- 2/8/06
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thinking of getting m 1st pam...111h,whats the difference in apperance between these two crystals?
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mineral or saphire?does it matter?
- Thread starter lexxdiamondz
- Start date
Re: mineral or saphire?
They're the same in terms of look - except that usually Saphire crystals get A/R coating treatment... but A/R coating can be done on Mineral crystals too and some dealers do this; an example would be River's 111.
A/R adds blue, green, or purple hues to the crystal. When reflected by the sun, you will see the difference.
But it has nothing to do with the crystal being made of Saphire or Mineral.
Some say that Saphire naturally has blue-ish tone, but I really do not see that in my watches with non-A/R coated Saphire crystals.
Joe
lexxdiamondz said:
They're the same in terms of look - except that usually Saphire crystals get A/R coating treatment... but A/R coating can be done on Mineral crystals too and some dealers do this; an example would be River's 111.
A/R adds blue, green, or purple hues to the crystal. When reflected by the sun, you will see the difference.
But it has nothing to do with the crystal being made of Saphire or Mineral.
Some say that Saphire naturally has blue-ish tone, but I really do not see that in my watches with non-A/R coated Saphire crystals.
Joe
- 2/8/06
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lexxdiamondz said:
well to tell you the truth, my dad had a mineral glass on my IWC FA Jones and he totally cracked it... and it cost me about 40 bucks to have it replaced >.<
I would go with Saphire. If it's a modern PAM, I would make sure to get the A/R coated Crystals too... most gen modern models (ie. 111, 177, 113, 112, etc.) have A/R.
Joe
- 2/8/06
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lexxdiamondz said:
I saw your PM. I am not sure how much longer I will be here, but yeah ^^
I will PM you back.
Joe
- 2/8/06
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Lex, as Joe said of the diff in price between the two glasses go with the saphire. some memebers have had problems where their mineral crystal expodes and shatters. Sapphire is tougher so it will withstand more.
Talking about AR, I have a question.
FYI, most of my PAM is saphire but without AR. except my 111 and 29 that cannot find the non AR one. I just fnd that the AR on the rep is different from the gen that I have. The chance of seeing a color reflection on the gen is not that much while a rep will always has that reflection.
My 111 actually comes out purple in bright sunlight while all my gen are not like that. So, I decide to go for the non-AR one that at least the color remains. It is just my experience and hopefully, someone can come out a suggestion.
FYI, most of my PAM is saphire but without AR. except my 111 and 29 that cannot find the non AR one. I just fnd that the AR on the rep is different from the gen that I have. The chance of seeing a color reflection on the gen is not that much while a rep will always has that reflection.
My 111 actually comes out purple in bright sunlight while all my gen are not like that. So, I decide to go for the non-AR one that at least the color remains. It is just my experience and hopefully, someone can come out a suggestion.
rolex666 said:
You are right. I dont concern myself with AR as even on gens it can get to be anoying. I would rather do a relume and fix the cannon pin and maybe the CG. It dpends on the watch of course.
NaviChief
I'm Pretty Popular
- 30/8/06
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yep, sapphire is one of the hardest substances known to man. Pretty much only diamonds and some synthetic materials can scratch it (found in some building materials, careful bumping your watch on walls). Hence is popularity in watches. However, it is more brittle and therefore prone to cracking and shattering. Mineral is easier to scratch and harder to crack most of the time. I believe sapphire also distorts the dial less at extreme angles of viewing.
Yllwtrb said:
The exploding crystals have only happened on 127s with mineral crystals. I'm sure it has EVERYTHING to do with the extreme dome shape of those crystals. No need to worry about a mineral 111 crystal exploding. Mineral will scratch much easier than sapphire, however. Some people argue that since mineral crystals AREN'T as hard as sapphire, they will "flex" a bit more when banged against an object and thus LESS likely to shatter.
I know people that scratch mineral crystals the first day they wear 'em, I know others that have 10+ yr old watches with mineral crystals that are spotless. There isn't a visual difference between the two, it's more a question of how hard you are on your watches.
chief3630 said:
good information... word of warning: some dealers mean "mineral glass" when they say "synthetic sapphire"
AFAIK, Most sapphire crystals are made from lab-grown Corundum nowadays, not naturally occuring... so almost all sapphire on watches are "synthetic"..
Just to clarify what some dealers meant by saying "synthetic sapphire" : it's mineral
All watch crystals are grown in boules (cylindrical crystals) in labs. No-one ever uses natural sapphire as it's cloudy.watchlover said:
"Pure sapphire boules can be sliced into wafers and polished to form transparent crystal slices. Such slices are used as watch faces in high quality watches, as the material's exceptional hardness makes the face resistant to scratching. Since sapphire ranks a 9 on the Mohs Scale, owners of such watches should still be careful to avoid exposure to diamond jewelry, and should avoid striking their watches against artificial stone and simulated stone surfaces. Such surfaces often contain materials including silicon carbide, which, like diamond, are harder than sapphire and thus capable of causing scratches (Scheel 2003)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapphire
pugwash said:
ssshh, don't tell them the source of our ever-so-wise knowledge, pugzy :lol: :lol:
Wikipedia isn't a source; it's merely a quote bank.watchlover said:
I don't use The 'pedia as a primary source as it's not a wise idea.
pugwash said:Wikipedia isn't a source; it's merely a quote bank.watchlover said:
I don't use The 'pedia as a primary source as it's not a wise idea.
Whew, I thought you're about to reveal the REAL source of our ever-so-wise knowledge
:twisted:watchlover said:Whew, I thought you're about to reveal the REAL source of our ever-so-wise knowledge
Yeah, nothing beats just being clever, eh? That and ... oh, must not reveal secret elixir!
wiki wiki
good stuff!
makes a nice side dressing for calamari!
Life is Good!
Klink
(nice that the reference was given.. thoughtful, that!)
good stuff!
makes a nice side dressing for calamari!
Life is Good!
Klink
(nice that the reference was given.. thoughtful, that!)