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Old 22 November 2024, 06:29 PM   #1
Gruesome
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Icon5 AR coating service for watch crystals?

All in all I'm very happy with my new-to-me 2016 116660 Deepsea Sea-Dweller, but what caught me by surprise (I know, should have done more research...) is the complete absence of AR coating. I noticed it when the dial seemed less black than on other watches. In a direct comparison the dial visibility and appearance is significantly worse than on an Omega I have from the same year. (My Omega has a double-domed crystal, so that probably also helps, compared to the flat underside of the Deepsea crystal.) I just wasn't aware that Rolex is a generation behind, and only now (12xxxx, or even 13xxxx series for the Deepsea) adopting crystal coatings. For some reason I assumed at least inside coating was standard on all watches above a certain price point since say the mid-zeroes.

Anyways:
Is there an aftermarket vendor for having a crystal AR coated? Adding anti-reflective coating to the flat underside of the Deepsea crystal is something I would consider once my current Rolex service warranty runs out.
(Initially I was worried that Deepsea crystal installation might only be available at Rolex company service centers, who would probably refuse to install a modified crystal, but in the meantime I learned that 500 bar pressure testing equipment is commercially available, so I assume any Rolex certified watchmaker with e.g. a Roxer RXF 500 can work on the Deepsea.)
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Old 26 November 2024, 04:20 AM   #2
cascadez71
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RSC in USA is currently installing AR crystals on a large number of modern watches if you ask. Pricing seems to be about $175 without service, maybe $125 with service per forum members. A few threads in the general forum popped up recently.

I will be sending an 11series sub for service soon and will have crystal replaced with AR version.

I presume Deepsea will have same options from RSC as Sub/Sea-dweller, etc.
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Old 26 November 2024, 09:47 AM   #3
Gruesome
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Thanks, that's really helpful. It sounds like this is one (the only?) occasion where Rolex will mount a part from a later version.

Here is an example of the reflections I'm talking about, under a louvered roof - oops, still can't post images...
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Old 29 November 2024, 03:33 PM   #4
Gruesome
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Icon18 Deepsea 116660 reflections

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gruesome View Post
Thanks, that's really helpful. It sounds like this is one (the only?) occasion where Rolex will mount a part from a later version.

Here is an example of the reflections I'm talking about, under a louvered roof - oops, still can't post images...
Here is the image (gif) I tried to post before:

Of course, it's a very nice feature if you have a fire going:

Last edited by Gruesome; 29 November 2024 at 03:42 PM.. Reason: make gif work, actually
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Old 1 December 2024, 03:53 PM   #5
Hkspwrsche
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I have asked about this for my 16610 and was told only with service?
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Old 7 December 2024, 07:27 AM   #6
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I have asked about this for my 16610 and was told only with service?
Are there any sources for the replacement crystal with AR. Maybe one with AR in the entire crystal?
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