Crystal types: sapphire, mineral and acrylic trade-offs for daily wear · RWF-07068

Spec sheets list sapphire, mineral or acrylic crystals, and opinions in threads are very strong. For a daily-wear watch, what are the real trade-offs, and is an anti-reflective coating worth paying for?

Record format: question; proposed response; source or method; limitation. Use a dated correction only if the underlying wording or evidence changes. Record RWF-07068.

The core trade-off is scratch resistance versus shatter resistance. Sapphire is very hard to scratch but can chip or crack from a sharp impact on an edge. Acrylic scratches easily but flexes, rarely shatters, and light scratches can be polished out at home. Mineral glass sits in between and is often the cheapest to replace.