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Prevent crack in crystal from spreading

Bopmd

By Bopmd
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Bopmd Watch Enthusiast

Bopmd

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Hello, I have a Certina DS and the glass has a tiny crack in it. It is very tiny and I'm not sure if it goes all the way through or not. The original crystal is quite expensive and I was wondering if there are any solutions that will prevent the crack from spreading? At first I was thinking of putting loctite or acrylic weld in it and then file and polish it down, but I wanted to check with more experienced people first.

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Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

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If it is acrylic, and not another plastic type (or acetate) than it could be filled with water thin super glue, which is basically liquid acrylic.

But, if it doesn't penetrate the crack, it will still be visible.

If you have a vacuum pump, you could try over-applying and then draw a vacuum. When you back-fill with air, it should press the glue down into the crack. Maybe.

The glue will melt the surrounding crystal as well, so you may need to over-apply and then sand and buff.

And what's "expensive"? I pay hundreds for original vintage Rolex acrylic crystals...

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Bopmd Watch Enthusiast

Bopmd

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1 minute ago, Tudor said:

If you have a vacuum pump, you could try over-applying and then draw a vacuum. When you back-fill with air, it should press the glue down into the crack. Maybe.

The glue will melt the surrounding crystal as well, so you may need to over-apply and then sand and buff.

And what's "expensive"? I pay hundreds for original vintage Rolex acrylic crystals...

Yes, I got a little impatient and tried it before checking for answers. The crack seems to be filled, but It did melt a tiny bit on the surface. I will try again soon to get it flush. Thank you for the answer. 

I could only find an original glass for 80 USD which I consider to be expensive as the watch cost me 100 USD. I'm also only 17 so money is limited. I've never even held a Rolex so I will probably not replace crystals for them any time soon. It is a Certina DS so an original crystal is important to me because it's a thick "diver" glass that adds to the robustness and purpose of the watch.

Thank you for the answer

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Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

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A supplier like G-S or Sternkreuz has plenty of "diver" crystals, either domed, or flat top. And with or without a magnifier lens. The Sternkreuz T-19 (for the no-date sub) is $45 on eBay at the moment; probably cheaper from a stocking distributor. Rolex T-19 service crystal (less desirable than the original ones, which cost more) is in the $500-600 range- note that is a very high asking price and just what I saw now, doing a quick search. I would expect around $300 as "reasonable". Then there is Clarks watch parts (ebay seller) who has his own brand of crystals, which are quite good, and cheap (T-19 is $17). You need the dimensions of the original to match it up with a G-S for example. 

But what you are doing is also a good learning experience.

If I liked the watch enough to get the correct crystal (and that's generally what I like to do), I'll just pony up and pay the price. Unless of course I can find a "really close" one for $17.00...

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Bopmd Watch Enthusiast

Bopmd

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I will definitely keep that in mind. Currently the crystal is just fine. It's original and only has that tiny spot from the glue which I will fix later. I have another actually that I believe has a generic crystal. I might go for one of those you mentioned. It's always reassuring to have a proper crystal that gives some dust/water resistance even though it's from the 60's and shouldn't be in those environments. That's why I love the DS. Thank you very much for the helpful answer!

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Tudor Distinguished Member

Tudor

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Yeah, if you are actually intending to submerge the watch for any length of time, you want a modern crystal- correct profile or not- to protect the movement. Followed by a proper pressure test.

When I pay silly money for an original "top hat" T-125 for a Tudor 9411, it is to preserve the aesthetic as much as possible. Another blue dial will cost close to $2000.00 these days (and always increasing) so no, it's not going swimming.

I can get a "close" crystal from Clarks for ~$20, and it looks fine to 99.9% of the world, and easily 25% of the watch geeks. Only the hard-core collectors want to see not only that the correct, original Rolex crystal is on there, but also that it is the CORRECT correct crystal, with the sharp top corner (AKA top hat) rather than the "improved" crystal from later, with a chamfered top edge. Photo of original, correct T-125 Tudor crystal on my black dial 9411 (avatar watch).1056507861_y001.thumb.JPG.96413f2af9db2ce8c309049a504b4a1e.JPG

The devil is in the details.

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