Sapphire vs. Acrylic

[jpotter]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and this will be my first Rolex purchase. I'm thinking of purchasing a Certified Pre-Owned Lady's Stainless Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual "Date" circa 1970s production, from Capetown. It's priced at $2390 and has the acrylic crystal. What are your thoughts on this? A similar watch with the sapphire is $1000 more. Is the extra $1000 worth it? Thanks so much for any help you can give.

[xhype]

acrylic crystal can get scratch a bit easily but with a sapphire crystal its scratch resistant i believe only a diamond can scratch it

[2th Dr]

Sapphire is more resistant to scratches but can crack easier. Acrylic scratches can be polished out if not too deep. IMHO acrylic looks cooler.

[gwalker]

It's not just the crystal that makes the sapphire crystal rolex more. The sapphire models are newer for one thing.

[w4rmk]

FYI, in general the acrylic models are less desirable and harder to resell. The crystal sits taller over the case and some people don't like the extra height and the "old fashioned" look. You should be able to find a sapphire version in the price range you are at for SS on the for sale boards. If that's your preference you'll need to be patient as the ladies models don't come up as frequently.

[LightOnAHill]

So I found something else than can scratch sapphire crystal.

my tungsten Trent west ring left a nice scratch over my 9oclock diamond, but good thing my AD likes me and they are gonna do a new crystal for me for $180. it's the second piece of damage to it I've had in over a year daily wearing. I can barely see it without a flashlight but I can feel it with my nail.

I'm gonna let it get beat up some more just cause now I'm planning on replacing it. no hurry, gives some more character. This DD is loved!

[jpotter]

Thank for the responses. I'll check the for sale watches on here.

[jolimont]

Originally Posted by w4rmk

FYI, in general the acrylic models are less desirable and harder to resell. The crystal sits taller over the case and some people don't like the extra height and the "old fashioned" look..

some people do... love dome plexis
But acrylic gets scratched really easily but nothing polywatch won't fix!

[sea-dweller]

The acrylic is much lighter, but I prefer the sapphire, for looks.

[jamesbondOO7]

Acrylic reflects light less and does not need to be cleaned of finger marks all the time. Sapphire makes the glass itself more of a feature, but you have to wipe your watch all the time: finger marks, water splashes, etc. A bit annoying.

[sierra11b]

It's far more resistant to scratches than a pair of eye glasses but it's far from scratch resistant. I once put a nice scratch on a modern rolex crystal with a casual brush on the outer most edge of my tool box drawer.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by jpotter

Hi everyone. I'm new here and this will be my first Rolex purchase. I'm thinking of purchasing a Certified Pre-Owned Lady's Stainless Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual "Date" circa 1970s production, from Capetown. It's priced at $2390 and has the acrylic crystal. What are your thoughts on this? A similar watch with the sapphire is $1000 more. Is the extra $1000 worth it? Thanks so much for any help you can give.

Myself like Acrylic crystals yes the can get scratched but products like polywatch and Autosol metal polish in tubes scratches will polish out.Acrylic is quite a tough material and very cheap to change if needed,all Rolex watches with Acrylic crystals are replaced as part of normal routine service.Sapphire is a lot more scratch resistant but even they can scratch and can chip quite easily around the edges and quite expensive to replace so its swings and roundabouts

[slcbbrown]

I prefer sapphire, but my favorite Rolex are both acrylics. I have used and abused acrylic crystal versions for decades and have never had one do poorly. With acrylics, the crystals are changed with a full service, in part cuz they're cheap and in part to insure watertightness.

As to your purchase, unless your Capetown selection is in near mint condition, I think you can do better-- with a little effort. I bought my daughter a '95-ish stainless DJ last December for about $2,200. At the time, I had a hard time finding a 26mm DJ that had not been blinged up with aftermarket diamonds and repriced at $4,000+. If you're patient, I believe you can get a newer version of the watch you want. Capetown is by no means a bad place to shop, though.

[jpotter]

Where did you find your daughter's DJ for that price?