The Hardlex that I’m supposed to hate, except that I really don’t.
For those who are not invested in learning Seiko marketing gobbledygook, Hardlex is Seiko’s trade name for a kind of tempered glass which is used in making watch crystals and it’s supposedly harder and less prone to scratch than regular glass.
Everybody is supposed to hate it because...well I don’t know for sure why, I just know that I’m supposed to hate it, except that I don’t.
As far back as I can remember, all my watches had glass crystals and I never gave it a thought because it seldom bothered me, and when it did there were always watch shops that could replace a scratched glass crystal for a modest price.
But then came sapphire and suddenly glass was stamped with the mark of the devil and had to be avoided, which I dutifully did, until I realized that none of my glass covered watches had any noticeable scratches and that a sapphire crystal doesn’t help a bit in protecting the rest of the watch, which being made of metal can and will scratch regardless of the crystal on top.
And sapphire is just scratch resistant and not really scratch proof. It’s perfectly possible to scratch a sapphire crystal and this is something that I know because I managed to do it.
Which brings me back to Hardlex which is often derided as being just as scratch prone as standard glass, and a sign of cost cutting. The only watch that I own that has a Hardlex crystal is my Flightmaster, which I freely admit is a cheap watch, but I also have to point out that it’s a scratch free cheap watch. So maybe Hardlex isn’t so fragile after all.
So my own opinion, which everyone is free to dismiss, is that the problems with glass in general and Hardlex in particular have been grossly exaggerated. Everything in life is a compromise and in the case of Hardlex it means accepting that it will eventually scratch, but it will also be cheaper to replace and it’s less reflective than sapphire.
And for me this is a perfectly acceptable compromise. YMMV of course.
I'm a big fan of watches that are interesting because they are either unique, have interesting features, well designed or simply offer a great value for their price.
EXACTLY!
The talking heads have to have something to rant, rave and rage against the dying of the light....
Same thing with acrylic. Not saying either don't scratch, just the perspective is skewed or blown a bit out of proportion.
Great watch and band combo. Looks good on wrist. I struggle with the sapphire vs acrylic/mineral/hardlex etc as well. Polywatch does a good job with scratches on acrylic. Don’t think you can buff out sapphire.
Great watch and band combo. Looks good on wrist. I struggle with the sapphire vs acrylic/mineral/hardlex etc as well. Polywatch does a good job with scratches on acrylic. Don’t think you can buff out sapphire.
You can but it's time consuming and requires some equipment. The main issue is that sapphire is more likely to shatter or chip than to scratch.
You can but it's time consuming and requires some equipment. The main issue is that sapphire is more likely to shatter or chip than to scratch.
Is that the same reason why Speedmasters used Hesalite instead of sapphire? NASA didn’t want a million pieces of shattered glass floating around the lunar capsule in case of breakage.
Ive had a duro in rotation now since spring and the crystal is scratched a bit here and there. I dont mind it so much yet as its a typical beater but idk what it will look like in a couple of years. My sapphire watches have held up much better with the same treatment.
Is that the same reason why Speedmasters used Hesalite instead of sapphire? NASA didn’t want a million pieces of shattered glass floating around the lunar capsule in case of breakage.
That's what I heard. Acrylic has a tremendous resistance to impacts and when it fails it's mostly either crack or break in large blunt pieces.
You are right. I don't mind a sapphire as long as it has a good AR treatment, but I'm also well aware that it's far from being the panacea it is reputed to be.
Hardlex/mineral is ok, but I've scratched loads over the decades. Sapphire is dirt cheap now, so I always just pop that in when I change crystals, if I can find a suitable one ofc. I've yet to chip or shatter sapphire, probably happen now I've said it though 😁
You are right. I don't mind a sapphire as long as it has a good AR treatment, but I'm also well aware that it's far from being the panacea it is reputed to be.
Sapphire glass is 9 on the mohs scale of hardness, just about the only thing that can scratch sapphire is diamond.
Sapphire glass is 9 on the mohs scale of hardness, just about the only thing that can scratch sapphire is diamond.
From my own personal experience, you can scratch a sapphire even when there are no diamonds involved in the scratching, but I was more referring to its inferior optical qualities and lack of impact resistance.
From my own personal experience, you can scratch a sapphire even when there are no diamonds involved in the scratching, but I was more referring to its inferior optical qualities and lack of impact resistance.
If you had a mineral glass and sapphire crystal of the same thickness then the sapphire would require more force to break, the misconception of mineral being tougher is because it will chip or crack before it breaks unlike a sapphire crystal which is stable until it shatters but is indeed stronger.
Mineral glass is basically just that... glass, it's the same glass that is most likely in you house window its less scratch resistant than your phone screen, it is heat tempered glass, which is 5-6 on the mohs scale. tensile strength of 19000 psi at 20⁰
Sapphire crystal is not glass, its a synthetic crystal, 9 on the mohs scale, has to be shaped with a diamond cutter and polished with diamond paste, hence why it's more expensive to produce. Tensile strenght of 58000 psi at 20⁰
If you managed to scratch sapphire then im not sure what your mineral glass looks like, scratches also reduce the impact resistance.
If impact resistance concerns you buy acrylic, it's far easier to polish the scratchs from it.
My experiences with modding have taught me that replacing a crystal is very easy so I don't even care anymore. However, I still find it a bit silly that sapphire isn't the industry standard in 2023 considering how cheap it is.
For me, mineral crystals are the worst "cheap" option because they take tremendous effort to polish and make last. If you're going to cheap out on materials, at least give me acrylic so I can buff scratches with polywatch. Hardlex is the worst of both worlds.
‘As far back as I can remember, all my watches had glass crystals and I never gave it a thought’
I have often thought this 👆. Same with screw down crowns! I used to literally live in swimming pools as a kid and as a young man I was both a Pool and Beach life guard. All my watches got wet. None of them had screw down crowns.
I think the normalisation of ‘homage’ spec monsters, and YouTubers that demand watches have Sapphire, screw down crown, exhibition case backs, field/Flieger watches that MUST have 200m water resistance etc etc. This explains some of the resistance to anything not sapphire.
I often wonder if the same people that treasure every scratch on their watch as a cherished memory, then only buy sapphire in case it gets scratched?
If you had a mineral glass and sapphire crystal of the same thickness then the sapphire would require more force to break, the misconception of mineral being tougher is because it will chip or crack before it breaks unlike a sapphire crystal which is stable until it shatters but is indeed stronger.
Mineral glass is basically just that... glass, it's the same glass that is most likely in you house window its less scratch resistant than your phone screen, it is heat tempered glass, which is 5-6 on the mohs scale. tensile strength of 19000 psi at 20⁰
Sapphire crystal is not glass, its a synthetic crystal, 9 on the mohs scale, has to be shaped with a diamond cutter and polished with diamond paste, hence why it's more expensive to produce. Tensile strenght of 58000 psi at 20⁰
If you managed to scratch sapphire then im not sure what your mineral glass looks like, scratches also reduce the impact resistance.
If impact resistance concerns you buy acrylic, it's far easier to polish the scratchs from it.
I understand that you thought that I was comparing sapphire to mineral glass, but I didn't. My point is more toward comparing sapphire to acrylic and I'm sorry if my choice of words mislead you to think otherwise.
Never scratched a hardlex in nearly 30 years.
The only thing that is meant to scratch sapphire is diamond. Hardlex is indeed just mineral crystal, no more and no less. I don't think people hate it, they just hate Seiko cutting corners. I recently bought a very nicely made watch with a Seiko movement and a sapphire crystal for £46. If the manufacturer of that watch can put a sapphire crystal in something that costs so little, why can't Seiko put it in a watch that costs 4 times as much.
The only thing that is meant to scratch sapphire is diamond. Hardlex is indeed just mineral crystal, no more and no less. I don't think people hate it, they just hate Seiko cutting corners. I recently bought a very nicely made watch with a Seiko movement and a sapphire crystal for £46. If the manufacturer of that watch can put a sapphire crystal in something that costs so little, why can't Seiko put it in a watch that costs 4 times as much.
That's not 100% correct because beside diamond there are other materials, such as boron carbide, that are harder than sapphire. Also, it's not that simple and once you think about it - everything will eventually wear down, even diamonds.
I’ve got no issues with Hardlex/mineral glass. Not a single one of mine has ever scratched. The only advantage I really see on sapphire is the clarity is a smidge better and can make a dial pop. In reality though, acrylic is my favorite. If you scratch it, just polywatch it out!
I generally find mineral crystal to be clearer and less reflective than plain sapphire. Sapphire with AR looks good, but the best is when it's both sides. However, when it's on both sides, the outer surface coating will scratch lol.
Acrylic just looks awesome for vintage inspired pieces; it should be the only option there IMO. But for a more practical watch mineral or sapphire doesn't really matter to me. I've only ever really scratched one watch, and I replaced the crystal myself. Watches need maintenance, everyone just needs to accept this fact and get over it.
EXACTLY!
The talking heads have to have something to rant, rave and rage against the dying of the light....
Same thing with acrylic. Not saying either don't scratch, just the perspective is skewed or blown a bit out of proportion.
1000%
This is an acrylic crystal after about three months usage, bear in mind that I don't baby my watches.
It's almost as if it's barely scratched. That's because it is. Hairline scratches at worst.
Hardlex has never given me any issues.
Thats eleven months worth of use you're looking at. Yes, there are scratches, but they can only be seen if I'm using my trusty Seiko 5 as brass knuckles and swinging at your eye.
This was interesting: https://youtu.be/p-KRwrU-a2g?si=bIM6txQFzOs0aakg
Its not that Hardlex is bad, its not. People make a huge deal out of it when for most people, I feel like its not a real problem.
BUT: when $60 Chinese watches have sapphire crystals (and before you say anything, ones that can be tested with a diamond tester to confirm its sapphire, not just marketing), a giant conglomerate like Seiko has little to no excuse except for penny pinching on most watches (not including exceptions like boxed domed sapphire crystals who do genuinely cost a damn near fortune more compared to their glass counterparts).
Its not that Hardlex is bad, its not. People make a huge deal out of it when for most people, I feel like its not a real problem.
BUT: when $60 Chinese watches have sapphire crystals (and before you say anything, ones that can be tested with a diamond tester to confirm its sapphire, not just marketing), a giant conglomerate like Seiko has little to no excuse except for penny pinching on most watches (not including exceptions like boxed domed sapphire crystals who do genuinely cost a damn near fortune more compared to their glass counterparts).
I think mineral glass simply looks better, as it often doesn't require the anti-reflective coating that sapphire crystals have. Sapphire crystals are also less shatter resistant. (Glass may chip or crack, sapphire fails completely when it fails.)
The cost for a sapphire crystal largely depends on its form, as the material is difficult to shape. Therefore it depends on the watch whether sapphire would be cost prohibitive.
That's not 100% correct because beside diamond there are other materials, such as boron carbide, that are harder than sapphire. Also, it's not that simple and once you think about it - everything will eventually wear down, even diamonds.
Yeah, it's very likely someone will scratch their watch on boron carbide 😀
Yeah, it's very likely someone will scratch their watch on boron carbide 😀
I managed to scratch mine YMMV
‘As far back as I can remember, all my watches had glass crystals and I never gave it a thought’
I have often thought this 👆. Same with screw down crowns! I used to literally live in swimming pools as a kid and as a young man I was both a Pool and Beach life guard. All my watches got wet. None of them had screw down crowns.
I think the normalisation of ‘homage’ spec monsters, and YouTubers that demand watches have Sapphire, screw down crown, exhibition case backs, field/Flieger watches that MUST have 200m water resistance etc etc. This explains some of the resistance to anything not sapphire.
I often wonder if the same people that treasure every scratch on their watch as a cherished memory, then only buy sapphire in case it gets scratched?
Well said, and especially your last sentence. Obvious now that you've stated it, but I never thought about that until now.
Hardlex has never given me any issues.
Thats eleven months worth of use you're looking at. Yes, there are scratches, but they can only be seen if I'm using my trusty Seiko 5 as brass knuckles and swinging at your eye.
Two of my little Seiko 5s suffered horrendous falls. My pretty little diva SNKK87 fell off the strap face down on a hardwood floor, and my SNK375 was flung violently off a bathroom vanity and skidded face down across a tile floor. Neither Hardlex crystal showed any damage whatsoever.
A couple of months back I put up a post "Show us your scratched Hardlex crystal." The post might still be here on WatchCrunch. There were very few takers. And I'm sure there are lots of Hardlex crystals here on WC.
Two of my little Seiko 5s suffered horrendous falls. My pretty little diva SNKK87 fell off the strap face down on a hardwood floor, and my SNK375 was flung violently off a bathroom vanity and skidded face down across a tile floor. Neither Hardlex crystal showed any damage whatsoever.
A couple of months back I put up a post "Show us your scratched Hardlex crystal." The post might still be here on WatchCrunch. There were very few takers. And I'm sure there are lots of Hardlex crystals here on WC.
I actually dropped my Seiko face-down onto a brick floor from about knee-height. Crystal didn't shatter or really even scratch much.
I actually dropped my Seiko face-down onto a brick floor from about knee-height. Crystal didn't shatter or really even scratch much.
Thank you, I can absolutely believe that. I'm guessing if I put up a post asking about Hardlexes not scratching under duress, there would be many more responses than there were on the "Show us your scratched crystal" post.