Has anyone seen a doble etched rolex crown on a sapphire crystal?

[tk3]

Has anyone seen a doble etched rolex crown on a sapphire crystal?
I bought this beautiful 16700 a couple of weeks ago and I noticed that the etched crown in the crystal looked kind of weird. Didn't know if it was a replacement, a fake or if Rolex just messed up on with a doble step. I've looked at it from every angle and the etched looks legit but I can find any info on doble etched Rolex crystals. Can anybody shed some light?

[Andad]

Hi,

Any chance of seeing a pix?

[rolexjc]

As far as I know 16700 shouldn’t have LEC from factory

[tk3]

Here it is, my 1996 16700

[tk3]

I can't find a way to upload images, just these zip files.
I'm new to the forum, it's not very user friendly...

[tk3]

Had to crop it a couple of times...

[tk3]

Full watch photo

[swish77]

Originally Posted by tk3

Had to crop it a couple of times...

Does look unusual, but either way, it's definitely not the original crystal on your 16700. Rolex didn't start providing etched crystals until the early 2000s.

Perhaps your crystal is fine and was replaced at service, but I believe it should also have an etched "S" on it too, to signify that it's a service crystal.

As for the double effect, are there definitely two crowns, or is it just a reflection/optical illusion?

[tk3]

I know, that's the weirdest thing. The etching does not have the "S" for service crystal and I swear, I see 2 crowns. Here are some more photos.

[crowncollection]

Service Chrystal no longer have the S

They are just like normal crystal. Double crown is not normal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[librazm]

This should be a replaced one. Most likely a market replace one (not Rolex service one). I have a 16570 with the same issue.

[Old Expat Beast]

I had that double crown "issue" a few years ago, and it turned out to be a reflection/illusion.

[tk3]

Did you see the pics? I know it sounds crazy and I hope (I think) its a reflection but damn, I've been looking at it non stop since I have the watch and It looks like two etchings...

[77T]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

I had that double crown "issue" a few years ago, and it turned out to be a reflection/illusion.

With this one Adam, it seems the doublecrown (or reflection) moves around quite a bit in the different pictures the OP provided. But I agree it is an illusion reflection.

Originally Posted by tk3

Did you see the pics? I know it sounds crazy and I hope (I think) its a reflection but damn, I've been looking at it non stop since I have the watch and It looks like two etchings...

Yes - looked at them closely. The trouble is that the second crown image isn’t appearing in a consistent pattern.

I have seen the double reflection before but it usually appears consistently as light refracts through the crystal.

It is possible that the LEC was created at a variable depth across its width in error. Such that the tiny laser dots are higher within the crystal on one side and lower on the other side.

The only other idea is parallax created by the various angles you are viewing the watch - and shooting pictures.

Parallax is a displacement in the visible position of an object. In this instance, not due to different lines of sight, but due to the bent semi-angle of light as it transits the depth of the crystal and exiting the bottom of the crystal where the LEC has bent the particles of light.

Ultimately, you’re seeing reflections in varying angles on the dial surface, rehaut and other semi-reflective surfaces.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[tk3]

Wow, this is a really amazing answer. I hope you are right on all accounts. I'll keep looking at it, hopefully is a reflection. Thank you so much for your input!