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Hi
Some of the numbers on the bezel of my wife's Tag Aquaracer have disappeared - so for example, you see see the '0' of the '20', but not the '2'.
Is this something that can be fixed on a DIY basis or best left to be done when its next serviced?
Cheers
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I'm going to take a guess but if it the Stainless steel bezel with black number's just fill it in with acrylic paint or even black nail varnish and wipe the excess away then leave it to dry over night.
If it isn't that, ignore
Sent from a technical device.
DIY job for sure. Something like this……
http://doxa300t.com/bezelrepaint/bezelrepaint.htm
+ 1Originally Posted by sickie
I'm going to take a guess but if it the Stainless steel bezel with black number's just fill it in with acrylic paint or even black nail varnish and wipe the excess away then leave it to dry over night.
If it isn't that, ignore
Sent from a technical device.
Here you go...actually much worse in the pictures than it does in the flesh in terms of scratches and wear to the bracelet and watch head.
Last edited by bambam; 6th October 2023 at 18:53.
If it was mine I’d try DIY as a first port of call.
Thanks. That was useful. I think there is some black nail varnish kicking around, or would I be better with something else?
Umbrol or similar model paint. Works for me. Don’t use anything metal to remove any excess - in fact, if your only dooing a couple of numbers a quick swipe with your thumb will work.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
I’ve used nail polish - fill it and when it’s nearly dry just wipe over the top - redo if necessary
It will turn out great
I’ve used Humbrol paint to do this. But first I used a non-scratchy thing like a cocktail stick to remove all of the existing black paint from all of the numerals. That way it all matches after you’ve finished. I was surprised just how easily the old paint came out. They do gloss, satin or matt finish. I think I bought them all & painted test patches on a scrap bit of metal to see which finish most closely matched the original. Iirc it was the matt one. Slightly overfilled each numeral with a very fine pointed tip artist’s paintbrush. Left to dry, then I covered the end of a wooden lolly stick with a piece of cloth stretched over the end. Then gently rubbed it over the numerals. The cloth doesn’t get into the recesses & just rubbed off the excess paint. Looked perfect afterwards.
Last edited by trident-7; 7th October 2023 at 15:14.
Thanks everyone - something to do over this week. Will let you know how it goes…
I just watched that. Great but do not use metal instruments at any point. The instrument must be much less hard than the metal that you are working on. Trust me, I've been a dentist for 40 years ;-)
Looks like the same paint that I’ve just ordered. I have a few wooden coffee stirrers that I use to spread glue etc so will use those with a cloth to remove the excess.
Will need to see before & after photos ;-)
Clean the area with nail polish remover on a cotton bud before hand to ensure the varnish has a good surface to stick to.
I`ve done this on a couple of watches and didn`t find it easy. I used the tip of an oiler to flow the paint into the numbers, with the help of a magnifier. The problem I had was getting too much paint in the numbers and having to wipe it off, best way to do it is to let the paint almost harden then use a cloth soaked in solvent, can`t remember what I used but it has to be compatible with the paint. I certainly recall having two goes at one job and starting again.
Getting the old paint off is a must, use solvent to soften it and a sharpened cocktail stick to poke it out. Be sure to clean and degrease before applying fresh paint.
I did this once and I did find it pretty straightforward - I applied enamel model paint in the numerals with a small paintbrush, let it dry for a bit then rubbed the excess off with a soft cloth dampened in white spirit stretched over a fingertip.
Had a little play with a cocktail stick, removing all the black gloss on the 24hr bezel scale. Got to work with a little bottle of Humbrol acrylic in pretty much matching the orange 24hr hand. Small brush, carefully applied, then wiped off with lens cleaning cloth. Not a bad result IMHO.
Being slightly impatient, I did give the watch a careful low heat hairdryer blow, and 1/2 and hour later, on my wrist.
Nice work, looks good.
Thank you
Forgot to show the end result:
I'm pretty happy with it. Looks even better in the flesh. Thanks for all the tips and tricks.
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