Scratched Sub crystal

[S2000_driver]

Guys, I somehow managed to scratch my M serial Sub crystal :(

It is very faint, but is still bothering me. What do I do? Please advise.

Thanks in advance!

[Felly Jr.]

Wow, I thought they were pretty much scratch proof? Did you come in contact with a diamond or the like?

[atldavek]

Pretty hard to do. Any pictures?

[n9zez]

Although I have never done it (yet) I still can feel your pain!

I too would like pictures and an explanation.

[S2000_driver]

Not sure if I can capture the scratch in a picture. Will try with my friend's DSLR. It is very faint, but it is there. I have no idea how it happened. I am very very careful with my watch.

[n9zez]

Originally Posted by S2000_driver

Not sure if I can capture the scratch in a picture. Will try with my friend's DSLR. It is very faint, but it is there. I have no idea how it happened. I am very very careful with my watch.

I too am very careful. However, I have found that the less careful or the less I think about something that I want to take care of, the less that happens to it!

[nsolga]

I feel the pain my friend!

[Texsubmariner]

I would take it to a Rolex certified watchmaker, and the crystal may need to be replaced. Or better yet, send it to RSC. I am not sure how much this will cost.

[Incurable]

Since sapphire ranks a 9 on the Mohs Scale, owners of such watches should still be careful to avoid exposure to diamond jewelry, and should avoid striking their watches against artificial stone and simulated stone surfaces. Such surfaces often contain materials including silicon carbide, which, like diamond, are harder than sapphire and thus capable of causing scratches (Scheel 2003).Ref: Wikipedia, 2008

Though hard to do, misfortune plays no favorites...

[obs]

Throughout my life experiences with fancy things, I could not agree more. It all started with Air Jordans when I was a little kid.

Originally Posted by n9zez

I too am very careful. However, I have found that the less careful or the less I think about something that I want to take care of, the less that happens to it!

[SPACE-DWELLER]

Welcome to TRF!

As stated, a sapphire crystal is pretty tough. But although it does has its place right under a diamond on the Moh scale, there still is a big jump to the hardness of a diamond that is the hardest material on earth. Therefore, if you take a very hard and pointed piece of steel and really try to scratch the crystal, I am afraid you're gonna succeed. Also, if you by accident scrape the crystal against the asfalt during an accident, or against a brick wall, again you're probably going to scratch the crystal.

The modern Rolex crystals have a socalled "Laser Etched Coronet" (often abbreviated here as the "LEC". Click here to see other abbreviations used here on TRF). It consists of the Rolex Coronet (crown) logo etched into the crystal at six o' clock. You can only see it by looking at the six o' clock position with a 10x or stronger loupe. Alternatively, you can use a small flashlight and light with it from the 12 towards the 6 o' clock position. This will make the LEC literally glow up so that you can see it with your naked eye. The function of the LEC is to prevent forgery. BTW.: On counterfeit Rolex watches, you'd note that the LEC is very obvious, visible to the naked eye.

If you have a good digital camera, set to supermacro mode, and if you have some patience, getting the right angle and light, you can capture the LEC on a photo. Here is the LEC on my SD (Sea-Dweller):




I state all this, since when you get the crystal exchanged, you will get a "service replacement crystal", and the LEC will sport an "S" inside the Rolex coronet, the "S" standing for "(S)ervice". As stated, it does not devalue your watch, but this is just to let you know in case you'd wonder why this "S" is suddenly inside the LEC.

Here is a pic of it (supermacro. Not my pic, I think it was Al "Alcan" who posted it here sometime back):

[mickeydainish]

Great info Bo.... Tx again! :-)

[Dalton]

i can replace it for you on the spot with an original Rolex Crystal. Guys, these are not scratch proof they are Scratch Resistant. Anyway, I work in Downtown and we service watches for some AD's in SoCal. I can assure you great service and since you're on TRF you can come down to see our operation. PM me if you're interested.

[DSJ]

Last year, I thought I scratched the crystal on my SMP, I whacked the crystal against a steel fence post. It looked scratched for some time, I even tried rubbing it out. However after a couple months it disappeared. I think the steel/zinc from the fence had imbedded onto the crystal, making it look/feel like a scratch. I'm just saying...

[frostie]

Originally Posted by DSJ

Last year, I thought I scratched the crystal on my SMP, I whacked the crystal against a steel fence post. It looked scratched for some time, I even tried rubbing it out. However after a couple months it disappeared. I think the steel/zinc from the fence had imbedded onto the crystal, making it look/feel like a scratch. I'm just saying...

That's interesting.

Few hours ago i was walking on a crowded street in thessaloniki and a woman banged quite hard the crystal of my watch with her bag and i was like

She apologized and after that i was inspecting the watch carefully with a loupe there is no sign of scratch

[f16570]

Not good news, but do n ot let it eat at you. It can be rectified.

[padi56]

Well truth be told now with modern abrasives yes you can remove scratches from sapphire crystals.Yes believe it or not they do scratch,you will need some good quality diamond paste. I have used 3 micron to remove the main scratch going across the scratch first,it takes a fair bit of elbow grease.Just a tiny bit on a cloth like a spectacles cloth or similar.Then just a fine polish after with the quarter micron,and scratch will be gone,and good as new
and its very very easy to do. Cost for the two tubes in the UK around £15- £20 expect cheaper out of the UK.And far cheaper than a new crystal takes a bit of time,if scratch is very deep then should replace.

[Incurable]

Unfortunately, usually it's the bezel that takes the lion's share of the damage. Brushing contacts with hard objects rarely limit themselves to the crystal alone. I've never scratched a sapphire crystal (yet) but I've sure caused enough trauma to bezels. I've got a watch that's only a couple months old and already have some tiny nicks and paint scratches from a couple light encounters. Some of my old watches, you can't even read the bezel any more while the crystal remains fine. It's possible you don't really have a scratch, per se. It could just be a transfer of material from the object you hit.

[Terry Newton]

My seven year old Tag has never gotten scratched on the crystal. It is amazingly hard and also labeled as scratch resistant. That said, I've been pretty careful with fine watches.

I was wearing the Tag during the dog/bike accident where I went flying through the air. I was surprised I did not bash the watch up then. The better crystals are pretty tough but not bullet proof. Like others have said, you may have just relocated some material on to the crystal and it will come out.

Good-luck.

Terry Newton

[timepup]

whenever my wife reaches for my left hand with HER left hand!

I guess I have the "obsessive-compulsive watch-protection" reflex discussed in a previous thread on this forum!

Ken

[Norm]

My wife has multiple sclerosis so she frequently bangs her hands on things because of coordination issues and doesn't even know she did it because of numbness/sensitivity issues. Her jewelry takes a beating and she has even managed to crack 2 diamond rings which I thought was nearly impossible. A testament to Rolex, her 20 year old TT DJ which she has worn nearly every day of those 20 years still looks amazingly decent. Her crystal however has a few scratches but she won't even part with it to have the crystal replaced. I on the other hand have had several watches over 20 years with sapphire crystals and none of them are scratched. While I am fairly protective of them all, I have worn my 18 year old TT DJ everywhere, banged it a zillion times, and not one scratch on the crystal. I do feel your pain and being obsessive myself I would probably replace the crystal.

[S2000_driver]

Thanks so much for the welcome and all the information, guys. Much appreciated.