Which side are you on? Experience with double sided anti reflective coating
Last weekend I met watch people in real life - or correctly, I met people who happened to wear non-smart watches. Because that is a rarity for me - I almost never see people with watches - watches quickly became a topic. They were visiting Frankfurt and so we also talked about Sinn. Concerning the price they meant that "you have to add a few hundred Euros to the sales price for the removal of the AR coating" you'll have to have done immediately after buying the watch; they said it in a matter of fact kind of way. I was surprised and asked why: Because if you didn't do that, you could scratch the coating one day. They haven't had a watch with double sided ar coating yet but "you can read all about that in the internet".
When I checked the internet later I found out that that's complete correct, there are lots of people complaining about having AR coating on the outside of the watch. Seemingly like every aspect and every detail of this watch hobby this is another polarizing topic - like quartz vs mechanical, in house vs ETA, big brand vs microbrand, ...
I have two watches with double coating, the Sinn in the title picture and my Certina DS Action Diver 43. I love the look of the double coated crystal on both watches, those angles where it seems that the sapphire completely vanishes are a big part why these two are favourites in my collection.
With the Certina I can clearly see the difference to a single coated crystal, my newer DS Action Diver 38 with only AR coating on the underside always seems to be less brilliant and clear than the big one.
I've had Sinn and Certina for some years now, I wear both as everyday pieces without babying them. I took the DS Action diver on boat trips, swimming, snorkeling, on beaches. And so far, even checking with a macro lens, I can't find any scratch on the crystal, all blemishes are turning out to be dust or smudges. Lots of memories are scratched into the metal though 😀
I get that a coating isn't as hard as the sapphire itself and that it's easy to scratch when you bang on brick walls with your watch, but so far I have had no problems there. So from my limited experience with double sides anti reflective coated crystal not only would I accept that feature, for me it's even a big pro when looking for a watch.
Do you have experiences with outside coating, and if so, which camp are you in?
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Makes sense now why your Certina always photographs so well! The double AR coating is certainly doing the trick.
Can’t say I’ve ever had any issues or even given it a seconds thought, but I will be more mindful in the future.
I just assumed the inner gets the coating so as not to scratch or wear off. Doesn't Sinn use fluid in some watches?? Like a hydro-mod or somethin? That's the ultimate in anti reflection and clarity.
I’m sure this can be an issue, but I have to say I think it’s ridiculous to spend a bunch of money to fix something that isn’t broken. This isn’t preventative maintenance in that a scratch to the AR doesn’t harm the working of the watch.
If you haven’t had problems, why worry about it?
I’m sure this can be an issue, but I have to say I think it’s ridiculous to spend a bunch of money to fix something that isn’t broken. This isn’t preventative maintenance in that a scratch to the AR doesn’t harm the working of the watch.
If you haven’t had problems, why worry about it?
Oh I don't worry about it, I'm perfectly fine with my watches. I'm just curious if there are people who actually had problems with it. I was surprised by the vehemence of the argument from someone who never had a watch with outside ar coating.
From the Rush song "Witch Hunt":
That those who know what’s best for us –
Must rise and save us from ourselves
😂
From the Rush song "Witch Hunt":
That those who know what’s best for us –
Must rise and save us from ourselves
😂
Yeah that could be it 😂
Some watches don't need any coating. My Blackbay36 have hand and indecies that reflects light if there is a glare so you can read it anyway:
But I would like some coating on watches that can be hard to read. Never thought to much about on what sides, but I have heard the worries about topside coating. Myth busted?
Thanks for posting this question. I like @mjosamannen ’s answer. I have a large variety of watches with and without AR. Those with a super legible dials don’t need it, but legibility does improve markedly with coating. I think it’s quite extreme to think about removing any coating from a watch you are buying. I’ve not had a problem with surface AR. I don’t baby my watches and sometimes do pickup a scratch on non-sapphire crystals. Polywatch helps that.
So, just one person’s experience here. I’m sure someone has had a surface coating wear, but I think this type of ‘advice’ is indicative of the way the internet can create concern.
all of my collection didnt have ae coating on the outside. that tells how hard it is to photograph the watch especially on the outside
I can already see some tiny scratches on the crystal of my Longines Spirit. Barely visible...but they're there. The effect of AR on both sides is great, but I will probably end up wiping off the outer AR coating when it'll have just too many scratches on it. IMO, manufacturers should just knock it off with AR on both sides, and stick to AR on the inside only.
Here is my opinion. Deal with the problem of scratch if and when it happens. This is true for both, your body and the watch.
You don’t remove an organ from your body thinking it might get cancer one day. I enjoy the double AR coating on some of my watches and take pictures from many angels. If and when a scratch happens, I will make up a story about me secretly being a vigilante and fight criminals and the watch scratch is evidence of it.
Go for the double sided coating, I'd say. If the outside coat is scratched, then you remove it.
As someone who hates trying to shade his watch when you try to look at the time under direct sunlight, I appreciate the clarity of the double AR coating.
Here is my opinion. Deal with the problem of scratch if and when it happens. This is true for both, your body and the watch.
You don’t remove an organ from your body thinking it might get cancer one day. I enjoy the double AR coating on some of my watches and take pictures from many angels. If and when a scratch happens, I will make up a story about me secretly being a vigilante and fight criminals and the watch scratch is evidence of it.
Well.....some people do:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/angelina-jolies-prophylactic-mastectomy-a-difficult-decision-201305156255
But I get your point, and agree fully. I have a couple of watches with double AR and they look unequivocally better than those with only single-side.
I bought my Sinn 556i over one year ago from second hand. There are no problems with the double AR coating at all. Maybe I would remove the AR coating when I see too much scratches, but thats not the case at all. I think you should not worry about details when there is no problem yet.
My Omega has double coated AR on it. I bought it used and it was pretty beat up when I got it. Lots of case scratching. I've now owned it for two years and put in my own fair share of daily use. But I still don't have a single issue with scratches in the coating.
My buddy has a watch with double sided AR coating and his has a scratch on top and he said it's all he can see now. YMMV. I personally like the "feature", because as many people have already said, once it gets scratched you can always remove it.
Here's a question, if my AR coating gets scratched and I send my watch back to Omega for service, do they replace the AR coating on the outside before sending it back to me, do they remove it altogether, or do they do neither?
I always kinda figured that AR coating on the outside was designed primarily to help with wrist shots! I don't do much photography, other than trying to catch my dogs pooping - which is the photo we're using this year on our Christmas cards - so AR coating on the outside of the crystal, for me, is a bug rather than a feature.
[This is our Christmas card this year]
It ain't a big deal for me either way, but I do note that none of my watches have AR coating on the outside.
I will say, though, that I had a watch that didn't have AR coating at all, and it was always incredibly hard to see the dial at all!
You should just pick a crystal you like regardless of the AR coating. There are worse things to worry about like dreaded mineral glass or, god forbid, acrylic... Apparently Rolex did not use AR coating until the 2000's and in some models only recently (within last 5 years).
I have all sorts of crystals, some coated, some not. I am not picky at all to be honest, I like the difference and variety from different types. If I only had to pick one, I would pick flat sapphire with only underside.
If someone is really insisting one way or another, just remember people have been wearing watches without AR coating for muuuuch longer than those who have AR coating. Back then they just cleaned and replaced their crystals as needed. We can do the same!
Oh I don't worry about it, I'm perfectly fine with my watches. I'm just curious if there are people who actually had problems with it. I was surprised by the vehemence of the argument from someone who never had a watch with outside ar coating.
I was more speaking to the people who told you they budget money for doing this before they've even gotten a scratch. To me, every minute you didn't have to pay for something you didn't want to pay for is a gift. So even if they can only wear the watch a week before scratching it, why not just enjoy that time.
I guess to each his own.
I would not pay to remove the outer AR coating. I love the double-sided coating on my watches that have it... Especially my two Omegas, where the crystal really does seem to disappear at times. I don't baby these watches, and I haven't seen any scratches appear in the coating at all. It may not be as hard as sapphire, but it is tough stuff.
I have a couple of watches with AR on both sides. makes a real difference easy visibility at a glance. So, I am in the FOR camp.
As someone who really hates scratches, I used to fret about that too. For quite a while I wouldn’t let myself fall for a Sinn, an Omega, or a Breiling. Since then I have acquired several of each. I haven’t managed to scratch any of them. The coating may not be quite as hard as sapphire, but it is still pretty dang hard.
One of the main reasons I got my Sinn 556 was because of the double AR coating: the optical illusion of no crystal at all is amazing.
Then I heard people on the internet fretting about external AR: and I got anxious.
And then I realised it was "people on the internet" and got over it and continued to wear the watch as intended: everywhere. No scratches, amazing clarity - happy.
I had a Damasko with double AR coating and it honestly looked like you could stick your finger in and touch the dial - it was amazingly clear! Wore it daily for 6mo or so and never had a problem with scratches.
My one issue with double AR coating is the smudges - it seemed to always be dirty when I would glance down at it, something my underside-only AR watches are not impacted by as much.
I've owned my Aerospace Evo for a couple of years and wear it nearly daily without babying it and the outer AR coating is as good as new.
As someone said earlier, deal with it if and when it happens if it bothers you. I would personally have it re-applied correctly when it goes back in for service because I like the look.
I had a Damasko with double AR coating and it honestly looked like you could stick your finger in and touch the dial - it was amazingly clear! Wore it daily for 6mo or so and never had a problem with scratches.
My one issue with double AR coating is the smudges - it seemed to always be dirty when I would glance down at it, something my underside-only AR watches are not impacted by as much.
Totally agree on the smudges. It requires more constant wiping, but I am cool with that. I have a Sinn 556-i on a camo NATO right now.
I also own a 43mm DS Action and I love the double AR coating. You’re totally on point that it photographs very well and I’ve never experienced any issues scratching off the outside layer of AR coating.
I also own a 43mm DS Action and I love the double AR coating. You’re totally on point that it photographs very well and I’ve never experienced any issues scratching off the outside layer of AR coating.
I was checking out the new 43 with ceramic bezel, unfortunately they dropped the double coating with the latest gen 🤷♂️
Personally I don't get the AR on the outside because it kind of negate the whole purpose of having a sapphire crystal in the first place, might as well just go with an acrylic crystal.
However I would not worry too much if I had a double AR coated crystal, the worst that could happen is having it removed or replace the crystal in some distant future.