Facts About Watch Crystals
The watch crystal is the glass that covers the face of the watch. There are three types of crystals found in the market: plexi-glass, ordinary glass or mineral glass and synthetic sapphire.
The plexi-glass is a transparent, lightweight plastic. This is the cheapest version of crystal from the three. The ordinary glass (mineral glass) is the one used for windows. And the synthetic sapphire is the most sought after type of glass and it is also the most expensive. It is made by crystallizing aluminum at very high temperatures. Both of the crystals have their advantages and disadvantages. The plexi-glass is the cheapest version but it is the most likely to scratch or even shatter. The mineral glass is very fragile and can break easily. Also, the little pieces of glass can affect the interior mechanism. The synthetic sapphire is the most resistant of them all and it doesn’t scratch easily.
There are specific French words that are used to describe watch crystals. The word “lunette” for example means that the glass is round. Other words like bombe, cheve and boule mean that the crystal is concave or dome-shaped.
When buying a watch one can stumble upon descriptions such as anti-reflective or glare-resistant. This actually refers to the way a glass watch has been coated. Watchmakers can use a substance to coat the faces of the crystal. This substance makes it easier to read the time because it lessens the reflections and the stare. This type of crystal can be either a mineral glass or a synthetic sapphire. If by any chance you manage to break the glass it is obvious that the most expensive to replace will be the synthetic sapphire.
