Reply With QuotePersonally I wouldn't bother. The watch looks fine to me, it will pick up those sort of marks again in 6 months if you wear it regularly.
I'd like to get a little restoration done on my 2016 Hydroconquest. The movement is running under +-3s so not really needing a service.
Any advice or recommendations? Just get a Longines service? Any good experiences from a 3rd party?
A small shallow scratch on the left case side and general rubs are what I'd like sorted. Perhaps a new bezel insert (little mark on 15)z
I'm based in Cardiff but often work in Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester and London.
Thanks all for your advice , much appreciated in advance :)
T
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Personally I wouldn't bother. The watch looks fine to me, it will pick up those sort of marks again in 6 months if you wear it regularly.
I see what you mean, I've been torn between adding to my collection or having one restored to mint condition. Still torn
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If it's a polished side some cape cod and elbow grease may well get that scratch out.
I've always been tempted to have a go, but have never had the confidence! I may rather let someone else with experience take my money rather than me polish too far, or I could find a real beater and practice lolOriginally Posted by Frakius
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Cape cod takes off such a tiny amount of surface material you can't really screw it up, you don't want to polish brushed surfaces obviously but that's about it for cape cod. That scratch may be too deep for it it work without hours of buffing too, it's generally used to remove very minor surface swirls and bring up the shine on your watch.
This sounds perfect then, leave the scratch in and tidy the polished surfaces. Anything that works on a brushed surfaces do you know, the lugs are 'two-tone'.
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Thanks for the advice Frankius :)
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My sentiments too, a cape cod will buff the sides up again but I wouldn't worry about the bezel or anything else. Personally I'd leave it all, wear it without worry and in a few years time have it serviced and it'll come back looking like new.
I'd understand wanting to keep a highly polished dress watch immaculate, but for a daily wearer it's not worth worrying about.
Before you use a cape cod cloth be aware that you will loose the original machined polished finish. The Cape cod cloth will leave very fine scratches behind. You might not be bothered about that but it's worth knowing before you start! I've had better results using a cotton bud rather than the cloth. I rubbed the bud on the cloth to transfer some polish.
OP, just out of interest what is wrong with the bezel that you feel it needs replacing? I can see a tiny mark at 15 but that is all.
For that type of watch, I'd just keep wearing and add a few more scratches. Add some character and history to it! Save the money for the next one or some fun straps.
Why not find a repairer who's happy to repolish the case sides? Try local watch shops and jewellers, but beware of rip-off and bullshit merchants.
Refinishing the case sides isn`t difficult, but unless the scratches are extremely fine it'll take a bit more than Cape Cod cloths to get them out properly.
Getting a perfect finish on polished stainless steel is a challenge, the Cape Cod cloths do leave fine hairline scratches in. They don`t seem anything like as good as they used to be.
If I was doing this job I`d take the scratches out using 2000grit or 3000grit wet and dry paper wrapped around a small flat rubber block, taking care to level the scratch out rather than simply working on it in isolation. Basically, the whole of the side will probably need treating rather than trying to rub on the scratch itself. Follow this with Autosol metal polish on a clean buffing stick then finally finish with Cape Cod polish transferred to a Selvit cloth that's clean. I`d do the final polish using a polishing wheel (because I can) but the brushed areas MUST be masked carefully.
Why do I always bang on about 'levelling' and using a rubbing block?.........imagine the scratch under high magnification, it will look like a ploughed furrow with metal standing proud of the surface. Using the technique I`ve described enables the raised metal to be removed preferentially to leave a smooth surface with a depression where the scratch is. It's surprising how scratches often look deeper than they are, then after a bit of work they look far shallower.
None of this is rocket science, it's simple logic, and I`d advise anyone to practice on an old watch case. It's worth spending a few quid on getting the materials and being able to do it yourself. Use a couple of magnifiers to see how it's going, that's a must, but judge the final result with the naked eye too!
Paul
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