Pulsar P4 Exec / Sapphire Crystal

[abem]

Hi,

A while back, I got a Pulsar P4 exec and was pleased to see that it had an unusual crystal - a sapphire crystal. I have a P4 Dress with a sapphire crystal and I really like it. Aside from being scratch proof, it has a nice glossy sheen to it that I kind of like. On the P4 Exec, it changes the shape / aesthetics of the watch a bit, being almost flush with the bezel.

Anyhow, I was wondering how rare these are for the P4 Exec models. I haven't seen too many.

Cheers,

-abe.

Sapphire crystal (left) and standard mineral glass crystal (right):

DSC_5293 (900x600).jpg

Sapphire crystal (close up):

DSC_5302 (900x600).jpg

Mineral crystal (close up):

DSC_5306 (900x600).jpg

[retroleds]

Abe,
THose are fairly rare....I'd guesstimate maybe 10% of them were released with a sapphire crystal. It's so thin because it is a clear piece of sapphire with a piece of red plastic film glued to the back. They do have a few negatives, related to the film: it can get the infamous air leakage especially if ever exposed to a higher heat(think left in car on hot sunny day), you obviously can't remove the glass using heat and finally if you try to fix the film by removing it and the clear silicone RVP they used you will generally ruin the logo. Seems to just be painted on but not baked. I have a couple of the clear portions I keep thinking I will use for some project - doubtful.

The calcs. with sapphire were done two different ways: equal thickness sapphire and red glass bonded together and thick sapphire with thin glass (approx. 80/20).

They can take a chipping like none other - a customer sent me a Classic with sapphire that had been worn every day since it was bought in the 70s while the guy worked at a lumberyard. Pretty much a continuous band of chiggers around the face and a few scratches. He is retired now so he had me install fresh mineral glass.

[abem]

Ed,

Ah, good to know that you can't toss them in the oven like the mineral glass ones. That would be... disappointing. My sapphire P4 exec has a bit of de-lamination toward the left edge while my sapphire P4 classic and sapphire P4 dress examples are near perfect. On the P4 exec models, I think I like the aesthetics / shape of the mineral glass crystals better (a small thing of no importance).

My very first Pulsar was a P4 Dress that looked a bit beat up when I got it. At first glance, there appeared to be an annoying scratch across the front of the crystal and the case was rather grungy. However, upon closer inspection, I found that the mark that I initially thought was a scratch was actually on TOP of the (sapphire) crystal and I was able to polish it off. The case cleaned up beautifully and the crystal now appears absolutely perfect. I imagine that at some point in time, someone may have scraped the face of the crystal across a surface of some sort and the sapphire was evidently so hard and resilient that it scraped off a bit of whatever material it was that came in contact with while remaining completely and totally unblemished. Impressive!

Interesting info about the calcs. I had heard that these were sapphire, but I didn't know if they were the bonded film or bonded glass types.

Thanks for the info.

-abe.

[retroleds]

Interesting info about the calcs. I had heard that these were sapphire, but I didn't know if they were the bonded film or bonded glass types.

Thanks for the info.

-abe.

Not all the calcs had sapphire, some just had the mineral glass. And I agree with you, there is something "niccer" about the aesthetic of the mineral glass. Sapphire is tough but somehow lacks "fire".


There are some ways to repair/refill those one with the delamination....sorry, magician's code. MAybe on another forum I would discuss it further.