Mineral glass or sapphire glass, which one do you choose?

At Macklein we take care to bring the best quality for our customers, all our watch models have Sapphire crystal.

The crystal of a watch is one of the most vulnerable elements to shocks, rubbing and scratches. Mineral glass is the most common in recent years, and design is more important than many other things.

What is mineral glass?

Mineral glass is nothing more than a type of glass, very similar to what we use in windows and even glass. The most common mineral is glass, which consists of silica and other materials derived from rocks. Mineral glass is one of the most common options found in most watches, while sapphire is the most expensive option. When we heat the mineral-type crystal to high temperatures, it adds greater resistance to scratches, which is common when we rub a watch against a surface.

What is the biggest problem with this crystal?

There is no doubt that a scratched piece of mineral glass is difficult to polish or repair, it is better to replace it and, depending on the nature of the watch, to replace it or not.

What exactly is a sapphire crystal?

Sapphire crystal is the high pedigree of dial protectors for the most expensive watches or luxury brands.

In fact, it considerably increases the manufacturing cost of the watch. It is highly appreciated in the watchmaking world for the characteristics it offers. It is manufactured by treating aluminum oxide at very high temperatures.

Due to the source of the raw material, its hardness is much higher than that of gem-like mineral glass and sapphire.

Conclusion and differences between the two.

The first difference is the price. Sapphire glass is more expensive than mineral glass. This is one of the main reasons why only high-end luxury watches use sapphire glass instead of mineral glass.

The second difference is the hardness of the two crystals, which is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 on the Mohs scale. Sapphire crystal has a hardness of 9 out of 10, making it almost impossible to scratch. Only diamond, the hardest mineral with a score of 10, can scratch sapphire crystal. Mineral crystal, on the other hand, scores 5-6 out of 10.