robideaux Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 hey folks, i've got a PAM 217 rep that was supposed to have a sapphire crystal. i took it to a watchmaker, and asked him to verify and he said that it was indeed sapphire. as i was cleaning the watch today, i noticed some short hairline scratches. i thought i remembered reading that sapphire was unscratchable by anything except diamond? or is this a common thing? maybe i'm just a fool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HeWhoIsLikeGod Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Are you sure they are scratches, all my watches except my DW 6263, have sapphire crystal and I am pretty rough on my watches, not one to date has a single scratch on it. What kind of watch are we talking about and who did you buy from? It sounds like you may have been dooped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Pitt Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 They can scratch it's just harder to do, I've scratched a genuine Sub in the past so it can happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipop Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 They can scratch it's just harder to do, I've scratched a genuine Sub in the past so it can happen. I thought that you can't scratch Sapphire unless you use something harder e.g. Diamond? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitmic Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 I thought that you can't scratch Sapphire unless you use something harder e.g. Diamond? You know Dirk Pitt, he's got diamonds all over his place. THAT'S WHAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubus Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 (edited) I got syntetic shapire in my old rep and within a year of time I scratched it only in few places and the scraches are barely seeable. But you sure can scratch real shaphire with few things, repmember that in hardness scale shaphire is 9 out of 10 that goes for shaphire. Theres plenty sharp tools that goes above or equal to 9. Edited May 10, 2006 by pubus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronus Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 I got syntetic shapire in my old rep and within a year of time I scratched it only in few places and the scraches are barely seeable. But you sure can scratch real shaphire with few things, repmember that in hardness scale shaphire is 9 out of 10 that goes for shaphire. Theres plenty sharp tools that goes above or equal to 9. Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipop Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Straight from the knowledge base: Sapphire (whether natural or synthetic) is one of the hardest substances on earth. It measures 9 on the Mohs scale, which is a system for rating the relative hardness of various materials. (Diamond measures 10, the highest rating.) Watch crystals made of synthetic sapphire are often marketed as "scratch resistant", meaning they are very difficult - but not impossible - to scratch. Diamond can scratch them; so can man-made materials that incorporate silicon carbide, with, with a Mohs rating of between 9 and 10, is, like diamond, harder than sapphire. These materials are sometimes used to make simulated-stone surfaces for furniture or walls. The watch wearer should note that accidentally scraping a sapphire crystal against such a surface could cause a scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmosblau Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 I got syntetic shapire in my old rep and within a year of time I scratched it only in few places and the scraches are barely seeable. But you sure can scratch real shaphire with few things, repmember that in hardness scale shaphire is 9 out of 10 that goes for shaphire. Theres plenty sharp tools that goes above or equal to 9. All Sapphire watch crystals are synthetic. Natural Sapphire is not used to make watch crystals. In fact, I don't think it is ever clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gran Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 maybe i'm just a fool. never say such things..... Syntetic shapire is great stuff and if you ahve some scratches that might mean you have some AR coating or the like on its surface...maybe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bignasty Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Just wanted to add a bit of information to the mix here. Some dealers here are referring to "mineral glass" as "synthetic sapphire" and "synthetic sapphire (gen sapphire)" as just "sapphire". The best way to check is the water drop test! It literally beads on sapphire. It will sit much flatter on mineral glass. Also the "thud" verses "tink" tap test works a bit too. Also on domed sapphire it usually has a very light pink hue, while mineral will have a white or very light green hue. You can also take your fingernail across the crystal. Your fingernail will seem to glide much smoother on the sapphire. It will actually feel almost sticky on the mineral. Of course all of these tests are not very technical, but I've learned to trust them some what. Here's the real test! You can just sit back, wait, and be patient. If scratches develop its a pretty good chance you have mineral glass. Then you can source a sapphire crystal and move on! . I just got a sapphire crystal for my Fiddy from Davidsen last week. I installed it about an hour ago. I'll be posting pictures later. I can tell you I know all of these tests because I am super anal about owning only sapphire crystal watches (or plastic, can easily be buffed). I HATE and I mean HATE mineral glass. I work on cars and often wear my watches in tight places. I need something that will not scratch. Your best bet is from now on do this. Before you buy a watch from any dealer, make sure you ask "Is this a 100% scratch proof Sapphire crystal?" They should be up front with you. But never do like a guy I work with did and take a Hardened Steel (Carbide) Razor Blade across your sapphire crystal to show others it's sapphire, because it will scratch and you will look very dumb ! Cheers, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmosblau Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Just wanted to add a bit of information to the mix here. Some dealers here are referring to "mineral glass" as "synthetic sapphire" and "synthetic sapphire (gen sapphire)" as just "sapphire". This is criminal. So basically, the dealers lie? That is bait and switch- all sapphire crystals are synthetic. Mineral glass is natural! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craytonic Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 I haven't managed to scratch any of mine yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bignasty Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 This is criminal. So basically, the dealers lie? That is bait and switch- all sapphire crystals are synthetic. Mineral glass is natural! I don't think it is intentional, just honest mistake. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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