Sapphire or mineral glass?

Sapphire crystal is synthetic sapphire — hardness 9 on the Mohs scale; only diamond is harder. It practically does not scratch in everyday use (keys, door frames, sand), but it is brittle and can shatter from a hard, direct blow. Mineral glass is hardened glass (around 5–6): it copes slightly better with knocks and is cheaper, but scratches over time — light scratches can be polished out with cerium oxide, deep ones cannot. Hesalite/acrylic is plastic: it scratches easily, but can be polished up again and does not shatter — which is why you see it on old sports watches.

Sapphire is standard on most Swiss watches — every Alpina we carry has sapphire crystal; an anti-reflective coating (often on the inside) removes reflections, so the dial is easier to read. Which glass a particular item has is listed under specifications on its page. If the glass is cracked, see complaints: it's damage, not a defect, unless it happened by itself.

If you have a question about a particular watch, ask Nord, our assistant, at the bottom right — or write to us.