For a watch, the mirror surface is usually the place of direct contact, and it is also a place that is easily accessible when worn. When a watch is hit, the crystal is usually affected, leaving scratches or even cracks on the crystal, affecting the user's reading. For most watches, once the glass is damaged, repairing and replacing it will cost a lot of money. Therefore, in the long history of watch development, how to make the watch mirror sturdy, durable, and clear has always been a direction. In the history of watch development, three types of mirror materials have also been explored, namelySapphire watch mirrorInorganic glass mirrors and organic glass mirrors. Below is an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these glasses, so that everyone can have a clearer understanding of how to choose a watch.

1. Organic glass

In most watch industries, organic glass refers to acrylic material, which was popular for a period of time before sapphire mirror technology fully matured. Its main advantages are impact resistance and non fragility. Even with strong impact force, the crystal will not break into small pieces and will not cause significant damage to the internal movement. Compared with other materials, they have the disadvantages of low hardness, scratch resistance, and poor transparency. Therefore, many acrylic watch mirrors will have excessive scratches after long-term use, and the blurring of the mirror will affect the reading.

2. Sapphire crystal

In the watch industry, sapphire glass does not actually refer to glass made from natural sapphire. Its material is alumina, which is artificially synthesized. The advantage of sapphire material lies in its hardness, with a Mohs hardness of 9. Therefore, it is not easy to leave marks on the sapphire watch mirror, and sapphire has good transparency, which can make the watch look clear and bright. The disadvantage of sapphire material is that it is more prone to shattering into fragments when subjected to strong impacts, and these fragments are difficult to handle when scattered inside the dial, especially inside the movement. When measuring the material of the watch mirror, manufacturers believe that slight scratches are more likely to occur in daily wear than strong impacts, so sapphire glass has gradually become mainstream.

3. Inorganic glass

Inorganic glass in the watch industry is mainly mineral watch glasses, which are between acrylic glass and sapphire crystal glass. It is rarely used and mainly used on some retro classic watches. Through special designs such as single piece glass and double piece glass mirrors, the single piece glass mirror will project a magnifying effect on the dial, while the double piece glass mirror will make the depth effect on the dial more ideal and prominent. Regardless of the type of crystal, it will make the dial full of visual tension, making reading easier.

The above is an analysis of three types of mirror materials. Sapphire watch lenses, due to their high hardness, are not easily scratched during use and have gradually become the mainstream watch lenses.