softer than steel, for example. It cannot be used for small parts such as axis or pinions.