Most upper end watches come with a sapphire crystal. Not only is sapphire a gem (sister to the ruby) but it is one tough gem, virtually un scratch-able. Other than diamond, sapphire is the hardest gemstone to be found.
Pure sapphire, the September birthstone, is rare. The kind of clear sapphire used as watch crystals is a mildly synthetic version of the gemstone. And while the paramount sapphire color-the truly coveted-is blue, when used in watches sapphire is refined to the transparency of glass. Only it is infinitely more durable than glass. No self-respecting high end watch would come adequate with whatever but a sapphire crystal. While bands and clasps and movements may vary among upper-end timepieces, the use of sapphire will not.
Omega Watches
Important sapphire locations have discrete over the years-Burma, China, for example. But today most high capability sapphire derives from Sri Lanka and Madagascar; those two countries yield astonishing capability sapphire, often naturally augmented with a whisper of blue. Thailand and Cambodia are also up-and-coming locations for the yield of the ruby-related gemstone.
The Star of India, at a robust 536 carats (a weight measurement), is the world's largest sapphire. J.P. Morgan acquired it and bequeathed it to the American Museum of Natural History, and it is there today. (A side note: Jack Roland Murphy, aka Murph the Surf, born 1938, snatched the Star of India from the American Museum and it was later recovered in a Miami bus station. Murph is still with us.)
The Logan Sapphire, second largest at 423 carats, is on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
In the course of any typical day a watch wearer will put the timekeeper straight through a great deal of rough stuff-banging, beating, abrasion, you name it. And the typical watch wearer is not even aware of the punishment he or she is inflicting on the watch: it is what's called wear and tear. But sapphire is immune, essentially, from wear and tear. It is nearly indestructible.
The cost to replace a sapphire watch crystal is highly dependent on the particulars of it, and of course on the definite watchmaker. A Patek Philippe sapphire will likely be more high-priced to replace than one for a Movado. Typically costs will be in the 0.00-0.00 range.
Lunette and bombe are French words often used to describe the shape of a particular sapphire. Lunette means round and bombe can mean mounded or concave.
Sapphire Says It All
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