Watch polishing at home

No matter how carefully we treat our favorite things, alas, nothing is eternal. This statement applies to literally everything that surrounds us. Take a watch, for example. In the process of wearing, they are constantly in danger of being missed, hit, scratched. If they manage to survive, then not a single case, even from a titanium alloy, is insured against the appearance of scuffs and scratches. Polishing the watch will help restore its original appearance and extend its service life.

Is it possible to independently restore the appearance of the watch

First, about the appearance of the watch. Manufacturers of branded watches use high-grade stainless steel for the cases of their products. Lightweight and durable titanium alloys are used in the premium category models.

Watches of elite brands, made in a gold case, have a special chic. Of these materials, only steel has the greatest strength and resistance to external influences.

The wristwatch, with a case made of steel with a powder coating, retains its original appearance for a long time. On the contrary, titanium alloys, despite their strength, are too soft, so unwanted scratches and even dents appear on them faster. The surface of gold cases quickly becomes cloudy and becomes covered with a web of small scratches.

These troubles can be eliminated by yourself by simply polishing the product. You just need to be patient and have the necessary materials that will help to polish your favorite chronometer.

Watch polishing

Regardless of the quality of the metal and glass from which the watch is made, no matter how terrible, at first glance, scratches and scuffs look, such defects are completely eliminated. Do-it-yourself polishing of glass and watches from scratches will not take much of your time.

Before polishing your watch, pay attention, if the case has a protective coating, dusting or matte surface, and the damage is deep enough and you are not confident in your abilities, then it is better to seek help from a watch workshop. Attempts to remove defects on their own, grind them, can completely ruin the product.

What tools should you use

For those who are accustomed to solving problems without assistance, polishing the surface of a watch, for example, made of stainless steel or glass, is quite capable.

In order to organize a home workshop, you will need the following tools:

• Polishing cloth, special;
• Felt, felt or lint-free cloth - the basis for the cleaning paste;
• An abrasive nail file or emery paper;
• Fiberglass brush;
• The grinding machine (you can use a rigidly mounted drill) will greatly speed up the process.
• Latex gloves.

Polishing products

In addition to tools, you will need consumables to effectively remove scratches, chips and dents on your watch. The most common and available remedies are:

• diamond paste or GOI;
• toothpaste, and preferably powder or chalk;
• special polishing pastes for watch glasses;
• cleaner for metal surfaces;
• mineral oil.

After the tools are prepared and the materials are collected, you can get down to business.

Case polishing

The work on updating the appearance of the watch surface at home is not difficult, but there is one condition, you need to take into account the type of material from which the watch is made. We recall the characteristics of metals, put on gloves and start polishing.

First of all, we clean the surface of the watch from dust and dirt.

To return the natural shine to the gold case and remove plaque, we use a proven product - ammonia. With a solution of ammonia, a teaspoon in a glass of water, moisten a napkin and process the surface.

After drying, we polish with felt. To remove scratches from gold, powder for teeth or ground chalk is suitable, which is applied to felt fabric, and polished with careful, circular movements localized at the site of the scratch.

The steel case, quite, can be processed with GOI paste. It is applied to the felt, moving a piece over the surface of the fabric, add a few drops of mineral oil and begin to gently polish. The oil will soften the abrasive action of the paste. We repeat the process until the desired quality is obtained.

Do not overdo it with a matte finish to avoid creating a glossy finish. It is best to satin with a regular eraser, for example, a pencil. It is good at fixing minor defects.

To eliminate light abrasions, predominantly use a special polishing cloth. Problem areas are rubbed with the dark side, the light side - for shine.

Watch glass polishing

The main disadvantage of the glasses of wristwatches is clouding. It occurs as a result of constant contact with outerwear and is a web of micro-scratches. The elimination of this defect, as in the case of the case, depends on the glass material:

• acrylic (plastic);
• mineral glass;
• sapphire with antiglare.

Watch glass made of acrylic is polished with a piece of felt coated with polishing paste or chalk diluted with a small amount of mineral oil. Deeper scratches are first sanded with p500-p2500 sandpaper, and then polished.

There are several ways to remove scratches from the surface of mineral glass, the most common are:

1. First, sanding from p500 to p2500, then finishing with diamond paste with a gradual transition from coarse to fine.
2. Grinding with a Dremel and 5-2.5 grit diamond paste and finishing with a sanding cloth.

The sequence of operations performed during glass polishing:

1. We take out the glass from the watch, clean the surface from dirt using microfiber.
2. Place on a flat surface and start sanding with careful, circular motions, trying to maintain the same pressure over the entire area. In the process of grinding, do not forget to wet the surface with mineral oil. We continue the operation until the scratches disappear and the surface becomes matte.
3. We apply a special paste to the glass and polish it to achieve perfect transparency.
4. Clean the glass from residual paste and insert into the body.

How to remove scratches, dents and chips

Medium scuffs and scratches can be buffed up with microfiber or felt using a metal cleaner. Polishing is carried out pointwise, in a circular motion until the defect is eliminated. Then we clean the glass with a napkin.

Chips, deep scratches and small dents on the steel surface will help to get rid of a manicure file or a block for polishing nails. A fiberglass brush is also suitable for this purpose. Work with abrasive materials and a brush must be precise and careful so as not to add new damage.

With serious surface defects on cases made of gold, with dusting or coating with precious metals, it is better not to mess with at home and turn to a professional master who will grind and renew the coating.

Features of sapphire crystal

A distinctive feature of sapphire glasses is their exceptional hardness, but at the same time they remain very fragile. Such glasses are mainly found on brand names. Therefore, before polishing a sapphire crystal on a watch, ask yourself if this task is up to you. And in order to scratch such glass, you need to try hard, you need a very hard material, like a diamond.

However, if such a nuisance happened, then it is better to leave the restoration of the transparency of the sapphire glass to specialists.

Professional polishing of watches

Whatever prestigious brand your wrist watch is, over time, it loses its luxurious look and appeal. Professional polishing and prophylaxis, repassage, watches are the most effective way to return an accessory to its former beauty, to eliminate external defects formed during use. The need for repassage arises in such cases:

• the appearance of spots on the body, its tarnishing;
• the presence of scratches, dents and the formation of chips;
• significant damage to the glass.

Seeking the help of specialists, you can order a high-quality polishing of the case and glass. After that, the old but beloved accessory will return the look of the branded product, playing with fresh tones, which will immediately affect the appearance and image of the owner.

General watch care rules

A wrist watch is an accessory that is in constant use. We get so used to them that sometimes they seem to be our integral part. They say, without a watch, as without hands. For this part of us to serve as long as possible, it requires care and attention. Spend some free time and the watch will shine like new. To extend their service life, try to follow simple rules of care:

1. It is better to clean the watch after wearing it in a separate box, excluding contact with other small household items.
2. Do not overtighten when replacing a cracked glass to prevent dust from entering the dial and movement.
3. Take your watch off at night to avoid damaging it in your sleep.
4. Leave the clock in the changing room when you go to the shower, bath or sauna. The increased temperature and humidity will not do them good.
5. Carry out professional preventive maintenance periodically in specialized workshops.

In order to enjoy wearing your favorite watch model as long as possible, you need to provide proper care for them. As it turned out, special efforts in this direction are not required - your free time, desire and readily available materials. But, if you are not sure that you can handle it yourself, then, always, repair shops are at your service.

Video: polishing wristwatches with GOI paste