[Tsarli]

I've read the posts about them. Supposedly the best of both worlds, not as shatter-prone (supposedly) as sapphire, but more scratch resistant than mineral crystals. Lots of Wengers seem to have them. Anyway, does anybody have any real-world experience with them actually being any better than regular mineral crystal? Or is it all hype?

 

[t minus]

From my understanding the coating is as scratch resistant as synthetic sapphire crystal; however, the mineral crystal has the anti-impact properties of mineral glass. So it probably won't scratch easily, but it could still chip with high impact. I have a Wenger with it and it has held up with no scratches so far.

 

[Tsarli]

From my understanding the coating is as scratch resistant as synthetic sapphire crystal; however, the mineral crystal has the anti-impact properties of mineral glass. So it probably won't scratch easily, but it could still chip with high impact. I have a Wenger with it and it has held up with no scratches so far.

Good to hear. Thanks for the feedback. One of the reasons I asked is I have an incoming Wenger Seaforce also with sapphire coated mineral and was wondering if would hold up to rough use at work.

 

[t minus]

I think you will enjoy it!

 

[Tsarli]

I think you will enjoy it!

I believe yours is the actual sapphire crystal version. I have the nearly identical 36mm version and that has actual sapphire crystal. This is what I got. $39.99 from TJ Maxx. This has sapphire coated mineral.

 

[Karriope]

The sapphire coat is practically scratchproof while retaining the resistance to shattering that regular mineral crystal would have, but I expect that hard flying grit (e.g. like when you're riding a motorcycle and those little tiny stones or what fly up) might chip off little bits of the sapphire coat, kind of like what happens to car paint getting stone chips.

I also expect that although the sapphire coat itself is super hard and virtually unscratchable, it's a different matter whether it can be scratched off the mineral crystal.

 

[yankeexpress]

Dan Henry have sapphire coated mineral and they seem to be an excellent cost effective way to go for affordables.

 

[sticky]

I’ve got a few watches with coated crystals and they seem to offer the best of both worlds. I have heard of such crystals failing of their own volition sometimes and apparently some of the Dan Henrys have had this problem though non of mine have suffered.

 

[coolerwill]

Got a sapphire-coated wenger titanium off road - in 2 months of fairly frequent wear, I have managed to put a scratch on the crystal. But, seems more durable than just mineral crystal. I'm okay with the quality though for the $50.

 

[Tsarli]

Didn't know Dan Henry also uses them. Anyway the general consensus seems to be they do offer extra scratch resistance over plain mineral crystal. Thanks for the input everyone, appreciate it!

 

[Drewdoog]

I use a Wenger as one of my work watches. It has the sapphire coated mineral, and I have never scratched it. I bang it on freaking everything too.

I also have scratched all but two of my 11 mineral glass watches.

 

[Sevendials7]

Good to hear. Thanks for the feedback. One of the reasons I asked is I have an incoming Wenger Seaforce also with sapphire coated mineral and was wondering if would hold up to rough use at work.

Everyone has a strong point, but if you had a really fabulous watch, I certainly wouldn't ware it for work.
I am a Rolex collector from way back as a teenager, I'm now 68, but a new watch I just purchased is Sapphire coated, my very first impression is it looks and feels like it has a plastic coating that needs to be pealed off.

I find this distracting, and curiosity bugs me, I feel I've been cheated.
Still if this is the worst thing that ever happens on my life, I'm winning !!!!!

Stay safe

D.G...London

 

[1gear]

Why anyone thinks mineral glass is "shatter-resistant" is the real question. It takes something like ten times the force to break sapphire compared to mineral glass. I refuse to buy anything with a mineral glass crystal after breaking too many. I have made 2 exceptions in the last 25 years, and have never needed to replace a sapphire crystal.

The advantage a sapphire layer gives mineral glass is a potential increase in toughness (vs scratches and breakage) but there is zero reason to use mineral glass at all, except cost.

When you are purchasing 6000 or 10,000 total units, the cost difference between sapphire and mineral glass is significant. That is when sapphire-coated crystals become attractive, not when you are choosing which watch to wear to work.

 

[Verdict]

This is going to devolve into a sapphire vs. mineral crystal thread verrrrry quickly.

Anyway, I've never heard of sapphire coated mineral crystal and on paper it seems like a good compromise for affordable watches.

 

[john_marston]

Old thread.

Buy yeah, don't get why people were/are worried about sapphire being easier to shatter compared to mineral... how often in your life will an impact shatter your sapphire but mineral will be fine? My guess: never.

The actual downside of sapphire is the crystal being less clear and smudges easier than mineral. Particularly with cheaper synthetic sapphire.

I know (first-hand) that AR coating on glass and screens will come off over years of use (and look ugly), so I'm not too bullish on sapphire coating. In fact, it could even be worst of both worlds.