Cleaning an enamel dial (Cyma) with Windex

[DirtyDozen12]

I recently acquired a vintage Cyma with an enamel dial. The watch is unusual in that the bezel and crystal swing open at the press of a button, to allow for a visually-impaired person to touch the dial and hands in order to tell the time. Other brands such as Smiths and H. Y. Moser made similar watches.

The dial on my watch was very grimy, so I decided to attempt to clean it. I first tried dabbing the detritus with Rodico, but very little came off. I then used a Q-tip that had been wetted with Windex, and this worked well. It took 3 Q-tips with Windex to get the dial to where it is now. My apologies for failing to take a 'before' photo!

I wonder what methods others have used to clean enamel dials?

 

[JimInOz]

If I'm sure it's an all vitreous enamel dial I just wash it in the kitchen sink with dish liquid and warm water using a soft makeup brush.

I wouldn't use q-tips, the binder in the cotton tends to be a bit abrasive I've found.
Probably not an issue with an enamel dial, but I've just made it a rule.

 

[DirtyDozen12]

JimInOz

If I'm sure it's an all vitreous enamel dial I just wash it in the kitchen sink with dish liquid and warm water using a soft makeup brush.

I wouldn't use q-tips, the binder in the cotton tends to be a bit abrasive I've found.
Probably not an issue with an enamel dial, but I've just made it a rule.

I had not considered the binder in the cotton. A makeup brush is a great idea, thank you!

 

[JwRosenthal]

These dials were meant to literally be man-handled. So they are pretty tough. You can get foam swabs from hobby stores (or amazon these days) that are much gentler than q-tips.

 

[DirtyDozen12]

JwRosenthal

These dials were meant to literally be man-handled. So they are pretty tough. You can get foam swabs from hobby stores (or amazon these days) that are much gentler than q-tips.

Agreed, enamel dials should be pretty hard (scratch-resistant). Foam swabs from a hobby store is another good suggestion, thank you.

 

[DaveK]

I’ve seen videos of folks using denture cleaning tablets with enamel dials, coming out looking great. I never thought about it, but likely my Smiths is enamel as well, I’ll need to check

 

[DirtyDozen12]

DaveK

I’ve seen videos of folks using denture cleaning tablets with enamel dials, coming out looking great. I never thought about it, but likely my Smiths is enamel as well, I’ll need to check

Thanks for the tip, and nice example!

Part of me wonders if both the Cyma and Smiths dials were made by the same company. The dial in yours is a bit different than the one in mine (e.g., the single raised hour markers are closer to the minute track). The two examples below look very similar.

Smiths source: https://thewatchspotblog.com/smiths-braille-watch-smiths-cal-12-15/
Cyma source: https://www.ebay.com/itm/203281436790

 

[DaveK]

DirtyDozen12

Thanks for the tip, and nice example!

Part of me wonders if both the Cyma and Smiths dials were made by the same company. The dial in yours is a bit different than the one in mine (e.g., the single raised hour markers are closer to the minute track). The two examples below look very similar.

Smiths source: https://thewatchspotblog.com/smiths-braille-watch-smiths-cal-12-15/
Cyma source: https://www.ebay.com/itm/203281436790

Yah, it wouldn’t surprise me if one company made all those dials - how big was the market for them anyway? Maybe the cases, too. Thx for the articles.

 

[ErichPryde]

DaveK

Yah, it wouldn’t surprise me if one company made all those dials - how big was the market for them anyway? Maybe the cases, too. Thx for the articles.

Is there a maker's stamp on the backside of the dial (if you've had the dial out)? Would be interesting to compare those. There was an exhibit on enamel at the Houston Museum of Natural History that I went to years ago, and iirc it mentioned that the majority of watch enamel dials produced near the turn of the century were produced in the UK, which matches up with the link @DirtyDozen12 shared. I find it fairly interesting that the Smith's dial states it is a swiss dial.

 

[DaveK]

ErichPryde

Is there a maker's stamp on the backside of the dial (if you've had the dial out)? Would be interesting to compare those. There was an exhibit on enamel at the Houston Museum of Natural History that I went to years ago, and iirc it mentioned that the majority of watch enamel dials produced near the turn of the century were produced in the UK, which matches up with the link @DirtyDozen12 shared. I find it fairly interesting that the Smith's dial states it is a swiss dial.

I’ve never taken the dial off, but I might get it serviced sometime, and I’ll get the watchmaker to take some pics. Noting the “Swiss dial” is curious. Was that to just get the word $wiss on it?

 

[140dave]

And to confirm @DaveK the fizzy denture tabs are the way to go. I used them for a decade plus on pocket watches, it even gets into the cracks and other spots you’ve never noticed.

Additionally, if there are any small cracks or hairlines on the dial just let it soak an extra hour and they will be much less noticeable.

 

[Deafboy]

Polident works well for me.

 

[DaveK]

140dave

And to confirm @DaveK the fizzy denture tabs are the way to go. I used them for a decade plus on pocket watches, it even gets into the cracks and other spots you’ve never noticed.

Additionally, if there are any small cracks or hairlines on the dial just let it soak an extra hour and they will be much less noticeable.

And we don’t really see the hairline cracks, it’s the dirt in the cracks we see

 

[DirtyDozen12]

@140dave and @Deafboy Thanks for the further recommendations. I am happy with how the Cyma dial turned out but I will keep them in mind for future dial-cleaning endeavors.

 

[mseamaster]

I am going to try this soon, just to get my hands on a early pocket watch for cheap.

Btw what about cracks in the enamel? Would you pour glue over it or so?

 

[Canuck]

Cleaning dials, enamel or otherwise, look out for characters on the dial that are NOT vitreous enamel or paint! On occasion, some characters on a dial MAY BE India ink which is water soluble. Ask me how I know! Notice down by the 4 position on the dial of this Mido. Part of the inscription ran when I tried to clean the dial.

 

[140dave]

mseamaster

Btw what about cracks in the enamel? Would you pour glue over it or so?

No. Just give it a long soak in the polident. It will make hairline cracks “disappear”.
Chips in the enamel are another matter, no good fix there.

 

[mseamaster]

140dave

No. Just give it a long soak in the polident. It will make hairline cracks “disappear”.
Chips in the enamel are another matter, no good fix there.

Thanks. I am looking to get pocket watches but it's going ot be a while before I find what I want. In the meantime I might learn how to clean them.

What's polident? Where can I buy it at a fair price?

 

[140dave]

It’s fizzy denture cleaner, buy at Walmart or similar.
If not in the US just Google and find a similar product in your country.