Hesalite is so soft

tjoy89

#plexiissexy

noelekal

... The flat and cold-looking sapphire crystal with its characteristic white ring appeals less to me.

TNTwatch

What you're missing is scratches can be buffed out easily, while with sapphire, you can do nothing with scratches at all.

TNTwatch

Also, on some Speedmasters with sapphire, the crystal's edge sticks out like a sore thumb blocking partly the view of the dial.

VicLeChic

As a hobby I can see why people might enjoy polishing their plastic crystals as some sort of special bond with the timepiece. Does it look warmer? Maybe but I value a clear look to better appreciate the dial. Does it sound good? No, it sounds terrible. Is it durable? Clearly not. Can it go to the fu***** moon without cracking under the pressure? Maybe 😀.


However, being a watch enthusiast and a fan of noble materials, tradition and craftsmanship, the way I see hesalite is it’s a cheap plastic that doesn’t belong on a luxury watch IMHO. Sure, old watches used to come with plastic crystals for lack of a better solution at the time, but if plastic crystal was truly a valuable feature, wouldn’t top and still use it today in their classical range? Even modern pocket watches come with sapphire these days.

TNTwatch

This is luxury modern noble materials snobbery. There are lots of high priced, highly desirable vintage watches that have not a shred of noble material in them.

The moonwatch is a classic watch that is one of very few, if not the only one, that still has the plastic crystal. They have introduced sapphire to it without changing much of the principal design, but those models all have that predominant sore edge.

ScubaPro

The amazing thing about all this love for the "Moonwatch" and its hesalite crystal is a least two of these crystals popped off and the watches quit on the lunar missions. It amuses me that so many would embrace a part that failed when it was needed most. In some applications, like the Rolex subs and sea-dwellers, the acrylic crystals worked well for years; actually compressing a bit at depth and increasing the strength of the seal. But in a situation with extreme variation of temperature in low or no gravity, the plastic didn't really work so well. The bad part about sapphire in space is if it gets hit hard enough it will shatter, and leave thousands of pieces floating around an a spacecraft and causing trouble. Nowadays I would figure there's a plastic alternative that would work, but honestly, how many people need a watch that works in a vacuum? So many have romanticized the concept of leaving the earth's atmosphere to wander around in a lifeless void. Other than the view of earth from above, I would think being stuck in a tin can for months so you can walk around on a desert with no air (I mean mars of course) would be a definition of hell. But that's me. With the exception of diving and snorkeling, I like a bit of atmosphere.

TNTwatch

I don't know when was the other time that the moonwatch's crystal popped off, but for the one assigned to David Scott, one could say that there's no verification or corroboration on record that his Speedy actually failed. Remember that the Speedmaster is the only watch that has passed multiple NASA tests while many other watches just failed. These tests did include extreme temperatures.

TNTwatch

I don't know when was the other time that the moonwatch's crystal popped off, but for the one assigned to David Scott, one could say that there's no verification or corroboration on record that his Speedy actually failed. Remember that the Speedmaster is the only watch that has passed multiple NASA tests while many other watches just failed. These tests did include extreme temperatures.

You also conflated embracing a watch with embracing just a plastic crystal. Which watch to embrace is mostly a personal taste. Apparently, people embrace some watches worn by racing drivers more than a NASA tested watch worn by astronauts. That's actually a good thing IMO.