Clear differences

Seiko Velatura with Sapphire Crystal

When adding a watch to our online store at Find Watches, we add various technical details to the description to help customers answer questions that they may have. One of the headings we have is “glass” where descriptions such as “Mineral Crystal” and “Sapphire Crystal” appear. For some customers this is valuable details but for others it is just confusing, so we thought that we’d do a blog post explaining the difference.

The “glass” or sometimes “the crystal” is the transparent cover over the face of a watch that protects the hands and face. This is generally made of one of three common materials depending on the nature, make and quality of each particular watch. Each material has it’s own advantages and disadvantages, so it is worth understanding the differences.

Acrylic Crystal

Acrylic crystal is made from a tough, flexible and transparent plastic. Acrylic is the least expensive type of crystal and as such is common on cheaper watches. It is also though both light and flexible, making it less likely to shatter on impact. These properties make it an attractive choice for watches prone to a knock or two, such as children’s and some sports watches. The main disadvantage of acrylic crystal is that it does scratch easier than other types.

Mineral Crystal

Mineral crystals are the most common amongst the ranges of watches we stock. Mineral crystal is glass that has been treated by either heat or chemical processes making it more scratch resistant than acrylic, although more prone to shatter than it’s plastic counterpart.

Mineral crystal is one of the most popular and common materials used for watch cystals and can be found on brands such as Breil, Police and Casio watches.

Sapphire Crystal

Sapphire crystal is a synthetic material made by crystallizing aluminium oxide at very high temperatures. Synthetic sapphire has the same chemical composition as the natural sapphire used in jewellery, but without the colouring agents that give the stone its various colours. Sapphire is one of the hardest substances on earth. Sapphire crystal is durable, shatter proof & scratch resistant making for an excellent crystal. The main drawback of sapphire crystal is the cost involved in manufacturing it. For this reason you will mostly find it on our premiere brands such as Citizen and Seiko.