Recently, I have become pretty obsessed with the AR coating on my watches since it does so much for timepieces that I didn’t even realize. Since AR coating protects against scratches and helps with legibility, I really wanted it to stay on the watch and often wondered if it wears off over time.
On average, anti-reflective coating (AR coating) lasts for 5 to 10 years on a watch crystal. AR coating assists with legibility and durability, and the best way to replenish a timepiece’s AR coating is through servicing with a professional who can apply a new anti-reflective crystal.
In the rest of this article, I am going to explain why AR coating is important for watches, how long AR coating lasts on watches, how often you should replenish AR coating and my opinions about AR coating.
What is AR Coating On A Watch And Why Is It Important?
Anti-reflective coating (AR coating) is generally applied to the clear crystal covering that helps with the legibility, reliability, and fashionability of the watch. With AR coating, the watch wearer can read the numerical symbols on the dial easier, it makes the dial easier to see from far away, and it protects the crystal against scratches or cracks.
I have underestimated the importance of anti-reflective coating substantially. Several years ago, I found a luxury watch online (through Instagram) that was having a massive sale, selling at a dirt-cheap price: only like $20-50 or something like that.
It was an absolute steal because it had a clean black dial with a “gold” case and accents. On top of that, the leather quality was not bad at all, and it was comfortable to wear out. The picture above is the watch that I found on Instagram for a steal.
Little did I know, the watch had no AR coating on it, and I accidentally bumped the watch crystal on a doorknob one day. I was so scared to look at the watch, and when I raised it to look at it, the top part of the watch was cracked and had scratches.
I was not the happiest person in the world after that happened, since I know that the other watches I have would have been completely fine after that bump. But, I can’t expect a watch selling for $20-$50 to be well made so it was definitely my fault. However, it taught me the importance of AR coating because once I looked into the cheap watch I bought, it had absolutely no coating once so ever, while my higher-end watches have AR coating with little to no scratches.
On top of that, I noticed that the dial on my higher-end watches was much more visible and clearer than the cheaper watch, which shows that AR coating definitely helps with the legibility and fashionability of a timepiece.
How Long Does AR Coating Last On Watches?
Anti-reflective coating on a luxury watch usually lasts 5 to 10 years. Watches worn regularly show signs of a deteriorating AR coating by incurring scratches on the watch crystal.
I jumped into multiple “Reddit” and “WatchUSeek” forums that talked about the duration of anti-reflective coating on a luxury watch.
As I was scrolling through, some were not specific about how long it lasted at all, but I found a large handful of users that said their AR coating lasted for several years on their watches: the average of them being around 5 years for those who wear their watches regularly and 10 years and over for those who don’t wear their watches as often.
Personally, I agree with those forum users who said that their AR coating lasted for 5 to 10 years because that’s what I saw with my watches. After wearing my Panerai Luminor watch (it’s honestly my favorite watch that I’ve ever owned) often for several years, I saw some very little scratches on the crystal which indicated that it was time to replenish the anti-reflective coating on my watch.
How Often Should You Replenish AR Coating On A Watch?
The best time to replace an AR coating on a timepiece is when you service the watch with a professional. Since the longevity of an AR coating and watch servicing is around the same time interval, it is best to get your watch serviced and AR coating replenished at the same time.
Professional watch servicing can fix anything from the internal watch movement all the way to the minor blemishes on the exterior of the watch, so getting a fresh AR coating along with getting your watch fixed makes perfect sense.
I found this out after a few years of owning my own luxury watch. After 5 years of storing and wearing my Panerai Luminor, I noticed that the anti-reflective coating on my timepiece was wearing off and the automatic movement of my watch was not working. Because of this, I took it to my local watch servicing professional who can take a look at my watch.
The local store I went to is “Gold Creations”, which is located at my local mall and is usually where I always go to get my watches serviced. I asked them about the anti-reflective coating on my watch and asked them how often I should come to get it. They said to me,
“If you want, we can replace the anti-reflective coating on your watch every time you come to get your watch serviced to make it easier for both of us.”
-Gold Creations
What they said to me over at Gold Creations made perfect sense. Since I got my watch serviced right around the time the anti-reflective coating wore off, it makes perfect sense to get everything about my watch serviced from the AR coating all the way to the watch movement.
If you have ever wondered how often you should service a luxury watch, you can check out this in-depth article I made talking all about it by clicking here.
Anti-Reflective Coating On Watches: My Thoughts
Anti-reflective coating is one of the most underrated aspects of luxury watches in my personal opinion. AR coating plays a big role in the legibility of the dial, and it makes the watch more reliable. Because it plays such a huge role for luxury watches, I try my hardest to keep a fresh AR coating on my watches so that it’s protected from scratches and very legible.
I think that more watch enthusiasts and collectors should talk about AR coating more. As I look into YouTube, Google, and online forums like Reddit and WatchUSeek, I see very little to no talk about the anti-reflective coating on watches. It’s a type of discussion that I think can really help out other watch enthusiasts/collectors and those just starting their hobby with luxury watches.