I've got a Railmaster 2500 that is in for service. I told them not to polish it, but it has some scratches, and is unpolished now. I was afraid they'd over do the polishing wheel.

So, how does one lightly take out the scratches in their watches? I understand the physics of it: a deep scratch requires removing a lot of metal to take. However most of these scratches are from normal wear, and I wonder if there's something I can do by hand to get it looking a bit better without making it look like a bar of soap.

What do you guy you for do-it-yourself polishing?

 

NO!

Don't.

 

Cape Cod polishing cloth will remove light scratches without overdoing it.

 

+1.
I have also used Mother’s polish on a Q-tip with minimal pressure to remove surface oxidation and grime and wipe with a soft cloth- the scratches are still there but blended in and the hazy surface gone- At your own risk of course.

Do not use any polish on brushed surfaces (or near them- tape them off) as it will put a shine on the brushing.

 

ANY polishing overdoes it. Period. Remember when the watch is produced, the case is oversized, blocky, and sharp. The initial polishing breaks the sharp edges, and gets the case shape and surface finish down to it’s final, intended form. Further polishing beyond this only erodes the final geometry. You are correct to leave the case as is.

A more everyday example you can use to picture this is pouring water over an ice cube, or a melting ice sculpture. But any polishing effectively will reshape and shrink your case.

 

You had better not polish your car then or you’ll end up with a mini.

 

Personally I don't like the way watch cases look when polished using a Cape Cod cloth or similar metal polish. It smooths out the scratches and softens edges in an unappealing way. Just my opinion. For me it's all or nothing. Either have the entire case refinished properly back to factory specs (with laser welding if necessary) or don't polish at all.

 

I think you must have muscles like the hulk if you can round off corners with a Cape Cod polishing cloth

 

I thought this thread was about something else. Kingsrider out!

 

"Is that what the young folks are calling it these days? Self polishing?"

 

Not dramatically rounded, but definitely softened in a way that original edges are lost. Try it yourself on one lug of an unpolished watch and you will see what I mean by comparing to the unpolished lugs. I've seen it many times on watches listed by certain sellers. The watches have a very particular look where edges and scratches are softened. Perhaps some people prefer that look, but I don't like it.

 

Self polishing , sounds very hands on to me .

 

It had to be said.

 

Personally, if it bothered me I’d rather have omega refinish than bodge it myself.

 

Leave self polishing to the professionals?

 

Scratched my SMPc this week. Heart broke for a minute, got over it soon. A battle scar which will remember me of these tough times we are living in. I would leave those scratches

 

I second Cape Cod polishing cloth, I've had good results, only use in polished areas, not brushed areas.

 

I've found that a Cape Cod polishing cloth is quite good at hiding scratches on watch cases. It doesn't remove them but makes them blend in more...

 

This nonsense about hand polishing with a cloth removing edges on stainless steel is ridiculous. Unless you're talking about the sharpened edge of a knife.

And if you are worried about that, then just focus on the flat surfaces. A cape cod will be fine.

Of course, I'm referring to a normal person doing a normal polish. Not someone putting their entire body weight on a polishing cloth for 45 minutes.

 

I've used polywatch applied with a clean cloth and light pressure to remove minor scuffs and scratches from the high polished lugs of both my SMPc and Speedy Pro. Worked like a charm and the lugs look brand new. I figured that if polywatch is gentle enough to use to remove scratches on a hesalite crystal then it probably wouldn't harm polished stainless steel. I'm not recommending this method to other members, but it worked for me.