Upgrading from Acrylic to Sapphire

[PhilM]

Originally Posted by Puffy

IMO if it's not acrylic it's not really vintage....

What about in another 10 or 20 years, will say a trit 14060 or fat lady not be classed as vintage.

[pawnshopkiller]

If you want a sapphire crystal trade your watch in on one. Don't go putting aftermarket parts on the watch. It was designed to have the crystal it has.

[thewelshm]

So I guess noone is going to like this one

I bought this reasonable, and allthough it doesnt have the correct bracelet, bezel and crystal I thought it looked great??? Maybe I messed up?

thewelshm

[pawnshopkiller]

I like it. Don't listen to all everyone who bad mouths watches with aftermarket parts. As watches age parts need to be replaced and if the owner opts for cheaper aftermarket parts this is ok with me, as long as the price reflects the originality of the piece and its condition. Don't get me wrong I have spent more on some watches putting correct parts back on them than I did for the watch itself. EVERY watch has it's place.

It kind of reminds me of 10-15 years ago when a vintage muscle car had to be numbers matching to be collectible. Look at any of those cars now numbers matching or not they are all collectible.

[thewelshm]

Originally Posted by pawnshopkiller

I like it. Don't listen to all everyone who bad mouths watches with aftermarket parts. As watches age parts need to be replaced and if the owner opts for cheaper aftermarket parts this is ok with me, as long as the price reflects the originality of the piece and its condition. Don't get me wrong I have spent more on some watches putting correct parts back on them than I did for the watch itself. EVERY watch has it's place.

It kind of reminds me of 10-15 years ago when a vintage muscle car had to be numbers matching to be collectible. Look at any of those cars now numbers matching or not they are all collectible.

I wonder how much the value has be compromised??

thewelshm

[pawnshopkiller]

Originally Posted by thewelshm

I wonder how much the value has be compromised??

thewelshm

well I would say that with the band and all it's worth more than just the watch head in original condition even if that smooth bezel is aftermarket, so I guess in this case the value has risen. but if the watch was original mint VS the current modified state I would say 30 to 40 percent decrease in value.

[watch watcher]

I have both and let me tell you the sapphire is unforgiving when it comes to showing fingerprints. I'm constantly wiping them off, several times a day. The acrylic I leave alone.

[Rolex2]

Those scratches can probably be buffed out. Take it to a jewelers. I had a few scratches on my acrylic face, and the jeweler buffed them out easily.

You can buff out scratches with an acrylic, but not with sapphire.

[Passionata]

Please do not do that

[applebook]

Originally Posted by Puffy

IMO if it's not acrylic it's not really vintage....

Plastic > Synthetic sapphire, especially since vintage Rolex plastic is domed, while sapphire is flat. If you're talking about the Speedmaster Pro's chamfered sapphire, then that's another story

[Rolex2]

Replaced parts are inevitable for 30 yo user watches. To me, it's Ok as long as the parts are Rolex. I have a couple of user oysterdates that are 30-40 yo. They don't have original bands or crystals--and one has a replaced back cover. But the replacements are all Rolex and consistent with the models.

[patch21]

Even though its been almost a decade, I decided I would reply to this thread. I just recently purchased a sapphire crystal to replace my old badly scratched/damaged original acrylic. After doing so, I would highly recommend NOT doing it.

Stick to original, considering Rolex.

It looks far too raised, its not rounded or domed. The nylon gasket is also very visible and not very transparent.

I was not happy with the result and I will be switching back to acrylic.