Omega Speedmaster Question

I think a lot of this is going to do with your lifestyle and how you treat your watches.

Had one a few years ago. Sure, a few small extra scratches appear on the Hesalite if one use it as an everyday watch, but it was not in the extreme.

The internet would have you believe that if you even look at hesalite a bit harshly it will scratch.

I wore mine for 8 months as a daily and had little more than a couple of hairline marks. Indeed, the polished sections of the case scratched more (or, at least, were more visible)

If you wear watches ‘hard’ a sapphire crystal is probably a better choice.

I think I would’ve gone for a sapphire crystal if Omega would bother to replicate the beautiful dome of the hesalite, rather than the rather ordinary-looking (to my eyes) box-dome crystal. To me, Omega are masters of beautiful crystals and it feels like they cheaped-out on the Speedmaster

If you're a clumsy b*gger like me, then yes you can expect to see marks on it. I had no problem removing them & the crystal looking perfect with Polywatch.

I like to think I’m pretty careful with my watches. I don’t baby them but I don’t give them a hard time either.

Its plastic. Find a model with Sapphire. Some love plastic but most hate it. Vintage trends died for a reason.

The original crystal will have the Omega symbol built into the crystal and that’s why you want that crystal. Don’t worry about scratches. You can polish it or replace it in the future.

This always seems like an odd argument in a group fascinated by clockwork devices. 😂

Plastic crystals are like Betamax... Only useful in novelty form in the modern world. A VCR is cool but only desirable for dejavu.

The average man in the street would probably argue the same about mechanical watches.

I don’t own a #omega but I do have a #lorier … I had it for years, is the 2 series. Not a daily but so far not a visible scratch 🥸

A few drops of liquid glass once in a while goes a long way toward making it a non issue.

It looks sooo much better with hesalite! I've no problems with mine. A few years ago I had a Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope with a hesalite crystal and this also showed no scratches. That said I don't inspect my watches too close. The less I know...😊

I have had the hesilte version for about 6 months, and it is my daily wear pick. I am not super hard on my watches, and if I am doing yard-work or similar I will wear another watch. For any "normal" activities I have loved it. It will pick up some small hairline scratches over time, but I have been able to buff them out with 10 minutes and some poly watch. I REALLY like the look of the dial under this crystal, and did not want the extra bling that comes with the sapphire version (applied logo). If you are looking at more recent models, the bracelet on the hesilite version does not have the polished ridges on the middle link (again, less sparkle).

One other note: the newer versions have the updated bracelet with has a taper down to 15mm. For me, this was a big deal since it has a huge impact on the comfort when wearing. The clasp is far less bulky and I prefer the look of the design/finishing on it over the older version.

The hesilite version has a closed caseback, hiding the super cool manual wind movement. There are 3rd party options if you don't want to pay/wait for something from Omega. https://www.spiralwinderwatchparts.com/product-page/sapphire-exhibition-caseback-for-the-3861-omega-speedmaster

Attaching a picture of mine to this post to show what it looks like.

In the end, you can't go wrong. They are both fantastic.

.

Second this completely. 5 months in frequent daily rotation and you would need a magnifier to see the hairline scratches. On the other hand, I don't repair cars wearing it, only office and casual outings😉

2nd hand knowledge but a friend who had one told me to get the sapphire version.

Hesalite!!! I wear the crap out of mine, and it's fine. One big scratch from stucco but I was tearing my deck down... most people don't wear them doing any labor though. I've had worse luck with chipping sapphire and scratching AR coating on others. Either way though - Speedmasters are the best!

I have scratched mine many times but use polywatch to take scratches out

You could always get a screen protector for the glass. I have one on my Moonswatch and not a scratch since I got it. I wear my watch almost everyday. Got the glass protector from Amazon. The protective film is so thin that you hardly notice it, unless you are looking for it. The moonswatch should be the same size glass as the real speedy.

This thread makes me want a Hesalite more for some reason

Brilliant!

I’ll take poly watch over polished center links any day, especially when you throw in some extra cash. I really really wear my watches and yeah you’ll get scratches but…eventually…how much does it cost to throw a new omega hesalite Chrystal on it compared to a sapphire?

The same is true for mechanical movements. I dare to say even watches are outdated novelties. If the argument is just to buy the Sapphire model because it is modern, let's just buy GShocks, because they are more accurate and resistant.

Where can I get the screen protecter?

They used the plastic because it did not shatter when hit and only scratched up so glass particles did not float around in space plus they had no sapphire back then. Watches survived because they are better than dragging your cell phone around and no one here wants scratches besides the legacy hunters.

You can get it from Amazon.

Others have said it depends on your overall “clumsiness,” for lack of a better word.

No Speedy, but I have a number of sapphire and mineral/plexi/hesalite watches and have forgotten which are which. And I’m not precious with my stuff.

Scratches can happen fairly often when you are first getting used to it. I’ve had mine for 3 years and haven’t scratched it in a while. Bottom line from my perspective is that polywatch takes care of it very quickly and, at least to me, the hesalite just looks cooler.

I know this doesn’t answer your question… but that is a great looking watch!

Scratches add character! Check out Daniel Craig's 40th Anniversary Speedmaster. Look at the massive scratch on the Hesalite. I think his watch still looks great. But I am weird about stuff like this. I like good honest wear and tear.