In this, the first instalment of my blog series about watch parts, I'm going to be examining the watch crystal or the glass of the watch. There isn't a whole lot to this topic, but sometimes the glass is not really glass at all!
In most watches these days, the crystal of the watch is made of one of three materials. First being mineral glass, the second being plastic, and the third being sapphire.
For most lower end watches, lower end being under $500, the crystal of the watch is made from glass. This is basically just like the glass used in the windows of your home but goes through a tempering process to make it a little bit harder and scratch resistant. In the watch industry a regular glass crystal is called a mineral crystal. They break fairly easily if they are hit hard enough or hit on a sharp corner. Throughout the course (so far) of my watch career, I've seen many mineral crystal with scratches or cracks. If you need to get a crystal like this replaced, it usually starts at $20 for a flat round crystal and goes up from there for domed or irregularly shaped crystals.
The second type you might see in a watch is a plastic crystal, basically like plexiglass. They are usually found on older watches or pocket watches and are generally domed. They are quite easily scratched but not as easily broken as mineral crystals. If you need to get the scratches removed, they can sometimes be buffed out or the crystal can be replaced. Fitting these crystals can be somewhat tricky because the plastic generally was made for a specific watch unlike mineral crystals which are just made at certain diameters and thicknesses. If you have a regular brand name watch, a replacement can generally be found.
The third type is the sapphire crystal. This is exactly what it says...it literally is a clear sapphire just like the gemstone, however, this sapphire is laboratory grown. Check out this Wikipedia article about sapphire and read the synthetic sapphire section. Sapphire crystals are very scratch resistant and are a little less prone to breakage than mineral crystals. I've seen a couple shattered sapphire crystals before, but only one scratched one. They are fairly expensive to get replaced, you can count on at least $60, but probably closer to $80 or $100. It is also possible to get your crystal swapped out to be sapphire in some cases if you are prone to scratching your crystal. I use sapphire crystals in all of my sterling silver watches and it is possible (for an additional charge) to have them put into my stainless steel watches.
Lastly, some (generally higher end) watchmakers have been putting anti-reflective coatings on their crystals to reduce glare so to make the dial easier to read. I think we've all had someone in the car reflect the sun in our eyes from their watch. This can be lessened by anti-reflective coatings. Some manufacturers are even going to the extent to put the coatings on the inside and the outside of the crystal. In most cases, the coatings are not that durable, so having the coating on the outside is a risk. Getting the coating redone is next to impossible unless the watch gets sent back to the manufacturer, as this is not a service I've ever seen any watchmaker offer. Suffice to say, it would be quite expensive to get done...just think how much it costs to get done on your eyeglasses.
In the end, the choice for crystals isn't extensive but it can be expensive. Really knowing what is out there can help you make an informed decision if you are in the market for a watch. I hope this has shed some light on watch crystals for you. If you have any questions, please leave a comment!
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