I used to think acrylic was crap, but I've refurbished enough acrylic crystals now that I'd almost rather have acrylic over mineral or hardlex. Once mineral or hardlex are scratched, there's not much you can do about it. With acrylic, those scratches can be nothing but a bad memory with a few minutes' work. I much prefer sapphire of course so the scratches never happen. :-) Seiko should really start putting sapphire on everything. They really don't cost THAT much, and if a sapphire crystal were to raise the price of an entry-level SNK an extra $10-$20 I think people would GLADLY pay it. I wonder if some of the major brands put mineral in the lower end models just to help justify the price of (and sell more of) the expensive watches.

@orhanabd1724

3 жыл бұрын

I bought a solar powered and sapphire Casio Edifice for 100€! I think is the best buy. Model is EFS-S530D-2AVUF

@AbdElHmyd

3 жыл бұрын

And I'm soo surprised that Seiko's little brother, Orient Star, able to equipped most of it watches with sapphire at even lower price.

@ccharan6601

Жыл бұрын

appjk

@Bear_Arms

Жыл бұрын

@@orhanabd1724 That is an interesting watch. Very hard to find today in the US. The only issue is that it's a pretty large watch.

@thatsawesome2060

7 ай бұрын

Seiko has no problem increase the price but still wouldn't put sapphire.

"Coral might be something you'd come into contact with" Me living about 500 miles from the coast: Sure...

That was the best horror movie I've seen this year! The bezel insert on your SKX looks incredible. Great video!

My stomach has turned over several times when you were going at the Seiko.

I'm very disappointed that Seiko doesn't use sapphire crystal on the limited srp models. Great demonstration.

I was considering buying a Seiko 5s as a first adventure into the watch enthusiast world since it’s such good value otherwise, but the lack of sapphire crystal is now really confirmed as a dealbreaker for me. I want to be able to wear my watches for several years and not store them in a box somewhere, so easy scratching is a big no no.

@joaopedrotitonelli1076

2 ай бұрын

Tenho um seiko 5 sports a quase 3 anos, uso como meu relógio do dia a dia, não possui nenhum arranhão no crystal hardlex dele, e eu não sou o cara mais cuidadoso do mundo com ele.

Hardlex is hardened mineral glass. But to my knowledge many if not most mineral watch glasses are hardened to some degree. It may have a slight edge but I don't think there's a significant difference in practice.

@Alias_Anybody

3 жыл бұрын

Ad: Granite is Quartz (Mohs 7) plus Feldspar (Mohs 6-6.5). In fact, compounds with Mohs 8; 9 or 10 are quite rare in nature while Quartz is extremely common. That's why raising the glass hardness from ~7 (mineral glass) to 9 (corundum aka crystalline aluminum oxide aka Sapphhire/Ruby) is a huge deal. Everything that can scratch it (other corundum, silicon carbide and diamond) is pretty to extremely rare, especially in an urban environment, unlike glass.

@GunGuy258

2 ай бұрын

​@Alias_Anybody thank you for the simple explanation.

Way to take one for the team!

Looking to buy my best friend his first automatic watch for his birthday and thanks to you I'm definitely going to go for something with a sapphire crystal. I thought Hardlex might've been a good choice on a budget but I didn't realise it had basically the same resistance as a regular mineral crystal

this is the best test i found so far , and i ve watched about 20 of them very well done man, keep up those good videos

Seiko has no reason of putting mineral glass in their 250+ dollar watches. Its just to save costs. Orient divers starting from the kamasu all have sapphire, and there are even cheaper watches that have sapphire. And if they were really going for the "shatter resistance" like they say they do, then i would prefer they went with acrylic like the vostok amphibia for example. You can use polywatch to polish the scratches out, and it is more shatter resistant than mineral.

Wow, the whole "hardened mineral" thing is a joke. I guess that goes for Saphlex and Flame Fusion as well? Seemed almost like the Hardlex scratched a bit more easily than the mineral. Great video! I salute your bravery for putting your watch in harm's way!

@NathanChisholm041

3 жыл бұрын

And K1 crap

I work at a Watch repair shop in Scottsdale, AZ. We are authorized Seiko dealers, last week our Seiko rep came to our store and informed us that they are trying to use Sapphire more and more in there upcoming watch lines. Hardee’s will still be used. Also he informed me that the price point of Seikos will be increasing, the cheaper Seiko 5s with the 7s26 are being fazed out.

This screw driver isn't stainless.. It's either carbon steel or chromium-vanadium steel. Stainless is mostly common in knifes/blades.

Believe me I was feeling your pain bro! Sorry! Thanks for taking one for the team! 🤜🤛

When I did my scratched watch video I at least put a disclaimer for "disturbing content" at the beginning.... Lol Thanks for the cringe moments as you went at your SKX Eeek

You should just get rid off the AR coating anyway now. A lot of people actually do this on purpose. Because the AR coating will probably scratch away anyway in the long run and will be annoying to look at.

Damn the difference is actually huge. I already refused to buy hardlex but there you have it.

Hardlex and mineral crystals are basically the same. Hardlex is just seiko's advertisement of saying, "our mineral crystal is better."

@thetruth495

3 жыл бұрын

Not exactly. Hardlex is hardened mineral crystal.

@NathanChisholm041

3 жыл бұрын

@@thetruth495 Its heat hardened!

I don't know why sapphire is not a standard yet. Good video! You kept me don't wanting to look with the dremell on the seiko! ;-)

@ER-ws2pb

3 жыл бұрын

Because sapphire costs more. All of the higher end Seiko divers use sapphire, all of the entry-mid level divers use Hardlex. Some critics say Hardlex is less likely to shatter which is why Seiko uses it so often, but they cannot really answer for why the $1000+ Seiko professional divers use sapphire instead.

@haparcheledupwar

3 жыл бұрын

@@ER-ws2pb hardlex can stand heavy pressures under the sea, while sapphire is good on land use specially on scratches, bump, pointy, and fall..

I've never scratched sapphire. Everything else, yes. Seiko should stick to using hardlex on their case backs only.

Try getting Mohs-rating scratch pens like the ones from JerryRigEverything uses on his phone reviews or the ones used by Josh. It gives some accurate results n ... I dont think you would be willing to scratch on a Tissot with a powertool :P Chris...next time, Get some throwaway crystal test pieces instead of something you are wearing everyday .

The $ you made from this video you can get another sapphire glass. Great video 👍

So: ZERO difference between Hardlex & crystal. This video is essential viewing for any watch enthusiast. Thank you for your sacrifice.

Great video--although I do think it's funny that you used the crystal in your actual watch, rather than just ordering another cheap one for the test. As others have said, I appreciate you taking one for the team!

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Lol yea definitely would have made more sense...

Great video, you definitely took one for the team ! That was awesome to watch my man 🔥

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks man!

I know the answer but won't spoil it except to say both are far better than the hardest mobile phone screen!! Reminder set!! I trust you're doing this properly with MOHS picks. It's the only acceptable way to give a scientific result.

Wish I would have had an afternoon cocktail before watching this, but thanks for using stuff that is around you all the time

Thank you so much for doing this experiment and testing the Hardlex vs the Sapphire Crystal. I was struggling between getting a Seiko watch with a Hardlex crystal vs one with a Sapphire crystal. Now I have my answer, Sapphire crystal is the way to go! Thank you.🙏

I'm honestly shocked at the durability of the AR coating. I have a couple watches with sapphire, no scratches in the glass but one has a single scratch in the AR coating. Definitely my crystal of choice. Actually getting my Citizen Avion fitted with sapphire

felt nervous every time when sapphire was about to get tested 😅😅

Might be worth to try and "fix" the crystals with some products after that see if those work. I've been meaning to fix the crystal on my Orient Ray

@Bear_Arms

Жыл бұрын

Unlike acrylic crystals, mineral crystals aren't fixable.

Extreme test lol!! Thx for sharing. Reckon I'll get a sapphire glass! ;) Now you gotta replace the Seiko crystal!

Awesome video Chris and definitely worth doing again but next time dark background so the scratches are much easier to see.

So is this a homage to Josh's video? I don't know why I laughed my ass off every time you said rub against the glass!!! I am such a child! 😂

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Lol I should have said " put eh on the glass" oh wait not much better

Only had my Seiko 5 snxs for a few days. Noticed two small scratches or weird little dot knicks. And I’ve been very meticulous, it was probably some kind of dust when I used my micro fiber cloth. Those clothes are good at getting 99% of stuff off with no scratches, but after having glasses for awhile I know they won’t be perfect. So I’ve found a sapphire with no AR coating that I’m going to get the watch fitted with

I have a Sea Wolf that's 30 years old and the saphire crystal is unblemished, nothing compares.

Me at the point of the dremmel test. "You Sir deserve a subscription." Done.

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Lol thanks for the sub!!

be careful, sandpaper (and other abrasives you might find in a workshop) can scratch sapphire glass because it is the same material, both are aluminum oxide (Al2O3) so they are close in hardness. (just different purity and cristaline structure betwen both), tugnsten carbide is also harder, so if you work in machining, that could scratch your saphire

I like the Seiko presage mojito green a lot, it looks dope🔥 but it has hardlex in it and i also like the Tissot visodate which uses the sapphire crystal. But look wise the seiko comes first here for me. Which one should i go for??? The hardlex is making me confused between the two😭. I wish the seiko came up with sapphire crystal in this one.

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Hey it all depends on how hard you are on the watch and if it's a daily wearer. If it is a daily the sapphire is the way to go...

I'm working in factory producing electric engines and that means working with tools, sandpapers, different type of steel etc. My sapphire on my citizen is good as new, and it suffered a few knocks also and survived. I really don't get it why seiko put sapphire one $500+ pieces only

@dave789ish

2 жыл бұрын

Cost only reason sapphire is tough my wife it my watch with a golf club by accident messing about and not a mark on it

@dzonhmf6475

2 жыл бұрын

@@dave789ish yeah i get it, but thing is, factory workers probably dont want to spend much money on watches for work yet they want it to stay in good shape for longer. If they add sapphire in cheaper models and put a bit higher price they would sell much more. Who need sapphire on 1000€ dress watch? I have automatic dress watch from seiko, but for work and for summer activities i choose citizen and g shock respectively, citizen cause it offers sapphire for less money and g shock cause its cheap watch that can withstand a lot and you dont need to take it of while doing sports. Why would i buy seiko for work if it doesn't have good protection as citizen for same money

@dave789ish

2 жыл бұрын

@@dzonhmf6475 absolutely you and me r the same I'm a bus mechanic I own lots of g shock there not overly expensive and tough as old boots not sure if my citizen is sapphire its very old eco drive 18th birthday present I'm nearly 40 and it's still going strong timex mad money for them acrylic face why o why OK yes u can polish it up but like u say put the extra spec in people like u and me will pay it

@dave789ish

2 жыл бұрын

My sapphire face watch is a breitling there is no way its going to work to meet oil water brake dust mud and grit etc lol

Оh, lord. It's was mad test. When you scratch Seiko, i was worried about them as if they were my own watch😁

“It’s my wife’s... ok it’s mine” 😂 great video man!

Wow! Nice video! You are crazy on using on your what but for sure you learned that sapphire is superior on all ways.

Hi speed impacts are an overlooked issue with watch crystals. using a grinding wheel i've taken small but noticeable chunks out of a saphire. A weadeater just did the same on my metal g's mineral crystal. Ive mainly had scratches on mineral crystals while hiking and brushing against rocks. A pretty light rub on a boulder dug big grooves in my orient. I've considered adding screen protectors but I instead I'm going to be more honest with myself about what's a tool watch and what's not and just get over it. Scratches are annoying but they're also hard earned signs of use. acrylic g shocks actually do really well. They don't suffer from impacts and they are recessed enough to avoid some scratches. I also think the scratches they do get are less noticeable for some reason.

I scratched the case and bezel of one of my stainless steel watches on a slab of granite. Especially the bezel looks pretty much damaged, but the sapphire crystal doesn't have a single mark. Not even the AR coating (so that's harder than I thought). That made me think; Citizen sells some watches with an AR coated mineral crystal. Could the coating actually be more scratch resistant than the crystal itself?

Great video!!!!!!!! No BS, straight to the point! Bravo!!!!

dude i nearly died ! hahaha thank you for the video i learned a lot!

Every time you hit on your watch, I can feel the shock wave on its movement... Poor Seiko ^^

how did you find the correct sizing and fitting for the glass replacement ?

In my experience there's absolutely no difference between mineral crystal and "hardlex" except for Seiko's marketing speak.

Im sorry for your watch 😥 good informative video. I just skipped presentations of the "tools" as i would see it later on anyway. I just got my watch with sapphire crystal and i was wondering if i should put some protection on it. Look like i dont have to. Thanks, you saved me few bucks.

Now you should do a crack/shatter test w/those three plus add acrylic...

Best demonstration ever. Thank you.

What gets me scratches is those bollards that they put around the fuel pumps (the big pipes that keep you from running into the pumps). I must go full clutz mode putting fuel in the car. I put a giant scratch in one of my citizens crystals banging my wrist against the bollard...and got some of that nice yellow paint gouged into the case. Back in my civil engineering days I’d destroy a watch every time I went on a job site, glancing off of scaffolding or against masonry walls and such. I’m disturbingly careful now days. Good vid buddy!

@peterc3700

3 жыл бұрын

I don’t have a channel but I think I need to do a self help video on how to not scratch or dent your watch! Bet it would be pretty popular. Now if I only knew how to successfully do that!! 😂

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

Oh it's easy just constantly be thinking about your watch.... Which is easy... For us... However with that said as careful as I am I have scratched the sapphire on at least 10 watches lol

@dinner_workingsly

3 жыл бұрын

Long sleeve shirt is the only thing that gives me any respite from having to be so aware. I’m pretty cognizant of the fact I’ve got a damage magnet usually though.....but my brain has been known to scatter with little to no notice.

@WatchChris

3 жыл бұрын

@@dinner_workingsly remember those ankle socks things girls wore in the 80s... How about those for the wrist????

@peterc3700

3 жыл бұрын

@@dinner_workingsly that’s it! I’m going to do a top 5 ways not to damage your watch. #1 method Don’t wear it (sell it to me!)😊

where did you get the Chinese Sapphire Crystal from? I have two watches, and would love to switch them to Sapphire

Why don’t they apply reflective coating underside of the sapphire glass ?

@seikocitizenwatches

3 жыл бұрын

All of my favorite watches have sapphire. My Spring Drive watch have sapphire glasses on front and caseback.

@PickAnyNameButMine

Жыл бұрын

They do.

🎉 really, you have done precisely about the glasses. And it’s a important video for those, who don’t have idea about watch glasses.

Very cool video! Thank you! 👍🏿

The nice thing with Sapphire crystal glass is that when I polish a watch their is no need to try and protect it from the polishing wheel or sand papers.

@Dave062YT

3 жыл бұрын

Sapphire is not glass.

@canadianwatchmonkey3992

3 жыл бұрын

@@Dave062YT technically you are correct.

Really an excellent video. Thanks for the demo!

Great vid. Made me feel happy with my recent upgrade to sapphire. Subscribed!

I'm about to buy a Seiko Oresage that uses a Hardlex crystal, and yes is't not as scratch resistant but i won't be pushing a screwdriver into a dress watch anytime soon, so it's not really a deal breaker. My daily watch does have a sapphire crystal tho.

That why AR coatings should be on the underside...

It's a shame Seiko using Hardlex in 500 Euro range watches, I can't even imagine how many people avoid their watches because of that.

@voiceofexperience

2 ай бұрын

Even more now 😂

Based on this video its Sapphire all the way for me now. Great vid.

i appreciate your sacrifice for science. Thank you. It helped me decide between mineral crystal and sapphire.

Thanks man for this video this was actually fun to watch 😂

Thank you for this very practical test. Very useful & informative! Pete :")

Just paid a pro to upgrade my SKX007 to domed sapphire with a sub style ceramic bezel insert and I'm in love with how this way wears now, I'm even more pleased that the upgrade appears to be worth the money seeing this test!

@spigeo2345

2 жыл бұрын

I’ve been looking at getting a seiko 5, Is it expensive to swap out the hardlex for a sapphire, That’s the only put off for the watch for me

@llai8501

2 жыл бұрын

@@spigeo2345 I can't speak for labour costs as I don't know where you're based, for me, I googled Seiko mods Australia and found a guy who does this type of work, he charged me for parts at cost and showed me my options online. Then took my watch once the parts arrived and charged me $110 AUD for labour. All up, parts and labour cost me $210, that's for the bezel and crystal upgrade. He pressure tested my watch and change the gaskets all included in that price. It shouldnt be expensive. Totally worth it. Esp since the seiko 5 is cheaper. I see it as protecting your investment.

@TheJithinmp

Жыл бұрын

@@llai8501hi, mate would you mind sharing the link for the website? I’m from Australia too

How do I get a Seiko with theJapanese day wheel?

@WatchChris

4 ай бұрын

They are available usually ebay is a good spot to find them Thanks for the comment

I can get scratches out off sapphire using a Dremel and diamond paste but it takes a lot off work!

@markterzi857

3 жыл бұрын

How long did it take?

Scratches disappear under water. So for a entry level ISO dive watch, I'll give up the sapphire cyrstal for Diver ISO certification every day of the week. I'd prefer the money went for individually testing my piece to 125% rated pressure for 2 hours. Sapphire does me little good if my "dive watch" fills up with water.

Very interesting! 👍🏻 Thanks for it. 😀

You seemed like you had a lot of fun making this video. Was interesting to see how much better sapphire is.

Great video! Thanks for doing this

Nice review. I’m sticking with Safire. It’s becoming more common as well.

Thank you for your sacrifice lmao. Very educational!

Would you share where exactly you purchased the Sapphire Crystal from China? I would greatly appreciate it.

This was a true horror video for us, watch enthusiasts....One thing is clear for all time, Hardlex is Not just as good as Sapphire crystal mister Seiko! Thanks man.

..and yet Seiko won't give you a sapphire unless you give them at least 6-700€ for a watch. That is why I'll hardly become a customer of them.

Wich model is the Seiko in the video?

So sapphire is better than mineral and others in a watch??

Excellent Review. You took one for the team💪🏽

Amazing! Can I consider the same sapphire on new smart watches?

Thank you for sharing 😉👍

Fantastic video, did you recoat your seiko watch?

@WatchChris

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks no I decided to leave it as is I'm trying to repair it myself first then I will re-ceramic paint it

I don't understand Seiko what they want from they "Hardlex?

Cool test! My new citizen watch has a sapphire lens.

Screwdrivers aren't generally made of stainless steel.

Your screwdriver is not stainless steel sorry

Im waiting for this video

This is cool. I have had better luck with hardlex then mineral in my citizens. I had to replace a crystal in my nighthawk. For some reason my seikos don't get as scratched. The biggest surprise was that people thought hardlex was as good a sapphire.🤷

A diver under water can run into strong current and possible for a diver to loose control and hit something sapphire can shatter due to impact hardlex are more durable to impact yes it can be scratch but its more resistant to shatter. Remember a shattered crystal watch is no good under water, Thats why they develop the hardlex from the name it self HARD-LEX but most users are not really a diver so they preferred sapphire for scratch resistant properties. Thats innovation coming from SEIKO watch equip with HARDLEX instead of sapphire...

Interesting informative video. Thanks.

Just for a heads up your screwdriver is not stainless steel

Still have no idea why anyone would put AR coating on the outside of a sapphire glass.

@Alias_Anybody

3 жыл бұрын

In my experience sapphire is as if not more reflective than mineral, so why not? Edit: Wait, you mean ON TOP of it? Okay, I agree, that's stupid. Underside or let it be.

@juniorjohnson5961

3 жыл бұрын

To stop reflection !

@blindriv3r

3 жыл бұрын

If you mean on the outer side, if done well on both sides, like Omega does, it really makes the crystal disappear and the dial pop.....you just have to be careful, it was interesting how he had to use the dremel to get the AR coating off here

sir where did you buy the sapphire glass?

@WatchChris

2 жыл бұрын

Hey I got the sapphire on eBay

Sapphire crystal rules supreme!

Great vid Sir.