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Also some have used Autosol metal polisher to remove it. Cheap as chips.
Need to do this as it's so scratched up already. I remember Polywatch being mentioned as one way of doing this. Does it work? Are there better ways?
Thanks!
Check this out: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/ar-rem ... 95082.html
Also some have used Autosol metal polisher to remove it. Cheap as chips.
I used a T-Cut, needs lots of elbow grease !! works well though.
Polywatch or even an abrasive pad of garryflex 120 grit both do the job well. Garyflex is my choice. Polish will work but it will take a bit longer to achieve.
Used car polish and a decent cloth on a watch a year ago.
Removed it with no problems, just make sure you mask up the surrounding bezel etc.
This is how I did it a while ago. Apologies for lack of pics, they stopped working after I reorganised my Photobucket into albums.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21789&hilit=dremmel
F.T.F.A.
Thanks all for the good advice. In the end, I tried Polywatch--the only stuff I had to hand. The AR coating was so shot that it was gone in a few minutes.
But I think those starting from scratch :wink: would do well to try the stronger measures mentioned here.
Have I got this wrong, I always assumed the AR coating was on the underside of the crystal sure this was the case when I bought a AR coated sapphire replacement for my Seiko Sumo
Some, like Breitlings, have it on both sides.Originally Posted by geran
Fortis and Sinn are a couple of others that come to mind. I used Autosol on an old Fortis and the coating came off quickly and cleanly, with very little elbow grease required.Some, like Breitlings, have it on both sides.
It's worth mentioning, I think , that all AR isn't equal. Some is applied differently to others. I've had no problems at all with it on both of my Damaskos, 2yrs and @ 5yrs old respectively.
That's true. Manufacturers specifications do differ greatly as far as the thickness of the coating is concerned.
I think you'd have to do pretty well to scratch the coating on the inside of the crystal!
As others have said, ideally you have multi-layer AR on both sides of the crystal. The current Breitling coatings are like this, and it really does make the crystal appear invisible. Inside only is never going to be the same as the majority of the relections you see are from the front surface, but it is obviously much more durable. The problem with durability is exacerbated as scratches appear more visible on AR coated glass as they stand out more from the clear surroundings, plus a scratch can lead to the coating breaking down further as is essentially flakes away (albeit on a very small scale).
I suspect this is why AR is not universally used, especially by brands who sell themselves on a rugged image e.g. Rolex, or only used in the inside of the crystal e.g. Panerai. (It's not that the technology is particularly new, it's been used on camera lenses for years).
Solvol autosol (chrome cleaner) on a piece of cloth with plenty of elbow grease.
I can`t stand AR coating on the outside of crystals, they look a mess when they (invariably) get scratched.
Paul
I've had to do something similar recently, with a Breitling B1 I bought. It arrived with a few marks (one reasonably significant) in the AR :(
Cape Cod has done a decent job of softening it and blurring the marks a bit, you now have to hold it to the light to find them, but I know they are there so I think Autosol will be my next bet to remove the AR from the front completely. Will give it a go on the bracelet too, as that's also very marked.
I find it's very therapeutic and it's nice to see a positive result from some hard work, with a shiny new looking watch :)
+1
Garryflex is the perfect tool for the job, nothing better
I assume you have to be especially careful if using GFlex? Is there any chance this could damage the sapphire crystal?
Polywatch worked for me on an Ana/digi Omega but it was a lot of work. The Watchmaker I took it to for its other issues was surprised this could be done with Polywatch.
Apparently for lenses there is a chemical removal process which is very effective, but I think it uses acid which reacts with the coating material but not the lens material. Problem would be whether the coating on a watch crystal is the same (although probably is), but more importantly what potential damage the solution would do to other parts of the watch if you don't remove the crystal before treating it - which isn't practical for most.
This is why people resort to polishing it off. The dilemma is that if you use something that is not a very aggressive polish e.g. polywatch, the AR coating is quite hard (apparently close to regular glass) so it takes a lot of elbow grease. If you use a harsher polish, you may damage the sapphire crystal - but bear in mind sapphire is pretty damn hard, so it actually takes a very agressive polish or a lot of friction/pressure to damage it. Of course, theoretically you need a polish based on a material harder than the coating but less hard than the sapphire.
Obviously the safest bet is to go for the elbow grease option, there's so little chance of marking the sapphire, the only imperfections will likely be reminants of the coating.
You have to be careful what ever you use. For example, there is nothing worse than a build up of polish, polywatch paste or garyflex dust inside a bezel mechanism, so don't forget to mask off any area's needing protected.
I normally remove the A/R coating from the inside of sapphires with garyflex and that is pretty easy when the crystal is removed.
I have removed the A/R coating on the outside of a sapphire with garyflex and it eats through any thickness of A/R coating with ease.
I have never had any damage on the surface of a sapphire where the A/R coating has been removed with garyflex. Sapphire crystal is a very hard material.
You can get them re coated you know try sweetwatches.de a very durable coating
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