When wearing your watch, you will brush against the crystal by accident just by doing normal task. I read in reviews of the Omegas and Rolex watches that Omega has the anti glare on the outside of the crystal while Rolex has it on the interior of the watch.

It makes sense to have the anti glare on the inside so you won't scratch it or perhaps even remove it. Does anyone know if there is any advantage having it on the outside? I'm surprised they didn't put the a it glare on the inside.

 

I think coating the outside reduces more glare

 

Rolex is not known to have any AR coating except for under the magnifying Cyclops.
Actually it has been noted in the past that Rolex avoid using it deliberately because it detracts from the glare reflecting off the flat Crystals.

Not all Omega watches have AR coating on the outside.
My Railmaster only has it on the inside with none on the outside. It's a feature of that reference and one of the main reasons why I bought it.

IMO, AR coating is great for Saphire crystals, but only on the inside.
Outside is a liability.

 

To be most effective you should have AR coating on the inside and outside. But outside coating can eventually get scratched so some makers just put it on the inside. It helps, but is not the most effective.

 

Many Omegas, such as the later model SMP divers and Aqua terras have it on both sides. I’ve never had an issue with any of my watches that have it on both sides, but I’ve heard of others having scratched AR outer coatings.

 

Nearly all of omegas current watches have it on the inside AND outside. Makes the crystal nearly invisible. It does scratch and is removable if scratches become noticeable. It is a fairly rugged application though normal wear probably not going to damage it.

 

Are there any Rolex models with AR?

 

No I don't think Rolex use AR on its crystal at all.

 

That was my understanding but I’m not to familiar with the newer models.

 

There are many threads at TRF and other places that keep discussing pros and cons of whether Rolex should start using AR to it's some of the sports models, to say the least.

 

Many Omegas have it in the inside and outside.

 

I think you may have read wrong. Coatings if applied at all are usually on both sides, occasionally inside only. Coating both sides has optical advantages over inside only or no coating but obvious disadvantages too as the coatings do scratch. I have never heard of a watch crystal externally coated only. Certainly not in the Omega sphere. Can’t really comment on what Rolex do, certainly the models I have handled weren’t coated at all and were less usable as a result.

 

I have a 2018 sub c and a 2017 Batman. Neither have an AR coating and it drives me nuts in the sun.

 

I think some Cellini models have AR.

 

Agree as outside AR is prone to scratches

 

I’ve actually removed it from the outside of a crystal. It’s a solid modification that’s quite easy to do.

 

I have owned a lot of Tag Heuer and Omega watches and always Tag had the better AR... I remember my older Omegas having this purple hue on the crystal due to their AR. But the AR on my 2018 SMP Diver is the best AR i have ever seen. In all photos i have taken and most of the times i look at the watch it almost looks like there is no crystal and you can go ahead and touch the hands. About the scratches i had this in mind when i bought the rhodium dial. Scratches are easy to see on dark colored dials but not so on a lighter one.

 

Actually i like the blue/purple hue the older AR coatings had. The crystal appeared as clear most of the times, but with some extra colour light play.

 

My humble opinion: double coated AR sapphire on dressy watches are really nice.

But for sports and tool watches, I rather have AR only on the inside of the sapphire crystal.