I have this 1962 steel Seamaster, with a silver dial, silver batons and silver numerals at the quarter hour positions. I really like the watch, the case is very good and unpolished, the Seamaster medallion on the back is crisp, and it has a 552 movement which is so shiny pristine it looks like new. But as you can see in the pic, the dial has a kind of satin silver face which is marred by little white spots which are really unsightly and spoil the looks - when the light catches the dial a certain way.

Is it possible to just clean away these white spots without damaging the dial legends and the minute marks on the chapter ring? I really don't want to have the dial re-finished, just cleaned. Amd if it is possible, how best to do it?

Many thanks, John

 

I suspect the marks are caused by corrosion spots on the raw surface of the dial popping up through the finish and the laquer.It seems to be common on some dials from the 50s and 60s.

You could try to clean one of the small dots with a dot of Rodico on a pointed pegwood, but the only way back to pristine would be a replacement dial or a re-dial.

As with all vintages, there is often some form of degradation or patina and if it's only minor (as yours is) we learn to live with it.

If that one was mine I certainly could ;-)

 

Leave it alone.

Its not going to get better messing with it and likely WILL get worse.

 

Thanks very much for your advice. I've spent ages looking for a nice steel Seamaster, strangely it seems much easier to find gold plate or gold-capped examples than plain old SS. This is a case #14761. When I got it everything was as good or even better than the seller's description, just those dial spots which nagged me. But there you go. The watch is keeping time to within 5s per day, so I suppose that's what matters if you want to use it . . .

John