Posted on 十月 14 2025
The crystal is the clear cover over the dial. It takes every knock against a doorframe and every brush past a desk, so the material makes a real difference over the years. Most of the watches we carry use one of two.
Mineral crystal
Mineral crystal is hardened glass. It’s clear, it’s tough, and it stands up well to a sharp knock. Over time it can pick up fine scratches from everyday wear, but a scratched mineral crystal can be replaced. You’ll find it on many everyday and dress watches.
Sapphire crystal
Sapphire crystal is synthetic sapphire, one of the hardest materials used in watches. It sits at 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, just below diamond, so it resists scratches far better than glass and stays clear for years. The trade-off is that its hardness makes it less forgiving of a hard direct blow than mineral crystal. On a watch you wear every day, most people find the scratch resistance worth it.
Some sapphire crystals have an anti-reflective coating that cuts glare, so the dial is easier to read in bright light.
How to tell which you have
It’s listed in the specifications on our watch pages. On the watch itself, a drop of water tends to bead up on sapphire and spread out on mineral glass, but the spec sheet is the reliable way to know.
Which to choose
If the watch will be worn every day, on a desk or a steering wheel, sapphire keeps it looking new longer. For an occasional dress watch, mineral crystal is perfectly good and often keeps the price lower.