1680 Crystal Variants

[adrianff7]

I always thought there were only two variants of 1680 crystals: the original "top hat" and the beveled service crystal. My 1680 belonged to my father since it was new and is all original till today, but I always wondered why its crystal is so low and with rounded edges. I thought maybe it was severely scratched and needed to be polished down, but it does not make much sense, because it would be easier to just replace it, but also the cyclops is intact and perfectly aligned with its surface. Recently I saw a picture of another 1680 with exactly the same crystal, and today another one (pictures below). Does anyone have a explanation for this?

[lhanddds]

Well, it doesn't look original. It almost looks sapphire at this angle. We may need a frontal view to give you a better opinion.

[Vincent65]

Looks more like a crystal for a GMT (T-38) or similar, from that profile.

[RC2]

Is it plastic?


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[roh123]

Could be aftermarket but could also be the Tudor T125 which is for Tudor subs. Those are lower and more GMT like in shape. Show us a pic from the front. The date bubble is positioned slightly different on those.

[007Sub]

Originally Posted by adrianff7

I always thought there were only two variants of 1680 crystals: the original "top hat" and the beveled service crystal. My 1680 belonged to my father since it was new and is all original till today, but I always wondered why its crystal is so low and with rounded edges. I thought maybe it was severely scratched and needed to be polished down, but it does not make much sense, because it would be easier to just replace it, but also the cyclops is intact and perfectly aligned with its surface. Recently I saw a picture of another 1680 with exactly the same crystal, and today another one (pictures below). Does anyone have a explanation for this?

I'm glad you posted this. I too have been wondering the exact same thing about my red sub. It came from the original owner and was a barn find... i reckon it had never been worked on. The crystal that was on it is lower than other top hats with a slightly rounded edge that I also thought was due to polishing... but now im wondering if indeed this is an original configuration t127 since we both have had original one owner watches.

I bought an "NOS" no bevel t127 from oystertime... and swapped out my service beveled edge... Funny enough I got a message from someone on instagram that swore the beveled edge ones were original and the non bevel straight edge was service.

Long story short, I decided, I'd polish the crystal that came on the watch when i found it and reinstall. I'm starting to think this might be the true original variant of the T127 top hat... a lower rise top hat with slight curved edges.

I'll upload a few photos before and after polishing. Note the lack of magnification on the cyclops is due to polishing.

Would welcome others' thoughts on this!

[007Sub]

Originally Posted by roh123

Could be aftermarket but could also be the Tudor T125 which is for Tudor subs. Those are lower and more GMT like in shape. Show us a pic from the front. The date bubble is positioned slightly different on those.

interesting idea about it being a T125... i tried to look for some comparison shots and what I found seemed to have a much more pronounced curved edge. Either way let me know your thoughts!