that_watch_guy Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 So I'm sitting there on my PC about 30 minutes ago, typing away, not wearing any watch, when I hear this "POP!". I look over into my watch box and my 1950 crystal has exploded outwards. This is the "Ultimate version with viagra blue AR coating" etc etc etc. Literally just popped while it was sitting there. This has happened to two other people I know as well, and at first I did not believe them, I thought they must have dropped it or something. My question is; is replacing the crystal going to fix this? Or... is it a problem with the bezel somehow being at a slight angle or something which puts enough pressure on the crystal to eventually break it? Anyone else had this problem, then replaced the crystal, and not had another problem for a long time. Seems to happened frequently with the 127 and 217 models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavor flav Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 holy crap!!! WTF! that's the craziest thing i've ever seen! PM me your address i have another crystal i can send you if you are in the US. just cover the shipping.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 yeah, i always wondered why if it kept happening i never saw a photo THATS UNREAL thanks for sharing. Recently a friend who i gave a asian corum from truty to, said he opened his drawer and the crystal exploded. I said, you must have dropped it, or dropped something on it, they don't just explode. freaky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sssurfer Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 OMG! All what I can think of is that the metal was cooling at a faster pace than crystal (which can happen especially if the crystal is sapphire). In this situation the Fiddy is more exposed than other models to crystal explosion due to its large size and its specially shaped (domed but thin) crystal. Sorry for what happened, good you already found a possible replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Same happened to me the other week, i hade been walking in and out of buildings and we had a cold snap that day and i put it down to changes in temp, but sat in a watch box in a room that should be a stable enviroment, well mine it on the way to finebix for a new crystal as of this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babola Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Yes guys, unfortunatelly it' s real, and there are no only 2-3 guys that experienced the "Fiddy crystal explosion" there are actually a lot more. This particular "feature" comes with the "THE BEST" Fiddy as advertised by our dealers, and it seems to be contained to versions with the case number e0581/1950, and not e0117/1950. All the PMs and emails I received from other members with the "exploding" experience indicate this. BTW, the case e0581 is also an inferior one to e0117, as the sides don't rund up to the bezel properly, leaving an impression that the watch is actually wider than 47mm. Here's the pic of my exploded Fiddy (THE BESTEST OF THE BEST :-)))) with and inferior e0581 case. I have since replaced both the case and the crystal with Davidsen's AR sapphire and e0581 case. @TWG, Davidsen will set you right, just order his AR sapphire...at $85 it's worth every penny. cheers, babola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Well the other qestion is this: What about the dial???? Did it scratched? It must have been scratched if the glass has fallen on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Mine fell off as it was on my arm when it broke so as far as my dial goes it is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babola Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Well the other qestion is this: What about the dial???? Did it scratched? It must have been scratched if the glass has fallen on it. Nope :-) Dial all fine ! Most of those "explosions" happen with the Fiddy being worn on the wrist, so under an angle. When the crystal explodes the fragments (I call them shrapnels :-)) tend to fly avay from the watch/dial. In my case I only found few tiny glass bits on the dial (you need a loupe to spot them), and easily blowed them away - the key here is not trying to brush them off with a cloth, brush or any other method that will cause a physical contact with the dial. I would imagine you'd need only a slight amount of force applied to damage the dial...those sapphire bits are d@mn sharp. Stay well ! cheers, babola Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shultz Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Hey Cody, that happened to my 212 recently. Exactly as you described: Sitting at my PC just hearing something like a "pop" and then I saw that catastrophe Now I am searching for a new crystal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothOperator Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 WOW .. this just happened to my 1950 .. but my was a E0117 case. time to contact Davidsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwygant Posted December 12, 2006 Report Share Posted December 12, 2006 Hey Cody, that happened to my 212 recently. Exactly as you described: Sitting at my PC just hearing something like a "pop" and then I saw that catastrophe Now I am searching for a new crystal... Same thing happened to my friends 212. Sitting in a meeting and he just heard a pop. He looked down at his watch and the crystal just fell of the watch. I found a replacement crystal from Andrew. //Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssparky Posted May 6, 2007 Report Share Posted May 6, 2007 Can you replace a crystal? I need one swapped too and I live in Chagrin Falls Ohio. Thanks, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leboul99 Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Folks - this is very real. Have a very nice Andrew Fiddy - after 7 months - woke up one morning this week and looked at the night table - and the crystal had exploded overnight. So - I will seek out a Davidsen upgrade. My question is - can anyone recommend a good shop in NYC (or to whom I can ship my watch) who caqn do the crystal replacement? Thanx so much. LeBoul Maybe I can enlighten you guys a bit... The rep crystals are domed. As it seems those domed sapphire glasses are not so well cut - making them suffering from an interior imbalance in stability. Now - often, the crystals are not seated evently in the bezel - causing a lot of tension on the crystal. Probably this is one of the main reasons for the "pop" effect... Good enough is that we live in times were spare parts are rather easy to obtain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Hi lads, While reading this im lurkin on my 217 destro on the wrist and im more and more concerned ... this tends to be serious problem indeed and just the number of people that experienced this misfortune makes me unease ! Not only this brings additional cost of repair if it happens but also i can just see the weird looks in our super quiet office Is this so common on the 217 as on the 127 ? I presume yes as it looks like same cristal mounted on both. regards laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalayclass Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Be careful there is nothing in the movement!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarini Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Be careful there is nothing in the movement!!! Dont get that , u mean after it explodes or before , sorry for the dumb question . regards laz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Make sure none of the crystal has managed to get below the dial, Unlikely i know but it can happen, if you do a search there is a poll as to how many people this has happened too, add you name to the list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.