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Navitimer, what kind of crystal is it?
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Author:  AJ [ Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Navitimer, what kind of crystal is it?
Hi guys,

Quick question, does anyone know what kind of sapphire that the Navitimer -05 has?

The reason why I ask is because I just accidentally bumped my Navitimer twice (!) on a steel "clipper" (the thingy that holds the cloth on the table) in the restaurant. I got a few quite tiny scratches on the crystal. Looks more like grease from fingerprints. It's only visible in a certain angle to the light and you can feel the tiny scratches with your nail.

I got curious to know when I read about Mohs scale. Synthetic sapphire is a 9 on that scale and only diamond is harder (10). Do the Navitimer have a crystal made of plexi, mineral or synthetic sapphire?

Also, is it really that easy to scratch the crystal?

I didn't bump in to that stainless steel thing that hard :(
Author:  In2Deep [ Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
There is an anti-glare coating on both sides... you've likely scratched that... don't think you can do much about it. Be careful what you wipe with as well. (I use a very non abrasive nano-fiber to clean mine)

The 'Made by Breitling' book shows the process step by step but doesn't tell me what type of crystal it is, sorry.
Author:  Roffensian [ Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
The Navitimer range was one of the last to stop using mineral crystals - the Datora used them up until last year.

I'm not sure when the Navitimer switched to sapphire, but in 2005 I think it may still be mineral, which would explain the scratches. Although it would damage the AR, you should be able to get it polished out, or you can get Breitling to provide a replacement (sapphire) crystal - though they do run $150+
Author:  AJ [ Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks guys!

$150 bucks sounds reasonable, I'm not in a need of a new crystal at the moment as the scratches are very tiny. However I am quite clumsy so I'm likely to bump it some where else later. :roll:

Would I get a sapphire today if I went to my AD and got it replaced?

Or would I get a 2005 crystal?
Author:  aleister [ Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
I would imagine you get a sapphire if you replace it.

Regarding scratches - even the hardest materials can be scratched. The hardness scale isn't an absolute thing - if you accidently bump into something and you happen to be in the exactly right (or, unfortunately wrong) angle you might get a scratch, even if the other material is softer.
Author:  Roffensian [ Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:58 am ]
Post subject: 
aleister wrote:
I would imagine you get a sapphire if you replace it.

Regarding scratches - even the hardest materials can be scratched. The hardness scale isn't an absolute thing - if you accidently bump into something and you happen to be in the exactly right (or, unfortunately wrong) angle you might get a scratch, even if the other material is softer.


It would indeed be sapphire.
Author:  AJ [ Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:18 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks all!

My question have been answered. :D
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