Domed or flat sapphire?

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CosmoS

Well-known member
hi there,
guys, help me pls understand one thing: am I the only one here being confused about the domed and flat sapphire crystals?
I'm between choosing either a Rolex Explorer or a Tudor Ranger. they are pretty close to each other, though haven't decided yet about which one to choose. Two things concern me: their proportions of 39 vs 41mm (not sure which one to go with) and the other aspect is their crystals. the flat one of the Explorer gives a clear and identical vision regardless of the angles I look. The domed one of the Ranger generates slight distortions when I look through the crystal from different angles. I can't figure it out: is it a good thing or a disadvantage? What to expect from a flat crystal and from a domed one?
Pls, help me with that! thanks and respect!
 
F

FleurDeLis

Active member
personally, I resonate more with the domed model.
I don't have a particular explanation for my preference; it's just a purely aesthetic matter. and in my opinion, you won't find any practical advantage or disadvantage. only that the domed version looks better, and somehow, more attractive. in my watch case, the curvature is only 3mm. and yes, there is a slight distortion if I look at it from an angle. but it doesn't bother me at all, because I don't read the watch from that perspective...
 
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CuriousGeorge

Active member
I also had watches with doomed sapphire. these have a specific charm, to be honest. the flat ones seem to lack something... as if they lack air..... aesthetically speaking, they are more appreciated than flat sapphire. to me, a flat sapphire looks just as silly as printed hour markers. As if they were drawn by a child.....

however, a good-looking domed sapphire must be curved within reasonable limits. if the curvature is exaggerated, then the watch starts to look like a thick magnifying glass...
 
D

DoctorWHO

Active member
apart from a more pleasant aesthetic, domed xtals are also more resistant. it was demonstrated by professionals in the field. most diver watches with high resistance to water pressure have domed xtals because the curvature somehow contributes to the resistance. I can't explain exactly how, because I'm not an expert in the field, but that's the conclusion.
for a flat xtal watch to withstand high pressure, the manufacturers have to make it much thicker, which is already absurd, from an aesthetic point of view.
therefore, domed is the right way to go!!🤌🤌🤌
 
peGASus4338#!

peGASus4338#!

Well-known member
actually, I consider these types of crystals according to the type of watch I need.
The flat one, it seems to me that you it has a better visibility, and clearer legibility in different conditions. and if I know that I need a watch that I can run every day in different conditions, I get a flat xtal.

when it comes to a watch in which I am less interested in the technical part, but more in the aesthetics, I opt for the domed one. domed, without a doubt wins in the aesthetic category
 
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EuGeniuS

Active member
both are ok for me. what psses me off are the the crystals that are flat in the inner side, and domed at the outer surface!!! CREEEEEEEPPPPPYYYYY! they are so distorting the view, I just can't stand them. I dont even know why companies produce such xtals. The impact the view very severely with only turning the dial to a couple of grades.... avoid them!!! ALWAYS!!
 
chip&dale

chip&dale

Active member
it's a matter of style and personal taste, I guess... it depends on the watch design itself. the same watch can look both ugly or nice with only changing the type of xtal. it's like the Chopard gran Turismo series that comes with a reverse cyclops, if you want. i never stand cyclops and here, such a beautiful thing resulted in Chopard.
On the whole, i think i'm more with the flat option. it pisses me of how the domed one is throwing off millions of reflections and cleaing it is a "huuuuuuh"🤢🤢🤢🤢 thing...
 
K

Karim

Member
chip&dale said:
it's a matter of style and personal taste, I guess... it depends on the watch design itself. the same watch can look both ugly or nice with only changing the type of xtal. it's like the Chopard gran Turismo series that comes with a reverse cyclops, if you want. i never stand cyclops and here, such a beautiful thing resulted in Chopard.
On the whole, i think i'm more with the flat option. it pisses me of how the domed one is throwing off millions of reflections and cleaing it is a "huuuuuuh"🤢🤢🤢🤢 thing...
Click to expand...
reverse cyclops? what's the hell is that? seems I've missed smth...
 
CasPer$$hunteR

CasPer$$hunteR

Well-known member
to me, depends on HOW DOMED is the sapphire. if it's a BOX-SHAPED one, than NO NO NO. don't like that option, no matter the brand makes the watch. actually, box shaped are more particular to vintage watches, with which I dont really stick. but even if it'snot a vintage, I find that type too much...
 
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CosmoS

Well-known member
CasPer$$hunteR said:
to me, depends on HOW DOMED is the sapphire. if it's a BOX-SHAPED one, than NO NO NO. don't like that option, no matter the brand makes the watch. actually, box shaped are more particular to vintage watches, with which I dont really stick. but even if it'snot a vintage, I find that type too much...
Click to expand...
agree, if the does curvature is nice and not over-exagerated, it looks bombastic. the more the curvature, the uglier....for the flat ones, they are so comfortable in taking care of them.... no need to clean them as frequent as the domed ones. so are more wearable
 
J

JL$4k029

Active member
it depends on many complementary aspects in fact. it depends on the type of bezel, how tall the watch is, its shape, etc. if the watch is tall by itself, I wouldn't; opt for a domed crystal , it will make it look even taller. in this case, I opt for something flat. so, for me, everything depends on the final result, how the crystal looks in relation to the other design elements!!!!!
 
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Eddie

Well-known member
it depends on the type of watch, actually. a vintage watch will look absurd with a domed crystal. for sports watches, I love the flat crystal more. for the dressy and formal ones, domed - without exception
 
W

WatchOut

Member
personally, it seems to me that domed sapphire looks a bit like a magnifying glass, I don't know why. I can swallow them only if the curvature is not too steep at the edges. but in general, I prefer flat. they look more practical and sporty, which is the kind of watches I usually wear
 
PpiroJookK88735

PpiroJookK88735

Well-known member
weeeeeellll, it depends actually, there are variable influencing the way how they look and feel.... on the whole, both are welcome and I can't say much about them as separate pieces. I'd have to look at the whole watch ensemble to say which one goes better with a flat or a domed xtal
 
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Matias

Well-known member
I like both equally. the truth is that my versatile everyday watches always have a flat crystal. this happens by fefault, without drawing special attention to the type of crystal. more casual watches always have a domed crystal, because it adds elegance. I see absolutely no difference in the transparency and clarity of these 2 types. both seem equally readable to me. I think they are just an aesthetic element and have nothing to deal with the dial readability itself
 
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$BarHat$

Active member
it is very important for the manufacturer to know how to produce the correct domed crystal. if he screws it up with curvature, he screws everything up. if produced correctly, domed can even reduce distortion. if he exaggerates, then magnification is inevitable.

I'm mainly for domed, because they are less reflective and have a higher resistance for the same thickness compared to the flat ones.

however, they are more prone to distortion than flat, especially when looking from an off-perpendicular position.
 
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YupyLuk

Well-known member
starting from the premise that a domed sapphire does not really illustrate the specific "mirror" effect that offers the flat alternative, personally I resonate more with the flat versions. flat crystals look better in sunlight, without distorting the image as much as domed ones. and there is also the flash aspect, which I still find attractive in the flat ones, and which is missing from the domed alternatives.

I am not sure that the shape of the crystal would have any influence on its resistance. technically, it might some influence, but c'mon... we are talking about such a small surface, that realistically speaking, the pressure of possible impacts is barely different between the 2 types of sapphire.
 
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