Horological Meandering - Anti-reflective coating

Anti-reflective coating

I would not buy a watch which has AR on both sides because when the AR rubs off, it doesn't rub off evenly so there will be a really ugly uneven rainbow hue to it at a certain angle. I think there is a picture somewhere of a Porsche Design watch having that effect. It really is a bad idea to put something that rubs off so easily on something so scratch resistant.

So AR on both sides is really a bad idea. If I'm not mistaken, Omega Seamaster has 1-sided (inner) AR whereas the newer Planet Ocean has double-sided AR. My Rolex Sub does not have AR and I have no trouble with reading the time. The only trouble I have is with the date cyclops, hence the latest Sub has AR on the underside of the cyclops and this really makes a difference. I guess Rolex has given this thing more thought than Omega. To fix it you need to change the sapphire and the Omega ones are significantly more expensive that Rolex's!

Moral of the story - beware of double-sided AR. It will most likely reduce the beauty of your watch in the long run.

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Anti Reflective Glass, the advantages & disadvantages

By: Topcat30093 : February 24th, 2011-01:34

I just thought that I would throw this question open to the forum Most of the pieces that I have owned in the past have not had their glass coated with AR. And until now I have not given the matter much thought, but recently I was comparing my Patek 5205G...

Watch photography comes to mind first...

By: Hororgasm : February 24th, 2011-12:41

I like, in general. ARC glasses...

By: KIH : February 24th, 2011-15:24

That gives legibility a huge jump. Lange started applying ARC on their glass relatively recently and the early production of Lange did not have it. I loved it when I replaced the Lange 1 MOP and the mysterious varying light and color on MOP dial became re...

definitely more advantage than disadvantage..

By: KC74 : February 24th, 2011-16:02

anti reflection 2 types, some watch manufacturers only apply AR on the inside of the sapphire to my knowledge, the speedmaster 3573.50 does this rendering the inside sapphire anti-reflective. Iwc pilot has it on both sides. Rolex does not have AR on their...

In my limited experience

By: tahoeblue : February 24th, 2011-18:23

I can't think of any disadvantage of AR coating, except cost, and maybe the possibility that AR coat on the outer surface of the crystal could be damaged over time. Some AR coats can also give a certain colored tint depending on angle/, lighting, but I ha...

Thank you for the responses so far.......

By: Topcat30093 : February 25th, 2011-01:29

I didn't realise that you could AR both sides of the crystal. And that each side has it own merits, as I just assumed that if the glass had been coated with AR then it would have the same benefits for either side. I suppose that if only the outside is coa...

i believe its not a simple coating process, high temperature heat is used to form AR

By: KC74 : February 25th, 2011-05:15

...coating. Todate i have not seen any AR coating done on the outside only. Usually both sides or insides as to prevent the dial reflection from the inside. My 2 cents Topcat.

AR coatings done via sputtering....

By: wrb75 : February 25th, 2011-16:18

vacuum deposition are done at ~120 C.

An experience with AR coatings:

By: AndrewD : February 25th, 2011-15:28

When Peter Speake-Marin was touring his Thalassa with the SM2 movement last year he had one watch with AR coated sapphire and a second (which was finished at the last moment) without. It was very obvious to the naked eye (and the camera lens) how the move...

AR coatings: An explanation

By: wrb75 : February 25th, 2011-15:57

AR Coatings on Watch Crystals An Explanation and FAQ’s AR coatings are designed to reduce light reflection (increase transmission) by optical interference. The principal is the same as in noise canceling headphones. The AR coatings bend the incoming light...

Wow, that is an answer. Thanks for having taken the time to bring us all these infos. [nt]

By: amanico : February 25th, 2011-22:56

No message body

I love those double coated AR...

By: Goh : February 25th, 2011-21:39

esp on black dial. The crystal just seems to disappear at certain light/angle and the purple glare is nice too. Best, Goh

wrb75 thank you for your indepth explanation..........

By: Topcat30093 : February 26th, 2011-00:08

Which has helped me understand more about the complexities of ARC. I feel that it is certainly an advantage to have it fitted to a timepiece. Perhaps it would be something that Patek and other brands may decide to do in the future................Here's ho...

Disadvantage: Easy to wear off

By: HIROTA, Masayuki : February 26th, 2011-02:42

Advantage: Easy to read. Disadvantage: Easy to wear off. Serious problem of AR coating is that all of them are fluorine-coated. Thus durability of these coating is very and still poor. Two or three years before, I`m not sure exactly, CITIZEN developed TOU...

Anti-reflective coating

By: dr.limms : February 26th, 2011-06:13

Your point is overstated, imho

By: wrb75 : February 26th, 2011-07:48

Yes AR coatings are softer than the underlying crystal, but unless you are using sandpaper to clean your crystal, the coatings if properly applied are durable. I am not particularly cautious with any of my AR coated watches and none have damage. By choosi...