Watches come in different sizes, models and materials. One of the most important component that determine the value of your watch is the dial. If the dial window glass breaks, or scratches, that is a big loss, depending on which material it is made of. What is the best dial protection material for a good quality watch?
Sapphire crystal and mineral glass are the most widely used material for dial protection, but sapphire crystal is a nice watch luxury and offers a worthwhile functional protection of all glasses. Hardlex, acrylic and other glasses are the least durable. With many types of watch crystals, let us see what each type is, and what value it offers.
What is a watch crystal?
The watch crystal, as the window to your timepiece, receives a lot of abuse and bears the brunt of ordinary wear and tear. Crystals are built of various materials to assure various levels of strength in order to lengthen the life of your watch crystal. Plastic crystals are the most flexible of all watch crystals, and as a result, they are employed in a wide variety of timepieces. Watches frequently use glass crystals.
We have watch crystals in plastic, glass, mineral glass, and synthetic sapphire, as well as the tools you’ll need to repair or replace the crystal on practically any watch brand, including Bulova, Rolex, Seiko, Pulsar, Lorus, Citizen, Omega, and more.
The translucent glass substance that covers the face of a watch is referred to as a watch crystal. Its function is to protect your watch from the weather while also making it look polished.
Instead of crystal, the majority of watch faces on the market are made of a variety of manufactured crystalline glass-like materials. Only three varieties of crystal are used to cover the watch face over the world.
Plastic and glass crystals have the advantage of being able to be custom cut, sculpted, and trimmed to fit different watch casings. You’ll discover crystals for anything from wristwatches, smartwatches to pocket timepieces in this section.
Types of watch crystals
Have you ever wondered why when you tap your watch face, it makes different sounds? It’s because the materials they’re made of are different. The three most common types of watch crystals used in wristwatch glass covers are acrylic, mineral, and sapphire.
All three differ significantly in terms of scratch resistance, durability, and pricing. Acrylic crystals are used in low-cost watches, mineral crystal glass is used in mid-range watches, and sapphire glass is used only in the most expensive watches.
If you want to figure out which one is ideal for you, you can read all about their properties, including the benefits and cons of each substance, right here!
Acrylic Crystal Glass
Acrylic crystals are frequently seen in reasonably priced watches. They’re popular, cheap to make, and most watches with acrylic covers are quite affordable.
However, their quality is not. Because acrylic is made of plastic rather than glass, it is particularly scratch-prone. The face of your watch will grow hazy with time, but the crystal and sapphire glass will not. Acrylic has one advantage: scratches can be easily removed by buffing.
It might be as simple as rubbing toothpaste on the case of your watch. You can also use products designed specifically for polishing out acrylic crystals, such as Polywatch, Brasso, or Displex.
Acrylic crystals should not be ruled out just yet. They certainly have advantages; for one reason, they are the lightest material available. If you require a watch that is exceptionally lightweight, acrylic watches are your best option.
This material is also widely used in children’s timepieces. Even well-known companies such as Swatch and Timex utilize acrylic-based glass in some of their watches. It’s quite simple and inexpensive to replace if it breaks, which you’ll probably have to do several times if you get your child a watch.
However, acrylic crystals are prone to breakage. They still require a lot of force to break, but they do so considerably faster than mineral crystals. As a result, they are not a smart choice for people who lead active lifestyles and want long-lasting clothing.
Mineral Crystal Glass
In mid-range timepieces, mineral crystal-based glass is most commonly utilized. Mineral crystal is used by the majority of high-street brands since it is not only durable and scratch-resistant, but also fairly priced. For large manufacturers, this is the ideal balance.
This glass is comprised of tempered silica glass, which improves scratch resistance greatly. Some watch brands apply an AR (anti-reflective) or anti-glare coating to effectively eliminate reflections and improve the watch’s visual appeal.
This improves readability in low-light situations and makes your mineral wristwatch considerably and more convenient to use in poor light conditions. Most watch dials that lack the AR coating make it difficult to read in direct sunshine.
Hardlex is a proprietary material developed by Seiko. However, it is still made of mineral glass and has the same qualities as mineral crystal glass used in other watches. Scratch resistance is good, but not as good as sapphire.
One disadvantage of mineral-based glass is, you must be replaced entirely if it cracks. It can’t be fixed, and unlike acrylic, you can’t even polish off the scratches. However, the scrapes and even cracks are barely evident, which is fantastic news.
It took me a while to notice that the glass on my watch was severely damaged. And because the crack is only visible from certain angles, I’m still wearing it!
Mineral crystal is almost typically used in the glass of a regular, mid-priced watches. Seiko, Swatch, Tissot, and Casio are among the companies that use this type of watch glass.
Sapphire Crystal Glass
Sapphire is the most ideal and luxurious type of watch crystal. Sapphire is the most expensive, found mostly in high-end watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, and TAG Heuer.
The material’s hardness, which is a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, accounts for this. On the Moh’s scale, the number ten represents the hardest form of watch crystal available which is diamond.
However, Sapphire is far more prevalent than you might imagine. In fact, if you have an iPhone, you may put the resistance of the crystal to the test. Because sapphire is highly scratch resistant (though not scratch-proof) it is used to cover the iPhone cameras. That’s why your camera will never scratch, even if you store your phone in the same pocket as your keys.
For example, you’ll never see a Rolex watch with a scratch on it. So sapphire crystal watches are ideal for persons who live an active lifestyle and require something really durable. This form of crystal, however, has one drawback: sapphire glass shatters when hit forcefully.
The glass cover on lower-end timepieces frequently chips in larger chunks. This makes the fix slightly easier. Sapphire, on the other hand, does not break down into huge chunks. Instead, sapphire glass shatters into a million small fragments that are tough to repair. Also, replacing the sapphire glass cover on your luxury watch is much more expensive than getting a whole new mid-range watch.
Obviously, this does not happen very often. Your pricey watch will survive a collision with the door or the table’s edge, just as your phone’s camera will survive a fall from a height of 4-5 feet. To break the sapphire crystal, you’d have to put a lot of pressure on it – a hammer would certainly do the trick.
However, routine activities like bumps against strong objects, are extremely difficult to damage it, so as long as you are careful with your watch, it should last a long time. That means sapphire watches are kind of, best for outdoor people like firefighter, construction workers, Military and hunter.
Sapphire crystal is the most expensive crystal used on dials. It goes in luxury watches to offer exceptional durability since the material is very strong, tough and both scratch and shatter resistant. That is a very good protection for your watch. To talk of investing in a good quality watch, is to buy a sapphire crystal watch.
Read More: Most durable smartwatches
Sapphire coated mineral crystal
Sapphire-coated mineral glass, a relatively recent innovation, appears to be gaining appeal among micro-brands. This is essentially a piece of mineral glass with a sapphire laminate covering applied to it. Seiko previously used the name ‘Sapphlex’ for a remarkable example of this glass.
This, in my experience, functions as a sort of middle ground between mineral and sapphire. Though I’ve heard complaints of the sapphire layer chipping off or separating from the mineral glass in severe circumstances, it’s often advertised as having the best of both worlds.
As a result, I prefer ordinary sapphire glass. This coating was developed as a cost-effective alternative to sapphire, but as sapphire production costs reduced, the industry moved away from the coated substance, which I believe speaks to its true performance.
Krysterna Crystal
The crystal used by the Stuhrling and its subsidiary Akribos brands is known as ‘Krysterna.’ This material’s performance and properties are unknown. Stuhrling makes a lot of big promises when it comes to selling this material as the best for a watch dial.
The fact that this glass is allegedly “more shatter resistant than sapphire crystal” is a major selling advantage, which sounds chevalier at first. Nonetheless, sapphire is the least shatter-resistant sort of glass, as previously demonstrated; this doesn’t say anything about Krysterna’s quality.
According to online comments, this appears to be the closest thing to a hardened or coated mineral crystal. Most of the buzz about Krysterna crystal appears to be the result of clever marketing. Their scratch-resistance claims have also gotten varied reviews online, so I wouldn’t take the company’s promises at face value.
Which material is the most suitable – sapphire, Mineral or Acrylic?
The best material for a watch depends on the type of watch, the conditions it will be exposed to, and the preferences of the wearer. The watch crystal comes in three different varieties. Each has benefits and drawbacks, as well as strengths and weaknesses. Learning the vocabulary and features of each type will help both new and seasoned watch purchasers figure out what to expect from their watch, how to repair it, and whether or not they need to replace a crystal when it breaks.
What is the best bulova crystal watch?
Bulova watch model 98C126
If you’ve never heard of Bulova’s Crystal collection, one look at this watch will tell you all you need to know. The case and bracelet are both composed of gold-tone stainless steel, but the dazzle doesn’t stop there.
The watch has 308 Swarovski crystals on the bezel, dial, and strap, which are nicely coordinated. This gives the watch an immensely grandiose appearance that could be scary to wear, but with the correct suit and attitude, it should be no problem.
Because the watch is driven by a quartz movement, you can trust it to keep accurate time. Furthermore, the dial contains a few of quite useful and well-organized functions. A 24-hour display and a calendar that shows both the day and the date are included.
View this Bulova mens watch model 98C126 with 306 Crystals and Mineral Crystal
Bulova watch 98C109
If you’ve never heard of Bulova’s Crystal collection, one look at this watch will tell you all you need to know. The case and bracelet are both composed of gold-tone stainless steel, but the dazzle doesn’t stop there.
The watch has 308 Swarovski crystals on the bezel, dial, and strap, which are nicely coordinated. This gives the watch an immensely grandiose appearance that could be scary to wear, but with the correct suit and attitude, it should be no problem.
Because the watch is driven by a quartz movement, you can trust it to keep accurate time.
View Price and ratings of Bulova Men’s 98C109 Swarovski Crystal Pave Bracelet Watch
Bulova watch 98C109
This model will appeal to anybody who enjoys loud and opulent dress watches. Its rectangular dial harkens back to vintage dress watches, while the Swarovski crystals adorning the watch give it a distinctive flair.
The case is 35mm in diameter, which is slightly smaller than many current watches. The smaller case of this watch helps to balance the watch, as a larger case could make it look tacky and unnecessary.
This model, like the rest of the line, has a 24-hour display and a calendar that displays both the date and the day. A quartz crystal powers all of these functions, ensuring that this watch is extremely accurate.
What are the best sapphire crystal watches
Let us check some really good sapphire watches, some are mid-range while others are luxurious, and many at really affordable prices.
Orient Sapphire Crystal Watches
Orient is a Seiko sibling brand that is also a very affordable watch brand. They have a large assortment of sapphire crystal watches at reasonable prices.
The Orient Kamasu diving watch collection is our favorite among them. If you’re looking for a cheap dive watch with a sapphire crystal, this is a must-have.
Orient Automatic Sports Diver’s 200m Sapphire Pepsi Blue Dial Steel Watch RA-AC0K03L
Other Orient Sapphire crystal watches
- Orient kamasu diving watch is one of the cheapest sapphire crystal watches. Its also the best value automatic dive watch in the market.
Seiko Sapphire Crystal Watches
Seiko is a well-known, low-cost watchmaker with a large assortment of inexpensive sapphire crystal watches. Here are our selections for the best Seiko sapphire crystal watches on a budget.
SEIKO Spirit Watch Solar Sapphire Glass STPX033 Ladies
There are other Seiko Sapphire crystal watches at cheap prices.
- Men’s Seiko Spirit Smart Solar Sapphire Glass watch( SBPX069)
- Ladies Seiko Sapphire Titanium watch( SXA115P1 )
Tissot Sapphire Crystal Watches
One of the greatest budget Swiss watch brands available today is just that. The cheapest Tissot sapphire crystal watches are reviewed here.
- Mens Tissot Powermatic 80 – mid-$400 sapphire dial watch
- Women’s Tissot SIlver Dial Rose Gold tone sahhpire watch
Citizen Sapphire Crystal Watches
Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology is used in all of the sapphire crystal watches in this review. That means they’re all solar-powered timepieces.
Year each year, solar-powered watch technology becomes more popular. Because they can last up to 10 or even 20 years without needing to be recharged.
We’ve even written a comprehensive evaluation of the top solar watches available today.
Victorinox Sapphire Crystal Watches
Victorinox is one of her favorite watch brands because it is both inexpensive and durable. They’re most recognized for their incredibly tough I.N.O.X line.
- Mens Victorinox Swiss Army Chrono Classic watch
- Women’s Victorinox Swiss Army I.N.O.X watch – with anti-reflective sapphire dial
Invicta Sapphire crystal watches
If you are looking for an automatic sapphire watch, at a low price, Invicta is one of the best inexpensive sapphire watch brands to go to.
- Invicta Sapphire Automatic Diver(7042) – Its the best sapphire crystal watch for diving since it is 600ft(200m) water resistant.
- Womens Invicta Sapphire Lady Diver 7066
How to remove scratches from watch crystal
How to remove scratches from crystal watch face? A fresh scratch on a lovely sapphire crystal is the worst sight for any watch collector. It’s a depressing sensation, made considerably worse when the watch is brand new or has recently returned from service.
You may benefit from a few home cures before sending your damaged item to a watch repair company for crystal replacement. First, you must determine what may be done, which is largely reliant on your timepiece’s crystal.
Until the 1980s, almost all timepieces featured an acrylic crystal to protect the dial and hands. It’s well-known for its affordable price and ability to polish. You’ll find a myriad of alternate alternatives if you perform a quick search on how to fix these scratches.
Everyone appears to have the “right” way. In actuality, if you follow a simple set of directions, you can’t go wrong. The most generally recommended polishing agents include toothpaste, Brasso, Displex, and Polywatch.
While acrylic crystals are still used in lower-cost watches, many watchmakers have switched to mineral glass. Mineral glasses are made by combining the melting of glass and the hardening of minerals. This procedure produces a material that is seven times tougher than acrylic and is more scratch and impact resistant.
Unfortunately, the roughness of the material makes polishing your watch difficult. Many watchmakers recommend that these crystals be replaced. When compared to the parts and labor involved in DIY, the cost is insignificant.
Sapphire crystal is commonly used by high-end watchmakers. On the Mohs mineral hardness scale, sapphire ranks just below diamond at a solid 9 out of 10, making it even more scratch-resistant than mineral glass. Sapphire is expensive because to its extraordinary capabilities.
The cost of replacing a sapphire crystal varies depending on the model of watch and where it is done. The cost of a replacement might range from $75 to $250.
With a little research and elbow effort, you can fix your crystal for $30 or less. Despite the fact that sapphire crystal is significantly harder than mineral glass, the extra effort required for at-home repair is well worth it.
Read : How To Get Moisture Out Of A Watch glass
How to remove scratches from crystal watch face
Here are the steps on how to get scratches out of watch crystal.
1. Tape your bezel
Masking tape will protect your bezel from the diamond paste, much as it would protect wood trim when painting a room.
2. Start to buff watch crystal
Apply a tiny amount of 3 paste to the scratch and rub it in with the cloth in a firm circular motion. You should notice the scratch diminishing within a few minutes.
3. Continue buffing
Wipe away the excess and apply the.25 paste once the scrape has vanished. Pick a different location on your cloth and repeat the circular motion. This ultra-fine paste will restore the glass-like sheen to your crystal. Wipe away any extra paste and evaluate your work after you’re happy with the disappearing act.
4. Repeat if need be
Rinse and repeat steps two and three if the scratch persists. Rinse and wipe away any residue or fingerprints with a watch cloth if it’s gone.
Watch crystal replacement Guide: How to replace watch crystal
How to replace a watch crystal? One of the benefits of acrylic crystals is that scratches can be simply polished away to restore their original appearance. This is particularly handy if your watch has an original signature crystal or one that is no longer readily available.
If at all feasible, use the original parts. However, there are situations when the harm is simply too great. If the crystal is fractured or chipped, there is no alternative but to replace it.
Whether you are doing a seiko watch crystal replacement or a citizen watch crystal replacement, here are simple steps you can follow to replace watch crystal in your timepiece.
Tools to replace a watch crystal
- Crystal lift
- Crystal lift base
- Digital vernier caliper
- Soft brush
- Handpump
- New crystal
Steps how to replace a watch crystal
Take care when replacing crystal on a watch. Take maximum caution as your sapphire watch crystal replacement can get costly if the glass shatters. This post will show you how to change a watch crystal quickly and efficiently.
1. Get rid of the old crystal.
Make sure the crystal lift’s jaws are larger than the watch crystal. Place the crystal lift on top of the crystal and tighten the jars until they are grasping the crystal’s side. Lift the crystal by holding the watch casing. If the crystal lift is difficult to lift, tighten it a little more.
2. Clean the inside of the bezel
This is the ideal moment to clean the interior of the bezel so that the new crystal fits perfectly. Dust and dirt accumulate between the crystal and the bezel. Clean it with a soft brush and a hand pump. Please take care not to scratch the dial or the hands.
3. Take a measurement of the inside of the bezel.
With the vernier caliper, measure the inside of the watch bezel (make sure not to damage the dial). Because tension holds the normal acrylic crystals, they must be larger than the inside of the bezel.
Add 0.2 mm to the measurement after rounding it to the nearest even number. Assume you’re 29.76 mm tall.. This is rounded to 29.8 mm, and then 0.2 mm is added.
Number 30.0 is the crystal you’ll need. I always get a size larger than I need just in case. This may be handy, particularly if the starting measurements are in the midway of two sizes.
4. Make use of the crystal base.
Open the sliding metal plates by loosening the crystal base screw. Close the plates, but not too tightly, with the fresh crystal in between. To secure the crystal, screw it down.
The crystal lift’s jaws should be opened and placed over the crystal, resting on the metal plates. Tighten the crystal lift slowly until it begins to hold the crystal. Check your grasp all over to see if it’s even.
Tighten the crystal lift a little more because the crystal must be compressed to fit inside the bezel.
5. Replace the crystal.
Remove any dust from the inside of the crystal and the dial using the hand blower. After you’ve successfully installed a new crystal, you don’t want to uncover any dust.
Lower the crystal lift while keeping the crystal over the watch. The crystal should fall into the bezel with a little wiggle or rotation. Tighten the crystal lift even more if the crystal does not drop into the bezel.
Slowly unscrew the watch crystal lift by applying slight downward pressure. The watch glass will expand and secure itself inside the bezel.
How to polish a watch crystal
Is there a scratch on your wristwatch? You might want to know how to remedy this before you replace the watch crystal. The obvious question for many watch enthusiasts is how to polish a watch crystal. The act of polishing is the removal of material from a surface to make it smoother.
If you scratch your gorgeous luxury watch and need a watch glass repair, there is a plethora of inexpensive and easily available options. We’ll look at three items in this section.
There are several readily available and inexpensive polishing products on the market. Some can be found easily in the United States, while others can be found easily in Europe. We’ve included a few that are readily available.
Best materials for polishing acrylic and mineral crystals
1. Dispex
Mobile phone screens, plastic automobile instruments, mahogany wood, and plastic watch crystals can all benefit from dispex. Dispex can assist you if you’ve been trying to find out how to polish a watch crystal-like acrylic. It is readily available across Europe.
2. Brasso
Brasso is widely accessible in supermarkets and hardware stores throughout the United Kingdom. Brasso is made in the United Kingdom. This product is available in two versions from the firm. Either as a pre-soaked wadding tin or as a liquid polish. Its makers advertise it as a brass, copper, and chrome polish. It’s a scratch remover for watch glass and mineral crystals.
3. Polywatch Polish
In the United States, the Polywatch glass polish is particularly popular for eliminating scratches on acrylic watch crystals. After only 2–3 minutes of constant polishing, it removes scratches.
Best tools for polishing sapphire crystals
1. Dia-Paste Compound
Sapphire polishing needs a great deal of care and attention. Dia-Paste is useful for polishing sapphire, whereas Polywatch is good for polishing plastic crystals. The product is made in the United States of America. The surface of a sapphire with a light application will be finely polished.
2. Lapping Paste Compound
This compound can be used on jewelry, steel, and other hard metals. If you can’t find Dia-Paste polish for your sapphire watch, Lapping Paste works just as well.
How do you polish a watch crystal in simple steps?
So you’ve decided which watch crystal to polish and which polish to use. It’s time to learn how to clean watch crystals from scratches.
1. Protect your watch.
The first thing you should do before polishing your watch is to safeguard it. Painter’s tape should be used to cover all sections of the watch near the crystal. Cover the watch bezel, which is the outer ring that surrounds the watch crystal, with extra caution. Painter’s tape will protect the remainder of your watch from being damaged. Remove the watch straps as well if they are easily removed.
2. Apply a small amount of polish.
Squeeze a little of polish onto the watch crystal’s surface. If you squeeze it too hard, it will leak all over the place. Only a modest amount of polish is required to complete the task. A modest amount of Dia-Paste 3-micron compound is all you need.
3. Begin Buffing the watch crystal
To erase scratches from the watch face, gently wipe the polish in small circles around the crystal using a delicate microfiber cloth. Maintain gentle pressure as you buff out scratches in a circular motion until the scratches are gone. The scratches will ultimately fade after a few minutes of rubbing. The polish will restore the glass-like sheen to your crystal. Wipe away any extra paste and examine your work once you’ve achieved the desired results.
4. Consider replacing the crystal
Replace the watch crystal if you can’t get rid of the scratches because they’re too deep. Consider returning the watch to the manufacturer if you have the option. Request that the watch crystal be replaced. However, unless the watch is a current model, most manufacturers may not have watch glass replacements available. Consider having the crystal replaced at a local repair shop as an alternative.
How to use toothpaste to polish a watch crystal
In most watch organizations, using toothpaste to polish a watch crystal is a well-known DIY (Do It Yourself) method. This approach can only be used to fix minor scratches on your crystals.
Because there are so many various varieties of toothpaste on the market, determining which one is ideal for the task is the most challenging part.
You can make a colored crystal by mixing toothpaste with a vibrant dye. Also, stay away from the commonly utilized charcoal paste. Regular white toothpaste is the most effective.
Repeat the methods above now that you know which toothpaste to use. That’s how you polish a watch crystal with your favorite toothpaste.
Wrap Up + FAQs
Try out your new crystal. If the crystal has too much slack, you should go up one size.
If everything checks out, congratulations!
Looking for an inexpensive automatic and sapphire crystal watch?
Are you looking for an automatic watch which is preferably protected by a sapphire crystal that will not scratch? Watch lovers get worried about scratches and also know that automatic watches last longer. Automatic watches with sapphire crystal dial protection are durable, and often near-indestructible. There are several options from some popular watch brands. If you get a sapphire crystal watch for under $300, you got an incredible value at that cost because not many have very reasonable prices.
- Orient watches have sapphire crystals. But models like the submariner watch come with mineral glass not actually sapphire
- Hamilton Viewmatic
- Tissot
- Longines
Why don’t more watches have sapphire crystals?
Wondering why some watch brands don’t put sapphire crystals in their watches?
Sapphire is expensive:
sapphire glass is much more expensive than mineral glass/acrylic. Economic of scale also paly role. Consider seiko that makes thousands and increase budget by $1 per piece to add sapphire crystal. That is tens of thousands of dollars less in their profit.
Some brands want to differentiate their models
Some watch brands just don’t include sapphire in all their timepieces, to differentiate their products, for different markets. For such brands, if you want a watch with heritage or certain original design, you pay the price for it. I guess apart from Rolex and those luxury swiss manufacturers, you won’t find a single watch with ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, best lume, solid links, and great finishing. Moreover, tool watches are mostly sapphire for durability.
Switching costs
Consider a brand like seiko. They manufacture quartz sapphire crystal watches like the SUR349, SUR345, SGG731 models. Instead of switching to sapphire, I guess they would choose to get more mileage from the hardlex crystal watches.
Customers simply be preference
If a brand’s customers are not worrying getting a sapphire crystal watch, there is no need switching. Some people love the scratch-resistant sapphire crystal watches while other persons would appreciate and go for the mineral crystal timepieces.
Legibility is one big concern
Domed sapphire crystal watches are awful with legibility. Many dome shaped sapphire dial watches are shitty and worse than a mineral crystal. Sapphire is a never scratch material because it has improved surface scratch resistance. In some circumstances, legibility of dome shaped dials get affected. Nonetheless, high quality sapphire glass makes a huge difference in legibility.
Are sapphire watches good for diving?
Yes, People do talk how only diamond can scratch sapphire, which mean the glass is highly durable and tough. No need to fear that sapphire will shatter explosively or crack plastically and create potential hazards due to excessive water pressures. Rolex DSSD uses about a 5mm thick sapphire glass and can go down to 3900 meters.
Have you ever got scratches on your sapphire crystal?
Many other watch crystals have unusual wear and tear, when bumped and grind against harder objects. Sapphire is very, very hard, scratch-resistant but no scratch-proof. Your sapphire crystal watch will sustain almost 0 scratches from just daily wear. But if you smack something it will shatter and because its more brittle than plastic-like acrylic.
Also, if you scrape your sapphire watch against , say a raw cinderblock wall with garnet sand you will get tears. It would be scratch-free on normal use. For hard jobs like construction works, it is possible to a sapphire glass watch against coarse bricks or bumped it into metal corners of the cranes or trucks.
sapphire is more prone to shattering than scratching
How can I know if my watch glass is sapphire or mineral?
Make a drop water on both glasses. If the watch glass is sapphire , the water will roll and concentrate into a water ball. If the glass is a mineral crystal, the water droplet will collapse and go flat.
Make a scratch test as one way to tell them apart. Use a stainless steel knife , a tool like a screwdriver, will scratch a mineral-glass crystal but not a sapphire glass.
do sapphire crystal watches scratch?
So many people especially those who are attached to their watches, are always forced to ask if sapphire crystal watches do scratch. Well, to answer the question, all watches to scratch and sapphire are not an exception to that.
Are sapphire crystal watches expensive?
Watch sapphire is the most expensive of all types of watch glasses because they are incredibly strong, hard, tough and not easy to scratch. That is why Rolex and many high-end watch brands use sapphire to protect watch dials. Sapphire is seond to diamond on Mohs scale, as the strongest material. But you can still find affordable sapphire crystal watches in the market. Look in brands like seiko, invicta, and citizen.
Mineral crystal vs sapphire
How much difference is there between Mineral Crystal dial windows, and Sapphire Crystal Dial windows?
| Sapphire Crystal | Mineral Glass | |
| Durability | high | Medium |
| Scratch resistance | high | Medium |
| Legibility | high | Medium |
| cost | high | medium |
| Compression strength | high | medium |
| Hardness Mohs | 9 | – |
| Melting point | 2040 | – |
| Boiling point | 2980 | – |
Gearon is a 6 foot active young man, with 5.5″ wrist he feels looks small. The struggle to grow big wrist with exercises and to pick gorgeous watches for his skinny wrists, have earned him an unbeatable passion for wrist watches, especially smartwatches. As an entrepreneur and a handy project manager, he knows exactly what product quality is, in the eye of a customer and what value they expect for their money. He combined all these talents, and created this blog to share his knowledge to everyone and the fashion community.
