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Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

acrylic crystal watches

Acrylic crystal watches

The softest crystal on this site is also the only one you can restore with a cloth and a tube of paste. On a watch you intend to keep for decades, that is not obviously a downgrade.

By Sawyer V. · Published

The short answer

Buy an acrylic crystal if you would rather fix scratches than avoid them. Acrylic marks far more easily than sapphire or mineral, and it is the only one of the three you can polish back to clear yourself in about five minutes with a cloth and a tube of plastic polish. The Timex Marlin Automatic is the acrylic watch to buy. Skip acrylic if the watch will be worn daily under a cuff and you will not do the polishing — a sapphire crystal never needs it.

Acrylic — sometimes sold as Hesalite, Plexiglas or just "mineral-free" — is a clear plastic, and it is the crystal every watch had before mineral glass took over in the 1970s. On a spec sheet next to sapphire it reads as a cost cut, and on the cheapest watches it usually is one.

On a watch you intend to keep, the argument runs the other way. Sapphire resists almost everything, and when something finally does mark it, there is nothing you can do: sapphire cannot be polished, only replaced, and a replacement is a workshop job with a part number. Acrylic will pick up a hairline scratch in the first week and you will buff it out in five minutes at the kitchen table, for the entire life of the watch.

This is the third crystal page on this site. Our sapphire versus mineral crystal guide covers the two materials that account for most of what we recommend. This one covers the material that page leaves out, which happens to be fitted to the watch people on this site ask us about most.

On prices: every buy button on this page reads its figure from the live price layer and stamps the date it was checked, or else reads "Check price on Amazon". No price is written into this text. Service figures quoted here are the manufacturers' own published rates.

How we picked

We have not worn these watches. What follows is what we checked instead, on documents you can open yourself — the same criteria, in the same order, on every roundup on this site. The full method is on the methodology page.

  1. 01Can the crystal be restored

    Acrylic polishes out with household paste. Sapphire cannot be polished at all and is replaced. Flat mineral can sometimes be lapped; domed mineral cannot.

  2. 02Scratch resistance

    Sapphire is roughly 9 on the Mohs scale, mineral around 5 to 6, hardened mineral such as Seiko's Hardlex a little above that, and acrylic around 3. Keys, zips and door frames all beat acrylic.

  3. 03What happens on a hard knock

    Sapphire is hard and brittle — it shatters. Acrylic flexes and dents rather than breaking. That is why it stayed in use on pilots' and divers' watches long after sapphire existed.

  4. 04What the warranty covers

    Read as written. Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, which matters on a material designed to be marked.

  5. 05Cost to keep

    A tube of plastic polish is a few dollars and does the whole life of the watch. A replacement acrylic crystal is one of the cheapest parts in watchmaking.

Disclosure · Some links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not decide what goes on this page or in what order — here is exactly how that works.

Quick picks

Ranked on the Keep Score below — six published specifications, weighted identically on every page. The last row is the one we would not buy.

#WatchBest forKeep ScorePrice
1
Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

40mm mid-century automatic, acrylic, 50m, 13mm thick, 20mm lugs.

The acrylic watch to buy6.5/10
Check price
2
Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000

Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000

38mm quartz GMT, acrylic, 50m, 12.5mm thick, 18mm bracelet.

Acrylic with a second time zone5.6/10
Check price
3
Q Timex Chronograph 40mm TW2V42600

Q Timex Chronograph 40mm TW2V42600

40mm quartz chronograph with a tachymeter bezel, acrylic, 50m, 13.5mm thick.

Acrylic with a chronograph5.6/10
Check price
—
Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

Domed mineral, 30m, 38.4mm with a 44mm lug-to-lug, in-house hacking automatic.

Skip this one

Not acrylic — and the crystal that is genuinely worse6.3/10
Check price
—
Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56X

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56X

40mm, sapphire, in-house hacking automatic, 50m, five years of warranty.

Skip this one

Not acrylic — if you would rather never think about the crystal7.7/10
Check price

Keep Score is arithmetic, not opinion — six published specifications, weighted the same way on every page. The formula is on our methodology page, so you can re-run it yourself.

01

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

Best for: The acrylic watch to buy

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

6.5/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.8/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
$299.00 · View on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · Price as of October 9, 2026

The acrylic is correct on this watch rather than tolerated. A domed plastic crystal is what a 1960s dress automatic had, and it is a large part of why this case looks the way it does — a flat sapphire disc would flatten the whole design.

40mm, 13mm thick, a 20mm lug width so any standard strap fits, and an automatic movement at a price where most automatics have nothing else going for them. Mid-century styling that is not a reissue of anything in particular, which is why it has not dated.

Timex does not name the caliber, so parts and rebuild cost cannot be established, and the one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, the strap, the case and the battery. 50m means splashes and handwashing, not swimming. Our Marlin versus Bambino comparison sets it against the obvious alternative.

Acrylic reads as a downgrade and mostly is not: it scratches easily and polishes out with a cloth and a tube of paste, which sapphire does not. On a watch you intend to keep for decades, that is a feature.

Manufacturer specifications for the Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600
MovementAutomatic (caliber not published by Timex)
Power reserveNot published
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalacrylic
Water resistance50m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V44600.

02

Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000

Best for: Acrylic with a second time zone

Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000

5.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.8/2.5
Serviceability
1.6/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
$269.00 · View on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · Price as of October 9, 2026

The cheapest way to get a second time zone on your wrist, in a 38mm case 12.5mm thick — which makes it the smallest watch on this page and the easiest to live with on a slim wrist.

A quartz movement on an SR920SW battery that any shop can change, and an acrylic crystal you can polish yourself. Nothing about keeping this watch running is expensive or specialised.

50m, an 18mm bracelet, and the same one-year Timex warranty excluding the crystal. It is not built like the mechanical GMTs on this site — our GMT watches with sapphire page is where to look if the crystal is the priority.

A quartz GMT at 38mm, with an acrylic crystal you can polish and a battery any shop can change. It is not built like the mechanical GMTs on this site, but nothing about it is expensive to keep running.

Manufacturer specifications for the Q Timex GMT 38mm TW2V38000
MovementQuartz analog, SR920SW battery
Power reserveNot applicable
Case38mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness12.5mm
Lug width18mm
Crystalacrylic
Water resistance50m
Warranty1 year

Timex's one-year warranty explicitly excludes the crystal, strap, case and battery.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V38000.

03

Q Timex Chronograph 40mm TW2V42600

Best for: Acrylic with a chronograph

Q Timex Chronograph 40mm TW2V42600

5.6/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1.8/2.5
Serviceability
1.6/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
0.35/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.2/1
$145.50 · View on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · Price as of October 9, 2026

A 40mm quartz chronograph with a tachymeter bezel at the lowest money of anything we list in the style, on an SR927SW battery any shop stocks.

Acrylic suits a chronograph better than it suits most things: a chronograph gets handled, the pushers get pressed, and the crystal lives at the front of all of it. Being able to polish it is worth more here than on a watch that sits still.

13.5mm thick on an 18mm bracelet, 50m, and a one-year limited warranty. Timex names no caliber. If you want a chronograph to keep rather than to enjoy cheaply, the Seiko Speedtimer has sapphire and a published $163 service price.

A quartz chronograph at 40mm on an 18mm bracelet, with an acrylic crystal that polishes back when it scratches and a battery any shop can change. 50m and a one-year warranty are the limits.

Manufacturer specifications for the Q Timex Chronograph 40mm TW2V42600
MovementQuartz analog chronograph, SR927SW battery
Power reserveNot applicable
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
Thickness13.5mm
Lug width18mm
Crystalacrylic
Water resistance50m
Warranty1 year

Timex states a one-year limited warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship on this product page.

Specifications read from Timex product page, TW2V42600.

Skip this one

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

Best for: Not acrylic — and the crystal that is genuinely worse

Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B

6.3/10

Keep Score

Crystal
1/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.3/1.5
Warranty
1.05/1.5
Strap standard
1/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
$224.70 · View on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · Price as of October 9, 2026

This is the watch most often suggested instead of the Marlin, and its crystal is the one case on this site where we would take acrylic over the alternative. Domed mineral scratches more easily than sapphire and — because it is curved — cannot be lapped flat and polished back the way a flat mineral crystal sometimes can.

Everything else about the watch is strong: an in-house F6724 that hacks and hand-winds, 40 hours of reserve, three years of warranty, 38.4mm with a published 44mm lug-to-lug, and a 20mm lug width.

So it is a better watch with a worse crystal, and 30m against the Marlin's 50m. If you want this watch, buy it knowing the glass is the part Orient never fixes. Our Bambino worth-it page covers every version in the line.

A 44mm lug-to-lug is genuinely small by modern standards, and this is the Bambino to buy if the 40.5mm versions never sat right. The domed mineral crystal is the compromise, and it is the one Orient never fixes on this line.

Manufacturer specifications for the Orient Bambino Version 7 RA-AC0M03S30B
MovementOrient F6724 in-house automatic, hand-winding, hacking
Power reserve40 hours
Case38.4mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lug44mm
Thickness12.5mm
Lug width20mm
Crystalmineral
Water resistance30m
Warranty3 years

Specifications read from Orient Watch USA product page, RA-AC0M03S30B.

Skip this one

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56X

Best for: Not acrylic — if you would rather never think about the crystal

Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56X

7.7/10

Keep Score

Crystal
2.5/2.5
Serviceability
2.5/2.5
Water resistance
0.6/1.5
Warranty
1.5/1.5
Strap standard
0.2/1
Cost-to-keep transparency
0.4/1
$371.25 · View on Amazon

#ad Affiliate link · Price as of October 9, 2026

The counter-argument to this whole page. Sapphire at this price with an in-house automatic behind it is genuinely rare, and the practical effect is that you will never polish anything, ever.

40mm, 42 hours of reserve, a movement that hacks, and Citizen's five-year warranty — the longest term we list, though it excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

The catch has nothing to do with the crystal: Citizen lists the lug width as 9.1mm, so the bracelet is part of the watch and no strap shop can help you. Citizen also publishes no thickness, no lug-to-lug and no service price at any tier.

Sapphire and an in-house automatic for the money is genuinely rare. The catch is structural: Citizen lists the lug width as 9.1mm, which means the bracelet is the watch. When it wears out, no strap shop can help you.

Manufacturer specifications for the Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150-56X
MovementCitizen 8210 automatic, hacking, 42-hour power reserve
Power reserve42 hours
Case40mm stainless steel
Lug-to-lugNot published
ThicknessNot published
Lug width9.1mm
Crystalsapphire
Water resistance50m
Warranty5 years

Citizen's five-year limited warranty excludes the power cell, case, bracelet and strap.

Specifications read from Citizen Watch product page, NJ0150-56X.

The four crystals, and which ones you can repair

Hardness figures are the standard Mohs ranges for each material. Which crystal a given watch has is read from the maker's own product page.
CrystalHardnessScratchesShattersCan you restore itOn this site
Sapphire~9 MohsRarelyYes — hard and brittleNo. Replace onlyMost of what we recommend
Hardlex (hardened mineral)Above mineralSometimesLess readilyNoSeiko 5 Sports, Turtle, Cocktail Time
Mineral~5-6 MohsYesYesFlat ones sometimes. Domed, noOrient Bambino, Citizen Chandler
Acrylic~3 MohsEasilyNo — it dents and flexesYes, with household polishTimex Marlin, Q Timex GMT and Chronograph
Hardness figures are the standard Mohs ranges for each material. Which crystal a given watch has is read from the maker's own product page.

Why the softest crystal survives longest

Hardness and toughness are different properties. Sapphire is extremely hard, which is why it resists scratching, and it is also brittle, which is why a sharp impact on the edge can crack or shatter it. Acrylic is soft enough to mark on a shirt button and tough enough that a knock which would shatter sapphire just dents it.

That is why acrylic stayed in service on professional watches long after sapphire was available. A crystal that crazes but stays in one piece keeps the case sealed; a crystal that shatters does not. It is also why a forty-year-old acrylic watch usually has a clear crystal and a forty-year-old mineral one often does not — the acrylic has been polished a dozen times and the mineral never could be.

How to polish an acrylic crystal

  1. Buy a tube of plastic polish — the kind sold for headlights, aircraft canopies or model-making. A few dollars, and one tube will outlast the watch.
  2. Take the watch off the strap if you can, or mask the bezel and case with tape. Polish compound will dull a brushed steel finish if you work it into one.
  3. Put a pea-sized amount on a soft cotton cloth and work it over the crystal in small circles. Use pressure, not speed.
  4. Wipe clean and check against a light. Light hairlines go in under a minute; a deeper scratch takes two or three passes.
  5. For a gouge you can catch a fingernail in, stop. Replacing an acrylic crystal is one of the cheapest jobs in watchmaking and a watchmaker will reseal the case properly afterwards.

Do not try any of this on sapphire or mineral. Plastic polish will do nothing to either, and the abrasive will mark the case while you find that out.

Read the Timex warranty before you buy

All three acrylic watches here are Timex, and Timex's warranty is one year. On the Marlin Automatic and the Q Timex GMT, the terms explicitly exclude the crystal, the strap, the case and the battery. On the Q Timex Chronograph, Timex states a one-year limited warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship.

A crystal exclusion on a watch with a deliberately soft crystal is not sharp practice — a scratch is wear, not a defect, and no maker covers wear. It is worth knowing anyway, because it means the polishing is your job from day one. Timex also publishes no service price, so a mechanical repair is a quote. Our watches with the longest warranty page ranks every brand here on stated term with the exclusions named.

Who should buy acrylic

  • You like maintaining things. A crystal you can restore is a feature if you will actually restore it, and a slowly hazing watch if you will not.
  • You want period-correct looks. A domed plastic crystal is why mid-century cases look the way they do. A flat sapphire disc on the Marlin would be the wrong watch.
  • The watch is a second or third one. Acrylic marks fastest on a watch worn every day under a cuff.
  • The budget is tight and the watch should still be clear in ten years. This is the one argument where acrylic beats mineral outright: at the same money, domed mineral cannot be brought back and acrylic can.

Who should not

  • One watch, worn daily, no maintenance. Buy sapphire. The Citizen Tsuyosa NJ0150 is the cheapest in-house automatic here with it.
  • The watch will be in the water. All three acrylic watches on this page are rated 50m, which is handwashing and rain. For swimming see best watches for swimming.
  • You want a watch to hand on. Acrylic is not the obstacle — an unnamed caliber and a one-year warranty are. Watches that last a lifetime is the list for that, and nothing on it is a Timex.
  • You cannot stand the look of a scratch. It will have one within the month. That is the deal.

What acrylic tells you about a watch's price

Crystal is one of the six specifications this site scores every watch on, because it is decided at purchase and never afterwards. On a cheap watch, acrylic is usually there to save money and nothing else. On the Marlin it is there because the design needs it. Both can be true of the same material.

The useful test is what else the maker did. A watch with acrylic, an unnamed movement, 30m and a plated case is cutting corners everywhere. A watch with acrylic, a 20mm lug width, 50m and a case shape that only works domed has made a choice. Our methodology page sets out how the six specifications are weighted, and what a watch actually costs to keep does the twenty-year arithmetic.

Questions people actually ask

Is an acrylic crystal bad?

It scratches far more easily than sapphire or mineral, and it is the only crystal of the three you can polish back to clear yourself with household plastic polish. On a watch you will maintain, that trade is reasonable. On a daily watch you will not maintain, buy sapphire.

How do you polish an acrylic watch crystal?

Mask or remove the bezel and case, put a pea-sized amount of plastic polish on a soft cotton cloth, and work it over the crystal in small circles with pressure rather than speed. Light hairlines clear in under a minute. Never try this on sapphire or mineral.

Can a sapphire crystal be polished?

No. Sapphire is too hard for any polish to cut, so a marked sapphire crystal is replaced rather than restored — a workshop job with a part number. That is the practical argument in acrylic's favour.

Is acrylic better or worse than mineral?

Mineral resists scratching better. Acrylic is the only one that can be restored, and a domed mineral crystal — like the Orient Bambino's — cannot be lapped and polished back at all. At the same money we would take acrylic on a watch we intended to keep.

Does the Timex warranty cover the crystal?

No. Timex's one-year warranty on the Marlin Automatic and the Q Timex GMT explicitly excludes the crystal, along with the strap, case and battery. A scratch is wear rather than a defect, so no maker covers it.

Which acrylic watch should I buy?

The Timex Marlin Automatic. It is the one where the domed plastic crystal is part of the design rather than a saving, at 40mm and 13mm thick on standard 20mm lugs, with an automatic movement.

Sources

Every specification and figure on this page came from one of these documents. Where a manufacturer does not publish something, the page says so rather than filling the gap.

Read next

Light refracting through a curved piece of glass

Sapphire vs mineral crystal

Four crystal materials compared on the things that matter over twenty years.

Timex Expedition Pioneer Automatic 41mm TW2Y87400

Is the Timex Marlin Automatic worth it?

The Marlin Automatic on the numbers — and the caliber Timex will not name.

Timex Marlin Automatic 40mm TW2V44600

Timex Marlin vs Orient Bambino

Budget dress automatics — an unnamed caliber against an in-house one.

A watch movement partly disassembled on a repair bench

What a watch actually costs to keep

Published service intervals and prices, computed over 10 and 20 years. The number nobody else publishes.

A caliper measuring a machined metal part on a workbench

How we pick

The Keep Score formula in full: six specs, fixed weights, all of it checkable.