AR Coating (Outside)

What's your opinion about removing the outer AR Coating? I have an IWC Mark XX and somehow the AR got scratched. I know it's a tool watch and all of that but I really hate seeing those scratches

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My DS30 has the same issue. When I send it for servicing I'll request the outer AR be removed, but I won't be sending it anywhere just for that.

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KristianG

My DS30 has the same issue. When I send it for servicing I'll request the outer AR be removed, but I won't be sending it anywhere just for that.

I did send an Omega Aquaterra that had the same issue and it turned out great, but that one has a flat Cristal and the Mark XX has a rounded Cristal

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alagonandres

I did send an Omega Aquaterra that had the same issue and it turned out great, but that one has a flat Cristal and the Mark XX has a rounded Cristal

I've never had to deal with this yet, but I imagine a curved domed crystal probably isn't really any trickier.

This is definitely something I would do eventually if I ever end up with AR scratches, which seems virtually guaranteed if I buy one of the sinn or omega models I'd like to buy at some point. I really don't care much about AR. I've heard more than one review complain about reflections on the GSAR, and it's never bothered me once.

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I did it on an old TAG F1 Analog/Digital a few years ago. Used a car paint treatment - Autoglym Super Resin Polish and it worked a treat.

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God i hate it my Seamaster 300 chrono have it and it got scratches, It's such a stupid idea to put AR on the outside that Omega stopped doing it a long time ago.

Each air-sapphire boundary reduces light transmission and creates reflections.

AR costing improves light transmission and reduces reflections.

Having it on both surfaces (and air-sapphire boundaries) is much more effective than just one but the coating is much less hard than sapphire so will scratch.

All depends on your priorities.

Personally I prefer acrylic and mineral glass for their superior light transmission characteristics even though they scratch much more easily.

Sapphire always looks a bit milky to me because of its poor light transmission. Not an issue on white dials but once I'd noticed it with black dials I couldn't unsee it.

The poor light transmission of sapphire is probably why IWC apply AR to the outside of their watches as most of them have black dials.