A Theory About Rolex Sapphire Crystals

[chronergy]

I've owned non AR coated flat sapphire watches from other brands however none bling/shine as much as Rolex. I thought this could be because Rolex polishes their crystals to a very high sheen but that doesn't seem likely given that it's completely transparent, so it's already finely polished enough by diamond to the point that microabrasions are not discernible to the naked eye (similar to other watches). Next I thought that it was the play between gloss black dials and the crystal creating that wet, shiny, look on the glass, however Rolex was able to pull this off with the Hulk and other non black dial models.

My theory: Rolex adds an additional infused white coloring to their crystals to add that shiny bling, which is only visible at certain angles and traps more light, much like what they do with the green sapphire Milgauss. At an angle your Rolex dial can be overlayed with a uniform faint white in the sapphire (have you noticed?) that our eyes process as shine.

Would love your thoughts/debunking evidence if you have any :-)

[Rolex fan 61]

Sorry I don't think about it, as long as I can tell the time and clearly see the watch face and hands that's good enough for me.

[m j b]

That "wet shiny look" that you see on the surface of your crystal or the finish on your Ferrari is simply the result of fine polishing.

[kilyung]

You're overthinking it. It's just polished crystal. Other brands may utilize AR coatings to cut down on glare but Rolex doesn't (except under the cyclops).

[beshannon]

It protects the dial, good enough for me.

[locutus49]

I doubt if they dope the crystal.

[REFZ]

If there was some kind of special treatment to the crystal Rolex would mention it on their website as marketing like they do with other info about their watches but that's not the case for the crystal.

[2ar2c1]

most/all watch crystals are made of low iron glass, which utilizes an extremely low iron content silica. most normal glass has iron in it for strength, and the iron causes a light greenish tint, which is easily seen when looking at the edge of the glass.

the sheen on crystals is caused by high polishing, much more than normal glass receives. after the high polishing, anti-reflective coatings may be applied.

[Rashid.bk]

Nahhhh...simple explanation.
Rolex doesn't use an AR coating which in the end is another component that can get damaged and needs reapplication or polishing at some point.
No AR means just a crystal clear view and sheen free of any component that effects long term aesthetics.

I had an Omega that eventually got scratched. Once you see that scratch, you can't unsee it.

[GradyPhilpott]

Rolex outsources the crystals, if I'm not mistaken.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Etschell]

Originally Posted by kilyung

You're overthinking it. It's just polished crystal. Other brands may utilize AR coatings to cut down on glare but Rolex doesn't (except under the cyclops).

Exactly and they do so for three reasons in my opinion.

One so the AR coating doesn't wear off.

Two so it catches the light.

Three to be different.

[versatile1]

Originally Posted by chronergy

I've owned non AR coated flat sapphire watches from other brands however none bling/shine as much as Rolex. I thought this could be because Rolex polishes their crystals to a very high sheen but that doesn't seem likely given that it's completely transparent, so it's already finely polished enough by diamond to the point that microabrasions are not discernible to the naked eye (similar to other watches). Next I thought that it was the play between gloss black dials and the crystal creating that wet, shiny, look on the glass, however Rolex was able to pull this off with the Hulk and other non black dial models.

My theory: Rolex adds an additional infused white coloring to their crystals to add that shiny bling, which is only visible at certain angles and traps more light, much like what they do with the green sapphire Milgauss. At an angle your Rolex dial can be overlayed with a uniform faint white in the sapphire (have you noticed?) that our eyes process as shine.

Would love your thoughts/debunking evidence if you have any :-)

Actually they use a combination of polycorinthian crystal hydrate and samsburg hyperbytholamue to illuminate the undertone of the geogastronic celicular phazing of the surface of the glass.......so I'm told

[HogwldFLTR]

There are different planes the crystal can be cut on but doping sapphire would cause defects in all likely hood.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by versatile1

Actually they use a combination of polycorinthian crystal hydrate and samsburg hyperbytholamue to illuminate the undertone of the geogastronic celicular phazing of the surface of the glass.......so I'm told

x2........naw, I got nuthin'.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

There are different planes the crystal can be cut on but doping sapphire would cause defects in all likely hood.

I'm stupid...please explain this to me in more detail.

[Cru Jones]

It's not "bling". It's glare.

Personally, I'd rather have a bit of glare than AR coating that gets scratched or fades away.

[Robbie68]

It's just polished, if Rolex added something they would have some ridiculous name for it that they would market.
Now with ReflectEsium Crystal™

[koufax80]

I believe this is correct. Rolex crystals are cut along an axis that is more difficult but results in a crystal that appears "shinier", "more reflective", etc. This is more difficult than the other axis which is why not all manufacturers do it, and thus why not all sapphire crystals appear the same.

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

There are different planes the crystal can be cut on but doping sapphire would cause defects in all likely hood.

[Iloreyix]

I don't have an answer, but I will tell you, the shine of the rolex crystal, especially the ones with a higher crystal, like the SD4K or the Date Just just ring my bell.
I absolutely love to see them in the wild, at a distance, and of course mine when the sun catches that shimmer!
The ceramic also don't hurt in my opinion.

[DramaTurtle]

Funny enough, I find that my Rolex crystals look very cloudy compared to some nicely applied AR.

[AK797]

I've noticed my subs seem to have a clearer crystal than my YM.

[seankendall]

Originally Posted by versatile1

Actually they use a combination of polycorinthian crystal hydrate and samsburg hyperbytholamue to illuminate the undertone of the geogastronic celicular phazing of the surface of the glass.......so I'm told

You are so full of poo poo! The use of off world elements and chemical treatments that haven't been envisioned yet much less brought to market clearly prove you are from the future. You can tell me, are Mr. Peabody and Sherman with you? Is the wayback machine really nice looking or is it a piece of thrown together crap like that drug dealers car in Back To The Future?

I'm sure you know about the last rare Earth element found? Affinium?

[breitlings]

Giorgio A. Tsoukalos also has a theory about Rolex Sapphire Crystals:

[Ticknaway]

So the cut the crystal polish it, so how does the crown at 6 o'clock get placed? Anybody know?