1675 Crystal Replacement

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by swish77

For those of us not in the know, are you the founder, inventor, chief investor, etc .... of TD? I assume so, but I think it's important to know that up front as we read your comments.

I'll throw in my 2 cents as a longtime TRF member and a four-decade Rolex hobbyist .... Surely you don't think customers' criticisms of TD crystals, like John's above, are without merit. Why would they make them up or exaggerate? Customers want products to work perfectly all the time. I'm sure the crystals are fine in general, but there is always a risk using non-Rolex parts.

I would politely and respectfully suggest that a defensive approach is not the best strategy for building customer confidence.

I had similar thoughts, Aaron. I do appreciate @007Sub's passion about his product and his initiative in developing important products for the vintage collector community. But with all due respect, he does come across as defensive, and I don't really appreciate the veiled accusations about other watchmakers not installing his crystals properly.

According to him, whenever someone has a problem with one of his crystals, it's due to user error or negligence (improper installation, chemical exposure, impact), which sounds self-serving and unrealistic. Everyone knows that neither design nor quality control is ever perfect in any product or manufacturing process. Wouldn't it be better to simply accept the mixed feedback (since most of it is positive anyway) and also accept the fact that there may still be room for improvement? I would imagine it took Rolex decades to perfect their crystals, and maybe they are still improving them. Most of us receive some criticism in the course of our professional lives, and we can't generally just brush it off by saying it's someone else's fault. We hear the criticism, and continually try to improve.

And while it's very generous of @007Sub to volunteer to handle the installation himself for problematic cases, obviously, it's not convenient for people to send their watches to the crystal manufacturer for installation. A collector just wants to buy the crystal and have their watchmaker install it without incident, like they do with a genuine Rolex crystal. It should be easy to install by any experienced professional, maintain its integrity and seal well. My impression is that the TD crystals are excellent (and I am reasonably happy with the one that I have had installed), but there are enough firsthand stories about problems (many of them ultimately corrected by @007Sub himself) to make me believe that there is still some room for improvement.

[ADINVA]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I had similar thoughts, Aaron. I do appreciate @007Sub's passion about his product and his initiative in developing important products for the vintage collector community. But with all due respect, he does come across as defensive, and I don't really appreciate the veiled accusations about other watchmakers not installing his crystals properly.

According to him, whenever someone has a problem with one of his crystals, it's due to user error or negligence (improper installation, chemical exposure, impact), which sounds self-serving and unrealistic. Everyone knows that neither design nor quality control is ever perfect in any product or manufacturing process. Wouldn't it be better to simply accept the mixed feedback (since most of it is positive anyway) and also accept the fact that there may still be room for improvement? I would imagine it took Rolex decades to perfect their crystals, and maybe they are still improving them. Most of us receive some criticism in the course of our professional lives, and we can't generally just brush it off by saying it's someone else's fault. We hear the criticism, and continually try to improve.

And while it's very generous of @007Sub to volunteer to handle the installation himself for problematic cases, obviously, it's not convenient for people to send their watches to the crystal manufacturer for installation. A collector just wants to buy the crystal and have their watchmaker install it without incident, like they do with a genuine Rolex crystal. It should be easy to install by any experienced professional, maintain its integrity and seal well. My impression is that the TD crystals are excellent (and I am reasonably happy with the one that I have had installed), but there are enough firsthand stories about problems (many of them ultimately corrected by @007Sub himself) to make me believe that there is still some room for improvement.

So true! Words of wisdom.

Filipao, I believe all of us harbour no ill intentions toward you. Assuming you are an owner, inventor or investor in TD, maybe you can take the experiences, comments and feedbacks positively to further improve the quality. With improved technological advancements, we will all benefit if you take these feedbacks positively.

With all due respect, we all want better quality alternatives to original. I am sure all of us value alternatives to original.

[swaini3]

Filipao is just an end user. He doesn't have anything to do with the company.

[Filipão]

Originally Posted by ADINVA

So true! Words of wisdom.

Filipao, I believe all of us harbour no ill intentions toward you. Assuming you are an owner, inventor or investor in TD, maybe you can take the experiences, comments and feedbacks positively to further improve the quality. With improved technological advancements, we will all benefit if you take these feedbacks positively.

With all due respect, we all want better quality alternatives to original. I am sure all of us value alternatives to original.

C'mon.

Did I sound like I was protecting True Dome? Really?

I was JUST sharing my experience, for Christ's sake...

[avera]

I had a T19 put on my 1979 1680 last year. It looks amazing and has been trouble free. I had it done here in San Francisco.

[Xyza0722]

Just had a new crystal installed by Michael Young in HK.
Looks great and pressure tested to 100M

[springer]

Originally Posted by Nickn

Slightly different degree of difficulty !
But I see what you mean

I seriously doubt than 99% of the vintage guys have a crystal press - therefore doing it yourself would be difficult. The crystal must be aligned and seated properly as well as the crystal retaining ring. It just isn't a "slam bam" if you haven't done it before. Also, I would highly recommend a pressure test after a crystal change.

[007Sub]

Originally Posted by springer

I seriously doubt than 99% of the vintage guys have a crystal press - therefore doing it yourself would be difficult. The crystal must be aligned and seated properly as well as the crystal retaining ring. It just isn't a "slam bam" if you haven't done it before. Also, I would highly recommend a pressure test after a crystal change.

Agreed 100% installation must be carried out by someone experienced with vintage Rolex acrylic installation.

Also for anyone interested in nerding out a bit, we did an impact resistance/strength test comparing TrueDome with other aftermarket and vintage OEM Rolex crystals. Feel free to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4j_6k2RXsI