Hardlex Vs sapphire

Good question wondering myself too

In 30+ years of wearing Seiko's I've yet to damage a Hardlex and I'm not gentle on 'em either.

Seiko aren't stupid, they know what they are doing. Honestly think they put sapphire on their higher price stuff because the market demands it...

I think that Hardlex is OK. It is one of the gripes that people have with Seiko when many of their main competitors use sapphire and they don't. That is a valid criticism I feel. On a cheaper watch Ok but when you see some of the prices for a Hardlex Seiko then its more than a bit mean. Having said all of that if your getting on well with it then 👍.

I banged my seiko against a metal rail a few days ago in the dark. I was sure that something must have happened. But i can‘t see any scratches. I guess the hardlex is better than its reputation.

Same boat here. A lot of the Internet bemoans Seiko Hardlex and how easy they will detonate if looked at crossways compared to sapphire.

Yet doesn't seem to be the case in the real world.

I will however agree they use sapphire on higher priced models specifically due to market demand/expectation.

PS - EVERYTHING can scratch, dent, break, shatter, at some point. Too many variables, PSI, angle, surface hardness, g forces, whatever.

Hardlex doesn't seem to have the clarity and/or reflectivity issues I see in sapphire. I've managed to nick a bezel up decently enough with no damage to Hardlex crystal. I'm also wondering how many hits people are expecting that could damage a crystal without marring the metal as well.

Hardlex has been good for me as well. People pile on.

I think Seiko use Hardlex (mineral crystal to you and me) and not sapphire for the same reason they have persistent QC issues and their movement tolerance is +40/-20 seconds per day. They don't care.

I've scratched several Hardlex crystals over the years. But in my experience, a Dremmel-type tool and some diamond paste (from AliExpress) will eliminate all but the deepest gouge.

👌🏻

Yet one more reason why, IMO, acrylic Hardlex, Mineral are better than sapphire.

Should you mar it, you can correct it for the most part. Sapphire, not so much..

I managed to put multiple (4,5?) scratches on the crystal of my SRPG37 during the year I've worn it. That was the #1 annoyance with that watch.

Out of those scratches, I can confidently remember only one instance of bumping the watch on a door frame. The other scratches, no idea where they came from.

No more mineral crystal watches for me.

I've not scratched a sapphire crystal. But yes, I get what you're saying. 👍

I was very hesitant about the Hardlex before purchasing an SSK001, after only having experience with Sapphire. The plan was, when I scratched it, which I assumed would be pretty soon, I’d replace/mod it with a sapphire.

In a year or so of use, there isn’t one mark on it.

So now, from the experience with the SSK, Hardlex wouldn’t hold me back from a purchase.

I smacked one of my Seiko divers into a concrete safety barrier with a gravel like surface when getting off a bus.. the bezel received a few scratches and minor dents.... but the hardlex looks fine to me

Hardlex isn't bad at all, and is entirely appropriate for Seiko's lower-priced tool watches. It's tough and reliable, as long as you don't mind scratching or nicking your watch. I have a few deep gouges in the crystal of my Sumo--I don't even remember where I got them from--but I don't mind them and won't bother to try to remove them. In my mind, it shows what the watch has gone through and gives it some unique character. (That said, I wouldn't feel the same way if I scratched the crystal on one of my fancier watches!)

Hardlex doesn’t prevent me from buying a watch. Sapphire is definitely a “nice to have”. Maybe I’m just reckless with my watches but my dressKX has a chip missing from banging it on something. I’ll end up replacing it with a sapphire at some point. Since it’s such a MOD friendly watch, the hardlex isn’t an issue to me.

I have lots of Seiko watches with hardlex and not one of them has a scratch 👍🏻

I think people are demanding sapphire from mid-lower tier Seikos cause even Chinese microbrands watches nowadays provide sapphire for super cheap price. But business wise I don't see why Seiko should upgrade those watches with sapphire. If it aint broke, don't fix it. Mineral/Hardlex is sufficient enough for low-mid tier watches.

I have scratched Hardlex a few times. Working around bicycles there are plenty of sharp metal around. I have also scratched mineral glass on a few watches. Sapphire is still strong 💪 On the other hand I had quite serious high speed road bike crash with SKX007 on my wrist and apart from being full of marks the glass did not shutter.

My solar tuna got scratched inside of a month. Mineral crystal is the worst, easy to scratch, very hard to repair. Yes acrylic scratches way easier, but it's a breeze to buff out.

Sapphire with AR on the outside is most annoying thing a manufacturer can make.

I am not a check-the-box watch purchaser. I look at the whole package with ascetics and value being in the forefront.

Ive worked on railway jobs, your not gonna scratch your watch stirring a cup o tea 😉

Im ok with it. Hardlex is less likley to shatter on impact. Im looking to get a seiko tuna this year and im glad the older versions have hardlex tho it does scuff up but you could replace it. Not sure what the process is to buff out tho

Hardlex shouldn’t be compared to mineral glass. Different scratch resistance levels.

Hardlex should be compared against sapphire. Ben’s watch club had a very good scratch test for all crystal types and I understand Hardlex is not bad at all

https://youtu.be/p-KRwrU-a2g?si=oPrkrnmtafZ2bdlO

I don't have a problem with hardlex if they priced their watches appropriately, but they put it on watches that for the price should definitely have sapphire, just look at orient.