Monkeynut 0 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Hi, I was wondering how liveable people find the mineral glass on their watches. As a newbie my first order is a Breitling with the cheaper Quartz movement. I might progress to mechanical movements as I gain more knowledge. I didn't want to get a watch that may/may not give me issues that I don't know how to deal with straight away and thus be disappointed. I suppose my questions are how do you find the quartz movement watches? Are they still a decent quality? Is the mineral glass very scratch prone, as compared to sapphire glass. Lastly is the major difference in prices between quartz/mechanical movements largely due to the movement itself or is it overall quality. Please don't flame me if all this has been asked before, I have searched and also used google to search but still really couldn't find what I was after. Cheers in advance Nut Edited January 17, 2011 by Monkeynut Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllergyDoc 40 Posted January 17, 2011 http://www.crystalfit.com/faqs.html I've had many watches with mineral crystals and never had any problems with them. I prefer the sapphire, of course, but none of my mineral cyrstals have been scratched or shattered, etc. (Lot's of info on the net. Search "mineral watch crystal".) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted January 17, 2011 Mineral crystals are plenty strong, but yes they scratch a little more easily than sapphire. Personally, however, I don't find it an issue. As far as quartz reps go, as you might expect, they vary in quality. Some use similar quality casings to the top of the line models, just exchanging dial and movement. Others are not so good. You should be able to tell from the dealer photos though. If in doubt, ask Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
d1isthe1 0 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) I do have a watch with a mineral crystal on it, it did get some minute scratches on it,now every time I see it I get disappointed... personally I prefer sapphire as it is scratch proof and in the course of time it keeps your watch look like new whereas the mineral would get dull. It's also if you buy a good rep I suggest buy it with a sapphire as the mineral wud give it away. Edited January 17, 2011 by d1isthe1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Del 4,462 Posted January 17, 2011 I asked something similar regarding mineral v sapphire - thread is here . I've got mineral glass and sapphire crystal watches and have had no issues with either. Sapphire costs more but would be first choice because it is harder to scratch - just depends on whether you want to pay the extra premium for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted January 17, 2011 I personally want to replace the mineral glass on the DSSD for the sapphire. It is really super scratch resistant ! It is a something extra on your watch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
d1isthe1 0 Posted January 17, 2011 I personally want to replace the mineral glass on the DSSD for the sapphire. It is really super scratch resistant ! It is a something extra on your watch I also have a DSSD with the mineral and now Im getting it changed ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akira 0 Posted January 17, 2011 I bought a Navitimer Quartz with mineral glass from Mary(Watchinternational) and it was stunning good quality. Same with my AP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 17, 2011 I have an IWC Auquatimer (new version) Chrono w/ quartz and mineral. Love it. Mineral will scratch sooner or later, but you probably have to wear it a long time until the first one appears and even then you will only see it when the watch is an inch from your nose. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted January 17, 2011 I have an Big Pilot homage with Mineral glass, and the glass already have small scratches and "holes" from one time, when I put it on it face... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slim 0 Posted January 17, 2011 I do have a watch with a mineral crystal on it, it did get some minute scratches on it,now every time I see it I get disappointed... personally I prefer sapphire as it is scratch proof and in the course of time it keeps your watch look like new whereas the mineral would get dull. It's also if you buy a good rep I suggest buy it with a sapphire as the mineral wud give it away. Sapphire can scratch, although it's a lot more resistant to that than mineral glass. I've had a few watches with mineral glass, including at least one gen Breitling I can think of and they've never picked up significant scratches easily. Never heard of mineral glass becoming dull. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slim 0 Posted January 17, 2011 I personally want to replace the mineral glass on the DSSD for the sapphire. It is really super scratch resistant ! It is a something extra on your watch I also have a DSSD with the mineral and now Im getting it changed ... How much is that costing you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm OK with the mineral crystal on my DSSD replica but it's such a nice watch that I can't help thinking the sapphire would be a nice upgrade. Having said that though I suppose the gen sapphire is still of a higher quality than rep sapphire. Can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think the sapphire crystal on my Sub replica is quite as nice as a gen Rolex, maybe something to do with the way it reflects light. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted January 17, 2011 the price is still unknown. I asked Silix if he will be able to find me one sapphire crystal for DSSD, but I am waiting the price around 30-40 USD. Also why I change the crystal, is because I will have to remove the crystal to get to the bezel, so why right also replace it with higher quality crystal and seal it for good yes I have also sapphire on ym sub, and it looks great ! Really like it ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djprone 0 Posted January 17, 2011 Another thing to consider is most sapphire crystals have some sort of AR coating that may not be on the cheaper mineral glass version, the AR on the sapphire will scratch easier than glass and therefore make the watch look worse than a non-AR mineral glass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monkeynut 0 Posted January 17, 2011 Thanks, This the sort of info I was after. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guanaco 0 Posted January 17, 2011 BTW if your mineral [or sapphire for that matter] crystal does scratch it can be buffed out with Diamond Paste, you will need a 3 Micron Paste [around $13] and a 0.25 Micron [around $13 also], using the 3-Micron you polish the crystal with your finger for 3-5 minutes and then finish off with the 0.25 Micron for another 2-3 minutes, et voila! Just a friendly reminder from your friendly neighborhood Pyromaniac. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greg_r 81 Posted January 17, 2011 Good tip, Guanaco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KeNnY 29 Posted January 17, 2011 BTW if your mineral [or sapphire for that matter] crystal does scratch it can be buffed out with Diamond Paste, you will need a 3 Micron Paste [around $13] and a 0.25 Micron [around $13 also], using the 3-Micron you polish the crystal with your finger for 3-5 minutes and then finish off with the 0.25 Micron for another 2-3 minutes, et voila! Just a friendly reminder from your friendly neighborhood Pyromaniac. hell yea ! thanks for tip ! and reply to Slim, Silix is unable to find me sapphire crystal.. do you have any other source to get it ? I will try Mary and we will see Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narikaa 129 Posted January 17, 2011 If you want to use the watch to read the time through the crystal then mineral will present no problems If you want to use it as a construction tool then sapphire might be a better choice (but dont fall into the misguided belief that sapphire WONT scratch or break ) . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
d1isthe1 0 Posted January 17, 2011 I personally want to replace the mineral glass on the DSSD for the sapphire. It is really super scratch resistant ! It is a something extra on your watch I also have a DSSD with the mineral and now Im getting it changed ... How much is that costing you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm OK with the mineral crystal on my DSSD replica but it's such a nice watch that I can't help thinking the sapphire would be a nice upgrade. Having said that though I suppose the gen sapphire is still of a higher quality than rep sapphire. Can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think the sapphire crystal on my Sub replica is quite as nice as a gen Rolex, maybe something to do with the way it reflects light. $47 from BK Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 17, 2011 BTW if your mineral [or sapphire for that matter] crystal does scratch it can be buffed out with Diamond Paste, you will need a 3 Micron Paste [around $13] and a 0.25 Micron [around $13 also], using the 3-Micron you polish the crystal with your finger for 3-5 minutes and then finish off with the 0.25 Micron for another 2-3 minutes Or, you could use capecod cloth, for about 45 minutes... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllergyDoc 40 Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Sapphire shatters easier because it's harder. If your crystal scratches, you can buff it out or sell it on RG as a vintage. Edited January 17, 2011 by AllergyDoc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnG 41 Posted January 17, 2011 Sapphire shatters easier because it's harder. If your crystal scratches, you can buff it out or sell it on RG as a vintage. yes, at a 200% markup. And you will GET it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slim 0 Posted January 17, 2011 BTW if your mineral [or sapphire for that matter] crystal does scratch it can be buffed out with Diamond Paste, you will need a 3 Micron Paste [around $13] and a 0.25 Micron [around $13 also], using the 3-Micron you polish the crystal with your finger for 3-5 minutes and then finish off with the 0.25 Micron for another 2-3 minutes, et voila! My Rolex Date had a small scratch on the edge of the sapphire when I bought it, but I managed to improve its appearance substantially with brasso and elbow grease. However when I took it to be serviced it came back near-invisible - can't be seen unless you look for it with a magnifying glass - so I guess they must have done something similar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rychastings 0 Posted January 18, 2011 pay extra for saphire, you will thank yourself for it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
