![]() In Geneva, or hunter style, crystals the hardest crystals to replace are: 12/2 through 12/9 ( 275mm through 285mm), 14/12 (335mm), 14/13 (336mm), 18/3 through 18/7 (413mm through 419mm), and all sizes above 21/0. (Sizes are in lignes, the archaic system in which old crystals are measured). There are some sizes we can no longer obtain in old-stock glass, and in those situations the only option is to use a modern acrylic crystal instead.Įxpect to pay more for old-stock glass crystals in these tough-to-find sizes, as we are dealing with a very limited and dwindling supply of original vintage glass crystals. ![]() For crystals sizes that were common across a wide variety of case brands, stocks of vintage crystals have been nearly depleted. it's because they are the MOST COMMONLY USED SIZES! Since there are no contemporary sources for vintage watch crystals, old-stock supplies are all we have left. Why are the some of the most common pocketwatch crystal sizes getting harder and harder to find? That's easy. Watches with original American bulls-eye crystals tend to be popular with collectors and often sell for premium prices. Also called "Double Lunette with Cut Top" in the early watch material catalogs. These are similar to the English high-dome bulls-eye crystals, but they are much less domed and saw a brief return to popularity in the early 1900s.The bulls-eye on these later crystals is usually concave whereas it is flat on the early English style. Finding replacement rounded high-dome bullseye crystals is nearly impossible these days. My personal opinion is that it was simply a matter of style, and that they came into vogue in about 1780, and went out of style in about 1820. Some contend that it was to magnify the view of the watch, or direct more light onto the dial, but these theories don't seem to be supported by the empirical evidence. Some believe it to be a mark left when the pontil rod is removed from the crystal during the manufacturing process, but there are many examples of smooth, concave glass objects from that time period which don't show a pontil mark, so that theory may not hold up. There is much debate among horologists as to the origin and purpose of the bulls-eye mark. They have a flat spot ground into the center of the crystal which gives them a "bulls-eye" appearance. These high-dome crystals are typically seen on early English fusee watches. Typical glass thickness for an open face beveled crystal is 1.0mm - 1.5mm, but can be up to 2.5mm.įlat-thick crystal for open face pocket watch English-Style High-Dome Bullseye Crystal Railroad pocket watches look great with beveled edge crystals. The beveled edge was purely a stylistic choice, and gives the watch a crisp, sharply defined outline for the dial. Many vintage pocket watches have open face crystals with a beveled outer edge, as shown below. Watches that have no case-lid over the dial of the watch are called "open-face". if the clearance between cover and crystal is small, you're very likely to break the crystal! Open Face Beveled Edge Crystal This is a great reason why you NEVER shut a hunter case watch with your big ol' thumb pressing right in the middle of the cover. Typical glass thickness for a hunter crystal is 0.4mm - 0.5mm, so they are quite thin and fragile. Sometimes there is VERY little clearance and finding a crystal that fits properly can be quite difficult. One of the challenges of fitting a replacement hunter crystal is that it must be high enough to not touch the center arbor or interfere with the hands, and low enough to not interfere with the case lid. Hunter-style crystals tend to be quite thin and fragile, and vary from almost flat to slightly convex, but all must be low enough to allow the metal case lid to close. If the watch has a hunter-case (with a metal cover over the dial and crystal) then the watch uses a hunter-style or Geneva-style crystal. ![]() We'll show you the more common styles (and a couple of less common styles) and provide a little information about how they were used. Original crystals for vintage pocket watches were typically made of mineral glass, and came in a wide variety of shapes, thicknesses and styles. That doesn't mean it's made of crystal, but "crystal" is the correct name for it. The piece of glass that covers the dial of your watch is called the crystal. Pocketwatch 101 ℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antique Pocket Watches All About Vintage Pocket Watch Crystals Common Crystal Types and Styles ![]()
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