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3571
Fingerprint smudge question
The other day I was trying on a delightful 16600 Sea Dweller (photo attached just so you've got something to look at). The watch looked great, felt even better, but as soon as I'd put it on I noticed a smudgy fingerprint on the crystal. And I remembered that, when I owned a 14270 Explorer, it would have the same thing: every damn time I looked down at it on my wrist, it would have a fingerprint visible on the crystal, and I'd want to wipe it off. No other watch I've owned had that annoyance to that extent (including my beloved current only Rolex, a 1655 Explorer II), and it looks like this Sea Dweller would have it too.
So here's my theory, and tell me if you think I've got it: the reason the fingerprints are so visible is the combination of a flat crystal and a glossy black dial. With a matte dial, or a nonblack dial, you don't get the dial acting as a mirror, and with a curved crystal, you don't get the fingerprints image hitting that dial so squarely that it gets reflected straight back at you.
If I'm right this is ALWAYS going to be a problem with the 5-digit Rolex sport models that I find appealing in so many ways. But am I right?
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Fingerprint smudge question
The other day I was trying on a delightful 16600 Sea Dweller (photo attached just so you've got something to look at). The watch looked great, felt even better, but as soon as I'd put it on I noticed a smudgy fingerprint on the crystal. And I remembered t...
Missing anti smudge coatings (also called oleophobic coatings) missing?
This type of coating often is PVD-ed to avoid the smudging. Don’t know if some brands have it versus others….
I think I once read that Rolex only put the anti glare coating on the inside of the crystal and not the outside.
My 16600 SeaDweller also is a smudge machine and I think the only one of my watches that does that. Not sure if the coating is the thing or not. But I think ALL my watches have a flat crystal.
Very few of mine do
Turns out I tend to favor the dome! Not a rule by any means, though.
I don't recall having this issue when I had my Rolex Sea Dweller 16600.
But it really is such a great watch a small piece of polishing cloth in the pocket and you have an excuse to wipe and admire it at will. Marc
I get the exact same thing on my 2004 Sub Date (16610), fingerprints and little smears jump out at me constantly.
I agree on these 5-digit Rolex sports models you’ve got a flat sapphire with no top-side AR sitting over a glossy black dial. The crystal acts like a mirror, the black dial gives maximum contrast, and the reflection of any smudge bounces straight back. On...
I don't know how to answer you…
This is the best configuration, case without holes, 4 pointed ... a modern 16600
Definitely same experience with the 16600
I wore this as a daily for a few years around 2009. I felt like a cat cleaning its fur, regarding the fingerprints on the xtal.
Thank you for the confirmation
It's annoying! Maybe I'd better hold out for a 1665. No such problems on that crystal I bet!
Or, here's a rabbit hole we could descend into...
... finding a nice dome crystal to fit the 16600, ideally with AR coating on the inside. It'd look amazing...