What are the different types of watch crystals?
Sapphire, Mineral, and Plexiglas (typically called plastic or acrylic). Sapphire crystals are the most expensive and the most scratch resistant. It can only be scratched by diamonds and other surfaces with a mineral hardness of 10. They are generally over $100 to replace and basically impossible to buff any scratches out. Since they are so hard, they are more likely to shatter on heavy impacts than a plastic crystal. As more consumers understand the durability of sapphire, more come to expect it on their watches. The vast majority of modern Swiss watches (and the watches Bernard Watch sells) utilize a sapphire crystal. Plastic/acrylic crystals are the least expensive and commonly found on vintage watches and select modern watches. These crystals scratch easily, however they are cheap to replace and easy to buff scratches. Plastic crystals offer a “warmer” appeal. Reissues like the Tag Heuer Monaco are often fitted with acrylic crystals to maintain the appeal of the original. Mineral cr
