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Using anti-reflective eyeglass cleaner

  1. khoalety Jul 31, 2014

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    I often use the anti-reflective eyeglass cleaner to clean the crystal of my Omega. I just had a thought about it... I wonder if it is OK to use it every time the crystal gets dirty or just use a micro-fiber cloth is better in the long run because the chemical might mess up the reflective on the crystal overtime?

    Thank you for your answer.
     
  2. woodwkr2 Jul 31, 2014

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    I believe that the anti-reflective coating is on the inside of modern sapphire crystals. So if that's your preference, I don't think you're doing any harm (provided your watch is water tight).
     
  3. khoalety Jul 31, 2014

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    Thanks for your answer, woodkr2! Sorry I forgot to mention, my PO 8500 has the anti-reflective coating on both sides.
     
  4. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jul 31, 2014

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    Most modern Omega sapphire crystals are AR coated inside and out. I often use eyeglass cleaner that is designed to be used on AR coated plastic eyeglass lenses - if it's gentle enough for my glasses, it's fine for your crystal.

    I have never had any problems using it with a soft cloth for cleaning crystals, inside or out. Sometimes the smudges on the crystals can be a real pain to get rid of (when I'm assembling a watch for example) and the eyeglass cleaner does a great job of getting rid of them.

    Cheers, Al
     
  5. khoalety Jul 31, 2014

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    Thanks, Al!
     
  6. Alex_TA Jul 31, 2014

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    I prefer to use dishwashing liquid.
     
  7. Archer Omega Qualified Watchmaker Jul 31, 2014

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    I actually find that dishwashing liquids will leave a residue behind - I often remove this residue with the eyeglass cleaner.

    One thing I will mention is that I am cleaning these with the movements removed, and when you can hold the crystal up to a light, you can see things that can't be seen when the movement is in the case.

    Cheers, Al
     
  8. GrouchoM Jul 31, 2014

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    My optician recommends plain water (leaves no residue) for cleaning lenses. Then, wiping with a very clean microfiber cloth. Clean the cloths using Dawn dish soap. Even among the fountain pen crowd, Dawn is seen as the lowest residue soap out there.
     
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  9. khoalety Jul 31, 2014

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    I always clean my prescription glasses with dish soap, but my glasses don't have anti-reflective (AR) coating. I'm always nervous to do so with my camera filters because they have AR. For now I will go with plain water for a few spots on my Omega crystal and use eyeglass cleaner for intense cleaning. :) Thank you everyone for great advices. :thumbsup:
     
  10. panamavin Aug 4, 2014

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    I use a soft t-shirt. Might not be the best but it works!
     
  11. SpikiSpikester @ ΩF Staff Member Aug 5, 2014

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    Recently I discovered that a lot of well known dish washing liquids contain salts to aid their cleaning action. That's why they end up leaving accumulated micro scratches when used to clean things like motorcycle helmet visors - which is how I found out. I'd avoid using them on a watch too...
     
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  12. woodwkr2 Aug 5, 2014

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    You need some of this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Novus-Plastic...290703&sr=8-2&keywords=acrylic+plastic+polish

    Fantastic stuff, originally developed for restoring old car headlights. It works great on any kind of acrylic or plastic surface to get those little scratches out. Yes, it works great for plastic watch crystals too. I haven't used Polywatch in a long time.
     
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  13. opticalserenity Aug 20, 2014

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    You're using that as an alternative to Polywatch? So you recommend it over Polywatch?
     
  14. woodwkr2 Aug 20, 2014

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    I actually use crystal Klear on a chamois buff in a jeweler's type handpiece most of the time. But I don't recommend that unless you have experience... it's very efficient. It's also the quickest way to burn up and melt an acrylic crystal that I know of.

    But... if there are scratches on the inside of the crystal, yes, I use the Novus product. Based on how big the bottles are, I would suggest it's a better value if you plan on polishing a lot of crystals.
     
  15. yande Aug 28, 2014

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    I can get by without most things, but I could not do without my Dawn.. Thanks Mum! Oh, and GrouchoM!