Synthetic Sapphire v's Mineral Glass?

[Del 4,463]

So, I know that having a sapphire crystal is more desirable than mineral glass on a watch but I'm not entirely sure why . I'm guessing that sapphire is more scratch-resistant than glass but is there any difference in how it actually looks?

 

And, do you get AR on both sapphire and glass?

 

To give an example of both, Timesshop are selling the following PAM329 GMT with mineral glass at $128 and with sapphire at $178. Is sapphire worth the extra $50? (Same photos are used for both watches so I don't know if the photo below has sapphire or mineral glass .)

 

Comments appreciated -_-.

 

[KBH 7]

As to the value of it, I can't speak for anyone. But sapphire is much more scratch resistant and they both can be ar'd.

 

I would pay extra for it for 2 reasons. First I've given up on $50 cheapo 21j watches and second, because sapphire crystal is often only used in the higher end models which may (or may not) have better movement, dial, hands, cases, lume, etc. It's generally an indication of a more high end watch.

[greg_r 81]

+1 to what KBH said.

 

Main reason - MUCH harder to scratch up.

[Del 4,463]

Thanks KBH and Greg -_-.

 

Yeah, that was my thinking too and I generally believe that you get what you pay for, although the TS watches in question appear to be identical and both use the "7750 casing and band".

 

Another point to note is that Robert's $99 PAMs appear to be very well regarded which, as far as I can tell, do not have sapphire.

 

Cheers,

Del

[Aren 27]

Well, can the crystals be replaced by a newbie? I see the watch repair guide in the VIP ONLY Section, but I won't have time to study any of it until after Christmas. Is it a difficult job requiring a jeweler? It's funny, I bought my PAMs to be able to wear a watch to work. I didn't go high end because I do alot of construction. I originally felt...well, if it gets damaged, so what. It is performing it's function. Now, I am a bit intimidated by the fact that I could actually shatter the crystal and for some jobs, I now put it on a shelf (pocket would be too dangerous) thus defeating the purpose of having the watch on the job.

 

I am not indelicate when I work, but the nature of the jobs lend themselves to bumps and bangs. Even in my picture on Graman's feedback, in the picture with my arm up holding the camera, that is a huge bruise on my bicep. I am sure no one was probably looking at my bicep and didn't even see it, but my arms do heavy work and it's risky for the PAM. I guess I didn't expect to like the PAM's as much as I do, and I tend to take good care of my things. Please tell me what the best crystal is for me. KBH made some suggestions, but at the time, I didn't really understand the differences and now I have a better idea.

 

My second PAM is a fiddy from Jojo and I don't know what kind of crystal it has. Is there an easy way to tell? I usually wear the Blackseal to work not the Fiddy, even tho the fiddy has the nice stem guard.

 

Lastly, my son's green crystal Milgauss will eventually get damaged. He is extremely careful with it, but I know it is a mineral crystal. Eventually I would want to get it replaced with a sapphire, or maybe even get him a new one since it does not appear he will be getting a gen. Any idea what a new crystal would cost? It would probably be cheaper just to get another watch with a sapphire crystal.

 

Thanks, and thanks for this thread too. :-_-:

[greg_r 81]

Thanks KBH and Greg -_-.

 

Yeah, that was my thinking too and I generally believe that you get what you pay for, although the TS watches in question appear to be identical and both use the "7750 casing and band".

 

Another point to note is that Robert's $99 PAMs appear to be very well regarded which, as far as I can tell, do not have sapphire.

 

Cheers,

Del

 

 

Robert's $99 models are basically what a lot of the other dealers sell at $130-160. There are upmarket versions available, some with sapphire, but at that price they're just ridiculously good value.

[KBH 7]

Finding crystals for a lot of reps can be difficult. Many of the Rolex reps will take the same size as gen, but not all of them. It's always a crap shoot unless you get one of the alleged 1:1 reps. One the other hand a true watch repairman can have a crystal made to any specifications.

 

It's not difficult to change a crystal and a crystal press can be bought for less than $10.

 

Both sapphire and mineral glass will shatter if hit hard enough. That was the main benefit of Plexiglas crystals. They won't shatter, they'll just crack, but it takes a lot to break them. They're cheap to buy and light scratches can be polished out.

[greg_r 81]

Well, can the crystals be replaced by a newbie? I see the watch repair guide in the VIP ONLY Section, but I won't have time to study any of it until after Christmas. Is it a difficult job requiring a jeweler? It's funny, I bought my PAMs to be able to wear a watch to work. I didn't go high end because I do alot of construction. I originally felt...well, if it gets damaged, so what. It is performing it's function. Now, I am a bit intimidated by the fact that I could actually shatter the crystal and for some jobs, I now put it on a shelf (pocket would be too dangerous) thus defeating the purpose of having the watch on the job.

 

I am not indelicate when I work, but the nature of the jobs lend themselves to bumps and bangs. Even in my picture on Graman's feedback, in the picture with my arm up holding the camera, that is a huge bruise on my bicep. I am sure no one was probably looking at my bicep and didn't even see it, but my arms do heavy work and it's risky for the PAM. I guess I didn't expect to like the PAM's as much as I do, and I tend to take good care of my things. Please tell me what the best crystal is for me. KBH made some suggestions, but at the time, I didn't really understand the differences and now I have a better idea.

 

My second PAM is a fiddy from Jojo and I don't know what kind of crystal it has. Is there an easy way to tell? I usually wear the Blackseal to work not the Fiddy, even tho the fiddy has the nice stem guard.

 

Lastly, my son's green crystal Milgauss will eventually get damaged. He is extremely careful with it, but I know it is a mineral crystal. Eventually I would want to get it replaced with a sapphire, or maybe even get him a new one since it does not appear he will be getting a gen. Any idea what a new crystal would cost? It would probably be cheaper just to get another watch with a sapphire crystal.

 

Thanks, and thanks for this thread too. :-_-:

 

The fiddy is probably mineral glass - most are (even some of the expensive ones) as that domed crystal is hard to get in sapphire. They're worth being careful with as the domed crystal is that bit easier to crack than the lower profile ones. They'll still take a fair amount of abuse though.

 

If your mineral glass crystal does get scuffed, the scuff can often be polished out quite easily.

 

Replacement crystals shouldn't be too much of a problem for PAMs as the sizes are in theory pretty standard (unlike Rolex which, I believe, can be really difficult to match up). I'll let one of the other guys who's done some PAM watch building chime in on that one though.

[trailboss99 994]

One point that is hardly ever made.

Sapphire is indeed harder than glass, while that makes it harder to scratch it also makes it easier to break.

Glass will take knocks that will smash a sapphire to shards.

 

 

 

Col.

[Del 4,463]

Thanks again everyone - very informative and should be a good reference for all members .

 

There are clearly some surprising benefits for mineral glass that I hadn't heard of before, although sapphire still seems to be the crystal of choice.

[nicnjon 0]

I recently changed my PAM 127's crystal into a sapphire with AR on the undersude. The original mineral has too much AR which gave the crystal a very bluish tint when under light. Paid $100 for the dome shaped sapphire from Davidsen.

The new crystal made the watch looks like the gen