josh 127 crystal

[mellons]

i recently got a josh 127 from another forum member here and was considering a crystal swap (ar not great)

then decided to catch & release, sold watch on to another forum member and bam! crystal cracked overnight

in any event i noticed the jackson fiddy crystal looked better (less distortion ar etc.) than the previous josh one, are these interchangeable?

if not what is the recommended source to change?

[mellons]

just tried sternkreutz plexi in fiddy and looks good- much better than original crystal

when i received watch i looked into reviews of this and one of the main critiscisms was the ar coating and distortion on the crystal (around indices)

the plexi looks perfect!

[PeteM]

You have quite a few options for the 47mm's

The thing is the distortion can be over considered on these watches as OP produced at least 3 variations on the 127 and 2 on the 217 plus what ever followed with CS after service!!

The gens do have distortion especially the first production run, there was a lot of criticism about it and OP then changed the thickness on the angle. Thats why 217s gens vary to 127s gens and some 127s vary with each other.

The 127s do basically have distortion and a bluey purpley AR with variations, the trick with reps is finding the right balance. What you will never find, so far, is the correct shape. All reps are quite obvious because they are not flat like the gens so once you have seen this in your hand they are very easy to spot.

If you have an overly distorted crystal you can reduce the loupe effect with AR on the inside, if you use Takas best AR or Uwe's AR you will reduce the distortion to mimic a more gen like look but of course you forgo the AR look of the gen. As unless its changed Fines has a slight yellow hue and Taka has a blue (very slight but blue) of course the AR should be removed on the outside. Also a single sided Chief is even better if you can get it done

The best replacement crystal I have seen with the closest attributes distortion and AR is Rex's, though these vary and if he has them in stock then you need to ask him to pick you one. DSNs can also be very good (for a ep) but the AR lets it down so a DSN crystal with Taka or Fines AR is OK as a replacement.

The other one I have seen that is also or rather has been is Paneraiboutique but again its a lottery like DSNs can be!! But the same can be said with Jacksontse or Tat's.

All the options will fit your 47mm the key is the gasket and correct fitment this is the biggest cause of cracking, exploding crystals, though temperature changes are also a reason!!

Plexi is OK but would not be a choice I would make on the contemporary 47s.