Is it sapphire? USE YOUR HEAD! Watch and Learn #82

[@Alias_Anybody]

Next time on Long Island Watch: "How to taste which type of steel your watch is made of"

[@d3xmeister]

Yes, 904L is a bit salty

[@FrankLavoy]

😂👍🏼

[@Infraredxxxxx]

😀😀

[@sevengone]

How to smell if your Rolex is real

[@thedankatheist3466]

With your toe

[@tomasnovak6926]

Me doing this trick to see if the watch really has a sapphire crystal. Everyone else at the Rolex AD: 👁👄👁

[@alexprendido2023]

😂

[@Infraredxxxxx]

😀😀

[@marcd7332]

Lmao

[@mrfuriouser]

Great comment...BUT... it's TRUE!!! Works similarly, but you must learn the taste of each metal before proceeding. I am not joking. Just do it and see for yourself. But please- do it at home, with your own watches ;) We don't need anyone arrested for molesting timepieces at the A.D.!

[@wastedtalentinc8007]

You were at a Rolex AD that had actual stock? Lol

[@andrew_owens7680]

Puts on forehead: This one has a sapphire crystal. Holds next watch to ear: This one has an ETA movement. Eyes start bleeding when he looks at it: This one is an Invicta.

[@hndrwn]

HAHAHAH

[@brianmsahin]

🤣🤣🤣

[@gamblingoomer8450]

LOL

[@theSUPERmere]

I didn't expect the last test. 😂

[@gankparty4876]

Holds Watch to ear: *goes deaf* This is a timex.

[@John-P]

IT WORKS!!! and I've just joined thousands of people around the world sitting with a watch on their head, and we're all smiling cheers Marc...stay safe

[@usernamwdrama]

I put it against the most sensitive part of my body and now have a life ban from my local jeweller.

[@cerealkiller7143]

Nobody likes the guy teabagging the display.

[@ElijsDima]

This is a valid, legitimately good advice; however this also has immense meme potential :)

[@islandwatch]

I'm sure it does.

[@largol33t1]

From the comments, it seems everyone is doing something like that! LMAO...

[@brianlehmkuhl8162]

Me: "This is my crystal tester" Watch merchant: "THAT'S NUTS!" 🤣🤣🤣

[@mobiusII]

You mentioned that the thermal conductivity of sapphire is very high, so it makes sense that it would feel 'cold' when you put it against your skin. I always enjoy teaching my students that cold does not actually exist, only variations in heat do. When we experience what we call 'cold', it means that whatever is touching our skin has less heat than our skin does. Nature is always attempting to reach heat equilibrium, so heat always travels from areas of higher heat to areas of lower heat. That temperature movement is what we call 'cold'. Sorry for nerding out there!

[@OffGridInvestor]

And that's WHY he said you need a comparison. I know years ago that you APPARENTLY can't feel temperatures, only temperature differences. I am not sure I believe it because I can guess the temperature when I walk outside and I'm usually fairly correct.

[@Bruno_Powerlifter]

Don’t be sorry. I’m grateful that you wrote that! Thank you!

[@keithh2028]

OMG...just tried this...and it works!!! My mind is blown!!! Thanks Mark!!!

[@Strideo1]

Thanks for addressing this issue head on!

[@islandwatch]

Ha!

[@andrew_owens7680]

The advantage to using another sensitive of your anatomy is, if you don't get punched, you might get to keep the watch.

[@brianmsahin]

🤣

[@islandwatch]

LOL

[@mkygod]

Wow this works incredibly well. A regular mineral glass feels like it just came out of a fridge, while a sapphire glass feels like it came out of the freezer.

[@H0kram]

That's it. Marc lost it. Edit : nevermind, it works.

[@islandwatch]

Yeah, right. Scary for a minute there.

[@scottmakis7070]

Why do I think of the great Carnac (from The Johnny Carson show) when you hold the watch to your head?

[@WatchWitt]

The collective sound of watch geeks everywhere running to their watch box and saying out loud, “OMG. That is SO weird!”

[@candide1772]

Fun video, and it works! I was able to distinguish between different crystals all over my bald head.

[@brianmsahin]

Lol.

[@islandwatch]

You got more surface area.

[@thulegezelschap5884]

So this is why diamonds are called ice

[@gasser5001]

Sure...

[@Junkwave_]

But diamonds aren't sapphires

[@josekunhardt]

@@Junkwave_ He said diamonds are even colder.

[@Wireless_Gadgets]

The comments are SO funny! Great job Marc

[@islandwatch]

They are!

[@maxmoller]

Be honest. How many of you just grab a couple of watches, and put them on your forehear? 😄 I know I did 😂

[@davidpugh8772]

i just used 3 seikos a junk timex 2 bulova's and my movado watch lol

[@islandwatch]

I know y'all did!

[@walnutsandbeastiality866]

A whole fistful of Daytonas and Royal Oak's (Just kidding!)

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Should be such a funny sight in a shop 🤣 And if they complain just tell them scratching it with a razor is the backup method

[@usernamwdrama]

Straight after dinner I'm getting the collection out.

[@marcelovasconcellos6067]

Great tip Marc, thanks! Will test my cheap Chinese auto that I got specifically for the sapphire crystal it supposedly has. Tested against a G Shock DW5600E, and my cheap Chinese does indeed have a sapphire crystal :)

[@monkebidness]

Just came across your channel recently. Having become a Seiko enthusiast, learning more about how they work and timepieces in general has been extremely easy and enjoyable thanks to your channel. I’ve had my eye on the ISL 09 for awhile and I’m looking at the cherry blossom one for my gf. Only a few others besides Seiko has really grabbed my attention for the price point, but because of your due diligence and authenticity I want to have a few Islanders in my collection. Wish you the best bro 🤙🏼

[@AliasEveWatches]

This is a clever strategy!

[@islandwatch]

If it works, it works!

[@everydaychris5597]

“Hold the watch crystal to a sensitive part of your body” ....yep my mind went there, too. 😂

[@surviveautodafe]

same... I went straight NC-17.

[@oOoScarecrow31oOo]

As long as you have a baseline for comparison, it should work. 😂😂 You may clean all watches after... just saying... 😏

[@surviveautodafe]

@@oOoScarecrow31oOo I mean... he DID say to use your head...

[@islandwatch]

of course it did!

[@buyaport]

Elementary, my dear Watson! Sometimes people are in doubt if something is metal or plastic. Just touch it, and you will know. Same principle here. Thanks for showing how easy this is!

[@wristray8775]

That Wenger looks beautiful. Thanks for the DIY test; literally, no tools. I really don't understand what's the deal with 'sapphire coated glass'. They look (distortion) like sapphire but not sure if they are scratch resistant enough. Now Iam going to forehead test all the available type of crystals.

[@CodyCannon11]

Super cool, just tried it, I knew one was not sapphire, and thought the other one was.... holy cow a big difference. Thanks for this, Mark, really cool.

[@3rdpig]

Using this method I can tell a distinct difference in feel between acrylic, mineral crystal and sapphire. What's throwing me are my older Seikos (80's and 90's vintage), they should be Seiko's proprietary Hardlex but they feel just like the sapphire to me. And while I don't have a diamond tester, the same model watches I have that are supposed to be sapphire have been confirmed by reviewers to be sapphire. What about Hardlex makes it feel like sapphire? Or do I just need my forehead calibrated? Or should I use my other forehead?

[@szmugler2289]

Use your Fore-skin

[@watchncarry9593]

Great video. Also recommend checking temperature with back of your hands. Lots of thermosensitive nerve endings there, which is why some medical professionals feel for a patient's temperature by using the back of their hands on a patient's forehead or limbs

[@LS1007]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing that Marc! Who would have thunk it? 😱 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@zash008]

Thanks! I put a watch to my most sensitive skin at the store in the mall. The sales lady said " You just bought that one!" and refused to take it back and place it back in the display. Got arrested about a minute later. Woke up this morning seeing my mugshot on all the news channels. Thanks pal.

[@AllenReinecke]

I've seen a video somewhere where you can tell crystals by the following... Clean the crystals. Push down and rotate your thumb on acrylic and it squeaks. Put two drops of water on a mineral, tilt the watch, and the drops will tend to spread out and smear. Do the same on sapphire, the drops will stay as discrete drops. Not tested the concept myself yet though.

[@AndyinMokum]

Greetings from The Netherlands. That crystal test is wild. I have two Citizen Eco-Drive watches on a windowsill charging. One has a standard mineral glass crystal and the other, is a sapphire crystal. Both watches are at room temperature for the test. The mineral crystal was just cool feeling. However, the sapphire crystal felt arctic cold against my forehead. As I said, this test is wild. Many thanks for the tip.

[@dryver8]

Love the watch and learns!

[@islandwatch]

Thanks, glad to hear it.

[@hendarinfb]

Good advice, I tried it and you are right, on your forehead skin, saphire crystal is feel way more colder than acrylic

[@slayerrules70]

Thanks for the tip! I have a mineral crystal and 2 sapphire crystal watches. Very definite difference in temperature between sapphire and mineral👍

[@ant7699]

Interesting

[@jimmccaig7946]

Cool trick. Love that new robins egg blue watch you have released 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@scowlistic]

Just tested a couple of mineral crystals and one sapphire. Cold, cold, and icey.

[@islandwatch]

Yup, it works!

[@antoniosgaravatti19]

Subscribed immediately the channel after putting my Casio Oceanus and another casio on my forehead...Pure Genius! Thank you

[@peterkull8354]

I tried it and it works....................great trick Marc, thank you !

[@pal7195]

You mentioned a watch dresser. Did you have one custom made? I've been looking for one and haven't been able to find it. Thank you for your videos! Always very informative!

[@patricj951]

Interesting! It actually works. Waterdrop test does work as well, but not on all watches.

[@nintendokings]

lmao I've tried this now and it actually works. Sapphire is like an ice cube, whereas mineral is just kinda cool

[@islandwatch]

Yup. told ya!

[@christopherwilson5212]

Quartz straight out of the ground is also cold even if you find in the summer. Cool ingenious demonstration

[@islandwatch]

sweet.

[@skyboss74]

That’s awesome! 👍🏼 Cool little tidbit.

[@chrissansom2188]

Must admit that I tried it out straight away and it does seem to work. The Grand children think that I have now gone mad. Great watch tip 👍

[@TheOcean777]

Unreal. Was just going to start polishing glass crystal with diamond paste today, and have the hardest time figuring out what some of the crystals are made of due to the watches being so small, and all previous advice didn't really help me. This did. The Universe in action...ask and thy shall receive. Thank you Marc. You Rock

[@8AP1]

There is another method- a single drop of water of the crystal. If it stays in a drop, it's sapphire. If it spreads, it's mineral. Crystal must be clean before testing. Unsure if external AR affects results (never tried it), but it's always worked for me

[@TheExpeditionUK]

Great tip! Mineral is initially cold but warms quickly and stays warm, Sapphire stays ice cold

[@watchmewithwatches]

Mind BLOWN! Just rushed to my collection and its so true! Started with mineral, thought "yeah, thats pretty cold" then slapped a sapphire crystal watch to my face and BOOM, like ICE! lol

[@TheWatchCorner]

Very cool Marc trying now with ISL-62 and Seiko Monster! Love your watch chest drawers 🥰🥰🥰🥰👊

[@iftimevasile4648]

The quickest and safest way to test if a watch has a sapphire glass (for me, at least) is to apply a droplet of water on the surface of the glass. If it's sapphire, it will concentrate and look like a semisphere, if it's mineral, it will disperse. Also, you can check by gently tapping with your fingernail and listen to the pitch of the sound. If it is high, it's mineral. If it's low, more likely it's sapphire. Not sure if both of these relative tests work good for sapphire coated glass.

[@IAmScottD]

Very cool Marc! Thanks for sharing this.

[@timemachineeddie1146]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[@edf2953]

Very interesting demonstration Marc! Your videos never disappoint. thanks for sharing…Ed

[@peterduncan1322]

Hi Mark, I have a question regarding a Sapphire crystal that I replaced in an original Seiko Tuna ( Not a Mod ) , I had seen an AR-Red coated Sapphire replacement done on a different model of a real Seiko and I actually liked it. Well unfortunately given the dial colouring and hands it's being drowned out by the coating , mainly because it's coated on the surface , not the underside. Rather then simply acquiring another Sapphire crystal, I was told to simply use AutoSol metal polish and a soft cotton small buffer wheel on a dremel , the dremel to be set at very slow speed and lightly buff the AR Coating off ... What are your thoughts ???? Thanks ...

[@bodeine454]

I'll have to try this and see if I can feel the difference. As far as watches with a plastic or acrylic crystal I can tell just by tapping on them with my finger nail. They seem to have a certain amount of give to them, like they're flexing slightly, and they have a distinctive sound like a cheap sounding plastic ting sound, mineral glass and crystal have a much harder feel and also make a distinctive ting sound. I'm not sure if I could tell the difference between mineral glass and sapphire this way but definitely plastic or acrylic.

[@rogexpo9430]

Great video. You may be able to use the back of your hand too. When I was a volunteer 🔥 firefighter back east we were trained to check closed doors for heat using the back of the hand as it is more sensitive to heat.

[@SirKaldar]

That's a fun trick! I checked with the back of my hand so I didn't have to take them out of the box and it worked pretty well. On a slightly related note, I have a lot of acrylic crystals in my collection!

[@Johnnyhumbkr]

Really good video,guy! A few years ago I broke my mineral glass crystal on my watch and was wondering how much it would cost to replace it with a sapphire crystal? Or do you think the only sapphire crystals made are for the watches they go into? Anyway, thanks for all the awesome videos!

[@DD-ix3bm]

I'd depends on the watch and what size your crystal is. Tons of cheap sapphire crystals on eBay if there isn't a company that already makes them for your watch i.e. crystal times or Island watch which make sapphires for a lot of citizen, Seiko and Orients. You'll want to buy or have a watch press tool and make sure you punch out and measure the crystal that's already in your watch to make sure the circumference and thickness matches the new crystal. (That's where Crystal times and island watch crystals come in handy because they're already sized if they have the crystal for your watch).

[@receptayyip1410]

I replaced my mineral glass with sapphire glass and paid 60 Euro.

[@wrektum]

Just tried it. Totally works and sapphire is like ice. Wrektum approved

[@vyr01]

it works even if its been on your wrist, just tried it with a sapphire, and it was noticeably pretty cool, so I imagine it would be even easier to tell if it has been off the wrist for a while

[@jorgeg5895]

great tip. Thank you Mark

[@williamheizer1891]

Outstanding advice. It works !!

[@franka9760]

I've been reviewing your watch and learn series. I don't know if you have ever gone into the details of what makes a mechanical watch tick--literally. That is, what parts actually come into contact and thus create the sound of ticking. It seems to involve several parts from what I have been able to research. Could you explain it in a watch and learn, looking at the parts in a movement that make the sound(s) of ticking? The watch and learn series is awesome. I have learned a lot. Please keep it going!

[@felixencinosa5465]

Mark I enjoyed your commentary, I'll put it to use thanks.

[@stevefox8605]

That's brilliant!! How many of us are now watching with a succession of watches on their foreheads?! 🤣 Thanks Mark, spot on 👍🏻👍🏻

[@islandwatch]

Welcome!

[@gammondog]

If I owned a lab that produced artificial gems, I would make ice cream scoops made out of solid diamond and sapphire. Wonder how well they would stack up against a regular metal ice cream scoop.

[@p_drizzle123]

I like the way you think

[@jaykayenn]

They would melt the ice cream faster.

[@Watchandcutgearchannel]

Simple… easy but not fool proof.. very cool little tip!

[@PurebredInnovator]

Wow! You learn something new every day. It works! Sapphire feels like a block of ice on the skin.

[@brettclark8020]

That's a neat trick! Also, here's a suggestion for a new Islander: A small-diameter diver inspired by the early Zodiac Sea Wolf. 36mm, triangle markers, wide dauphine hands, bubble domed crystal, coin edge metal bezel and no date. If you make them, put me down for one in every color.

[@douglaspinsak1246]

That’s very interesting...I’m thinking it must have something to do with density/thermal conductivity or something to that effect.

[@chriscon8463]

Very clever! Thank you!

[@TheTimeCollector]

You know what, at first reading this comments I started laughing but as you explained made sense. Odd way to check but if you don't have the tools to check on spot this can help heck of a lot. It will definitely not be my first choice of checking the crystal but definitely helpful. Thanks Marc.

[@kennylin3136]

How do you change bezel insert for Omega watch?

[@BayuMukti937]

Yeah i just noticed it since i have Pagani Design. When i touch the glass, it feels cooler than ordinary glass.

[@Bonpu]

Thank you, very useful; but what I really want to learn about is sandwich or Sapphlex crystals. There's very little information on them. My Dan Henry 1970 comes with some "sapphire coated mineral" crystal (usually a thin sapphire layer laminated over a mineral crystal). The diamond tester shows a glass reading, the water droplet test is consistent with sapphire (no spreading out). So I am actually wondering what I am dealing with here, what its particularly advantages may be (presumably economy and shatter-proofness) and why its so rare.

[@karlsenula9495]

Hey Mark ... wow your comment on JOMW Seiko QC issues really opened a whole can of comments and replies .. good discussion.

[@islandwatch]

I try to refrain from commenting. And now I remember why!

[@karlsenula9495]

@@islandwatch lol ... I definitely get it you are well known in the watch community so I am sure that adds to it ... keep the good products coming.

[@chrisr8112]

Fantastic, thanks Marc!

[@paulhiggins8774]

I’m off to try my watches. Thanks Mark

[@shekhkudratuzzaki7222]

Please make a detailed video on PIERRE PAULIN Retro 70‘s Vintage Panda Style Chronograph Mechanical Men's Acrylic 38MM

[@jameshogge]

Not necessarily for watches but: If you want to know plastics from some sort of glass/ceramic, tap it lightly against your front teeth. That's a really easy basic hardness check

[@mad0uche]

When can we get a custom SKX with the sapphire from your website?

[@GunGuy258]

Wheres that clock from, and whats it called so i can get one?

[@iTziLLUMY]

Weird I have a SUR315p1 and it says it’s sapphire crystal. It’s warm on my forehead compare to the SARB017 and sarb035… does this mean it’s sapphire coated or a counterfeit watch?

[@dariofarina5764]

Nice trick! Good job mate, thanks!

[@TeaDoubleE85]

My watch dealer is gonna look at me like a weirdo after this video lol

[@islandwatch]

I'm sure.

[@GeographySingapore]

Woah! Great trick Mark!

[@JD-wi5zd]

Thank you, that's useful. Is it because sapphire is more dense?

[@gaylemcgee2221]

All the watches you had in this video are gorgeous!!! Nice tip btw!

[@jasonhislop5014]

It actually works! Thanks Mark!

[@wmp89]

Insane that this works. Wow! Thanks for tip!!

[@alamore5084]

This actually makes a lot of sense!

[@visiblemode]

Always great content. Every single time.

[@bluebird1239]

'Thanks for watching' :-) Thanks for the video. Neat trick.

[@coffeeisgood102]

Really cool. Thanks.

[@mrgumby552]

That is brilliant. My wife came into the kitchen and saw me doing that and thought something was wrong!

[@myronhalyk5323]

Marc! It works! Thanks for solving a nagging puzzle. My Save the Ocean, Prospex Samarai, with Hardlex crystal is warmer than the crystal on my green Sumo prospex .So the later specifications are right. It's a sapphire crystal! But I initially didn't believe that when I bought it because there's no reference to a sapphire crystal on the caseback or documents. A very happy chappy here .Cheers Marc.😄

[@toddkennedy5714]

Love the srpg13 and would prefer to buy it from you, but your store is $200 higher than almost anywhere else, buddy

[@MathewBT81]

On a Sensitive Part...🤣 Great clip

[@otten1714]

Let's see that watch box and the collection!!