How durable is the sapphire crystal ?

[Random Guy]

Question is the title. I was just wondering how much force is it able to withstand after I saw a guy on reddit who got his EXP 1 watch crystal shattered after he dropped it on cement.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

Question is the title. I was just wondering how much force is it able to withstand after I saw a guy on reddit who got his EXP 1 watch crystal shattered after he dropped it on cement.

Its pretty scratch resistant, but ultimately quite brittle, and more likely to crack, chip or shatter under certain impact conditions than, say, Plexiglas.

[Quailhunter]

I have. 30 year old DayDate that is a daily wear watch. It’s crystal is scratch free.

I would concur that it may be less impact than plastic, there is usually a trade off between hardness and impact resistance. Harder materials are often more brittle than softer materials.

Old time blacksmiths used to intertwine soft iron with hard steel and beat them together. The steels of that age were hard, but brittle. Iron was soft but flexible. Beatened together, the blacksmith got the best of both. The brittleness of steel of that age was one of the reasons the Titanic sank. Impact with the iceberg caused the steel hull to crack.

[SearChart]

Pretty strong but do not drop them.

[Random Guy]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Pretty strong but do not drop them.

But they’re suppose to be tool watches.

[BlueAZ]

Do your wrenches and hammers have sapphire crystal?

[watchmework]

Originally Posted by random guy

but they’re suppose to be tool watches.

🤦🏼 yes but they aren’t an impact tool

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

But they’re suppose to be tool watches.

I see more cracked crystals than most people on here could handle on a weekly basis.

They're definitely tool watches, but dropping them is not part of that IMO.

[DARK_KNIGHT]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

But they’re suppose to be tool watches.

They can be used as..........

[Burlington]

Is sapphire crystal as hard as natural corundum ? Mohs - 9

I think I heard once not all sapphire crystals are created equal in terms of scratch resistance?

[ashbaug2]

Originally Posted by Burlington

Is sapphire crystal as hard as natural corundum ? Mohs - 9

I think I heard once not all sapphire crystals are created equal in terms of scratch resistance?

Not all sapphire crystals are even sapphire... At least that's what I heard, which may play a part in their overall scratch resistance.

I think we should just start making crystals out of flawless diamonds; better scratch and shatter resistance!

I do think one of the benefits of my plexi crystals is the ability to polish out (most) scratches, and also that they won't shatter. On an actual dive/tool watch, I think this is extremely important, as it ultimately protects the dial and hands from external debris. Unfortunately, having anything other than sapphire is considered lower quality, even though I see them as serving quite different roles with different watches.

But I'm also not an expert, and my wife tells me I'm wrong a lot, so that could be the case here, too.

[Random Guy]

Originally Posted by watchmework

🤦🏼 yes but they aren’t an impact tool

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

[Likestheshiny]

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

And sometimes it does. Dropping a watch is not a guarantee of shattering the crystal. But if you drop it from high enough on something hard enough at just the right angle, of course it'll break. It's not indestructible.

If you want something that doesn't shatter, get a watch with a plastic crystal. The downside is that it'll get all scratched up and you'll have to keep polishing it, but it'll never crack when you drop it.

[Dave A]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

Why should it survive 49 drops … and smash on the 50th?

[T01]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Its pretty scratch resistant, but ultimately quite brittle, and more likely to crack, chip or shatter under certain impact conditions than, say, Plexiglas.

Well said.

[mr.president1]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

The trade off between having a scratched up face to having no scratches is the battle here. Sapphire crystal is used on tons of high end luxury watch brands. Tool watch or not

[BlueAZ]

Originally Posted by Dave A

Why should it survive 49 drops … and smash on the 50th?

Because all drops are not created equal.

My wife dropped her Lady Datejust on the travertine flooring and it shattered. $1400 and a month or so later our little boy grabbed her watch off the kitchen counter and dropped it on the same floor and it was fine. Now my wife only takes it off in the living room or up in the bedroom (carpeted).

I wear my Sea Dweller all day every day and I work hard with my hands. I'll take it off if I'm doing something overtly dangerous for the watch like jackhammering or reaching into rocky holes but otherwise it's on and it's getting used & dirty. If I had plastic "crystal" it would be scratched to hell by now. After I clean off my standard issue sapphire crystal it's clean and pure as the day it was new.

[Likestheshiny]

Because all drops are not created equal.

Which was his point in the text you quoted.

[jltait]

I believe sapphire crystal can only be scratched by diamond.

[123Blueface]

Scratch free until you send it to RSC and they write back telling you it’s scratched.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

But they’re suppose to be tool watches.

Think draughtsman's tools or navigator's tools, not carpenter's or plumber's tools. They serve a professional or practical purpose, but are not made by Black & Decker. People tend to interpret the 'tool' thing the wrong way.

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by jltait

I believe sapphire crystal can only be scratched by diamond.

If it’s as hard as natural sapphire (corundum), this would absolutely be correct. The only abundant natural material which is harder (i.e. can scratch it) is diamond. There are some other materials which are technically hard enough, but are exceedingly rare or short lived so can be excluded from consideration.

The question is whether the synthetic crystals used in watch making are as strong as their naturally formed (usually coloured) cousins - think red (ruby) blue (typical sapphire)

In some watches with an AR coating on the outside, this can more easily scratch, but it’s then a layer on the outside being scratched, not the crystal itself.

[c41006]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

Rolex watches are pretty darn tough and can stand up to pretty much anything that they might be subjected to while on your wrist. They aren’t designed to be dropped on the floor.

[DARK_KNIGHT]

Originally Posted by BlueAZ

Because all drops are not created equal.

My wife dropped her Lady Datejust on the travertine flooring and it shattered. $1400

Replacement cost?

[DARK_KNIGHT]

Originally Posted by Random Guy

Surely it should handle at least a good few bangs against the floor before shattering.

The guy on reddit didn't have that experience, did he.

[tmo8320]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Think draughtsman's tools or navigator's tools, not carpenter's or plumber's tools. They serve a professional or practical purpose, but are not made by Black & Decker. People tend to interpret the 'tool' thing the wrong way.

Literally all of this!!


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[Burlington]

Originally Posted by c41006

Rolex watches are pretty darn tough and can stand up to pretty much anything that they might be subjected to while on your wrist. They aren’t designed to be dropped on the floor.

Exactly - it’s about the right tool for the right job.

They are designed to tell the time under all sorts of conditions, not to withstand massive impacts like that.