Rep Xtal's vs Gen Rolex

[Knightsbridge]

Hi all,

Conscious this is probably an overly discussed topic though I cannot seem to form a consensus on specifically Rolex Xtals vs the likes of Deep/VSF/CF

To summarise, I have picked up on the following, can anyone confirm/dispute?

1. Deep crystals have anti-reflective coating which brings out the clarity of a dial, however GEN xtals, do NOT have afc.
2. As such, Deep Xtals are far from a Gen Xtal and an immediate sign of a rep
3. VSF/CF are closer to Gen Xtal as they DO NOT have afc

The reasons Rolex do not use AFC seem to vary with opinion, I've seen everything from 'afc leaves finger print marks' to 'rolex prefer to be more shiny'

I trust there will be differing opinions but will be interesting to hear peoples thoughts.

 

[TESLA760]

Not sure why people bother wasting their money on Deep Crystals as they are basically the same as ones on CF/VSF watches.

 

[SwePe]

It’s difficult to lump together CF/VSF/others.

IMO the CF crystal is worth upgrading to a Deep. Gives a noticeable difference in clarity. I wouldn’t update VSF or ZF crystal to a deep, in that case I’d go Gen instead.

I don’t think you’ll find an ultimate answer. It’ll depend on watch and ofc on personal preference

 

[Knightsbridge]

Suppose my main point is the absence of anti reflective coating on gen makes deep a very obvious sign of a rep, does anyone know why they hey wouldn’t use afc?

 

[TESLA760]

Suppose my main point is the absence of anti reflective coating on gen makes deep a very obvious sign of a rep, does anyone know why they hey wouldn’t use afc?

$$$$$$$$

Check out Prof's back hole crystals. Much different but there's also costs attached to that type of crystal. Everyone wants bottom of the basement pricing so a vendor will do everything to keep costs low.

 

[Jossé]

As far as I know, Rolex also uses AR, but on the inside of the crystal. Didn't they start doing that in 2020 or something?

 

[Maximillian]

Not sure why people bother wasting their money on Deep Crystals as they are basically the same as ones on CF/VSF watches.

My watchmaker told me the same; no, he said Deep Crystals are PoS...

 

[samsoniteman]

$$$$$$$$

Check out Prof's back hole crystals. Much different but there's also costs attached to that type of crystal. Everyone wants bottom of the basement pricing so a vendor will do everything to keep costs low.

Agreed. Prof's crystals are amazing. More clear then gen but IDK. They're amazing to look at.

 

[Art Vandelay]

As far as I know, Rolex also uses AR, but on the inside of the crystal. Didn't they start doing that in 2020 or something?

It would have been before then as references such as the 116610 had AR on the underside of the cyclops.

To the OP I wouldn't worry too much about having AR on a traditionally non AR piece as xtal can be replaced / upgraded during a service.

Wouldn't be unheard of for e.g. a 5 digit date sub to have the xtal replaced with an AR and LEC upgrade when it's gone in for service and RSC have noticed a scratch.

 

[Knightsbridge]

It would have been before then as references such as the 116610 had AR on the underside of the cyclops.

To the OP I wouldn't worry too much about having AR on a traditionally non AR piece as xtal can be replaced/ upgraded during a service.

Wouldn't be unheard of for e.g. a 5 digit date sub to have the xtal replaced with with an AR and LEC upgrade when it's gone in for service and RSC have noticed a scratch.

This is interesting insight, didn’t realise they did this on both under AC and common with gen replacements

I ask as I recently purchased a Franken with gen xtal was surprised to see how reflective the xtal was

 

[Jossé]

It would have been before then as references such as the 116610 had AR on the underside of the cyclops.

To the OP I wouldn't worry too much about having AR on a traditionally non AR piece as xtal can be replaced / upgraded during a service.

Wouldn't be unheard of for e.g. a 5 digit date sub to have the xtal replaced with an AR and LEC upgrade when it's gone in for service and RSC have noticed a scratch.

Yes, that's correct. They started using AR under the cyclops much earlier.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Not an expert, but would take a punt that most modern Rolex have AR applied.

Found this LEC decoder a while back that identifies the AR applied to your xtal.



Bit more detail can be found here:

Rolex Anti-Reflective Coating - Complete Guide - Millenary Watches

Rolex Anti-Reflective Coating – Complete Guide There is a myth that a lot of people tend to believe which is that Rolex doesn’t use anti-reflective coating for its watches. In this article, we will set things straight and go through everything there is to know about Rolex anti-reflective...

millenarywatches.com

Also references the point made by @Jossé , namely that Rolex made post 2020 have AR.

 

[BathDiver]

You guys know so much. Way more than your typical AD rep. Keep up the good work!

 

[Knightsbridge]

Not an expert, but would take a punt that most modern Rolex have AR applied.

Found this LEC decoder a while back that identifies the AR applied to your xtal.



Bit more detail can be found here:

Rolex Anti-Reflective Coating - Complete Guide - Millenary Watches

Rolex Anti-Reflective Coating – Complete Guide There is a myth that a lot of people tend to believe which is that Rolex doesn’t use anti-reflective coating for its watches. In this article, we will set things straight and go through everything there is to know about Rolex anti-reflective...

millenarywatches.com

Also references the point made by @Jossé , namely that Rolex made post 2020 have AR.

Big thanks for this - answers a lot of my queries!

 

[nauticatom]

Not sure why people bother wasting their money on Deep Crystals as they are basically the same as ones on CF/VSF watches.

I would say in the case of a Date submariner, ym, GMTII, etc its the Date Window black hole effect no?

My experience is with only clean watches not VSF (I have a VSF in processing right now), but the Date Window is reflective not like gen... Deep and Prof both resolve that issue.

 

[cyprusdaedalus]

Yup - all of the new Rolex's (126710's) use AR on the underside as well. I think they made the running change in 2020 or 2021?

I would also disagree that Deep's are a tell vs. Gen. I think it will matter on what the Gen model has from the factory. But for example I run Deep xtals on my Daytona builds because it's way better than the CF base xtal and to my eyes matches the gen clarity.

I use gen xtals in my GMT builds though becuase I like them looking as close to gen as possible. The new 7035-J1's xtals look much clearer than the older 296-CAR-C5's imo as they are the newer version with the A/R on the underside as well.

 

[TESLA760]

I would say in the case of a Date submariner, ym, GMTII, etc its the Date Window black hole effect no?

My experience is with only clean watches not VSF (I have a VSF in processing right now), but the Date Window is reflective not like gen... Deep and Prof both resolve that issue.

If you compare the CF/VSF crystals, there's a negligible / non existent difference between them and the deep crystal. This is just another upsell. Just like "waterproofing" and other items that are now available when you order a watch. It's the equivalent of purchasing the rust proofing on a new car.

 

[nauticatom]

If you compare the CF/VSF crystals, there's a negligible / non existent difference between them and the deep crystal. This is just another upsell. Just like "waterproofing" and other items that are now available when you order a watch. It's the equivalent of purchasing the rust proofing on a new car.

So is prof / going gen the only way to get a gen like cyclops now?

 

[muiramas]

In 2018 Rolex began introducing AR coating to the entire underside of the crystal across their entire catalogue. Underside AR does zero to eliminate glare, it is there to stop the reflection of the dial, hands and indices bouncing up and down under the sapphire. This makes the clarity much better. VSF crystals have underside AR. Deep have top and bottom AR, but this is still better than the cloudy trash CF use.

 

[TerryRobot]

Normally the older models had cystals that picked up on the gasket and created a milky white effect on the very edge, clarity was never that bad but sparkle from the edges was poor, in comparison to the gen, most wouldnt notice though. The newer 126 models out now from Clean seem to have much better crystals form the ones ive seen and up against a gen its hard to tell with the black dials, even on an angle with the sun on the glass the sparkle/prism effect on the edge of the crystal looks really very good. Maybe older models its worth swapping out the crystal but on these new ones im not sure it needed unless fitting a gen version for the franken feel, nt sure if the gen xtal needs a gen gasket or it will work with the rep one maybe on the Clean models as they do seem to be the highest spec apart from the gunky bezel action.

If doing the xtal then its probaly worth going gen and then getting a swiss grade click spring on the GMT's and there isnt much else to do that is gonna be much more noticeable.

Perhaps on the other brands and models like a DJ or DD it could benefit from a gen xtal for that extra sparkle effect but on the gol models weight will be the biggest giveaaway if anyone wants to feel or look closer, some of the weight add models are getting better though.