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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Removing Scratches from Stainless Steel Watch
Q. I bought a very expensive stainless steel (Hi-polished) watch. Unfortunately I scratched it already. How can I polish the watch and hopefully remove the scratches? Maybe there's a product out there that might do the trick.
Thank you
Armando Lugo- Jersey City, New Jersey
2001
A. I just purchased a TAG Heuer Kirium watch (Magnum) brushed stainless steel. I also scratched my watch (very minor) and was at a loss on what to do. I found that Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] did the trick. It did not damage the "brushed" finish and even gave my watch a great shine. The scratches seem to vanish, but use gentle pressure and a good quality cotton cloth. When you are done polishing your watch, make sure to use a good jewelry cleaner to get off all of the residue left by the polish and use a toothbrush and use gentle pressure. This worked so well, that I just cleaned and polished my whole watch and removed ALL of the minor scratches and nicks! I never thought that it would work so well.
Dave Park- Cerritos, California, USA
2002
A. I just removed all scratches from my Tag Heuer Link. I wanted to try the Mothers mag polish, but all I had in the garage was automotive liquid "Wheel Cleaner" which apparently also has some abrasive qualities. I removed all scratches (some were deep). I used a small wet polishing/buffing wheel inserted into the end of a drill. Made my Link watch with brushed aluminum band completely like new. I spent about an hour with the buffing wheel & I pressed pretty hard . (In the past I've used tooth paste & a wet wash cloth for minor scratches with some success). If you're hesitant to try this, send your watch into Tag for repair.
us.tagheuer.com/en/customer-service/restoration-and-maintenance-possibilities
- Panama City Beach, Florida, USA
April 18, 2011
A. I was also in a predicament as I had purchased a TAG HEUER GOLF off the internet (SECOND HAND). It had a few minor scratches and was looking dull. I used a soft SWANSDOWNE MOP 100 x 12.5 mm with a UNIPOL POLISH (bar), on a 1 HP Bench Polisher. I removed the band and held the face firmly,and applied NO pressure and let the mop do all the work in an up and down polishing method. I then used a wiping off powder (talc) and washed it clean with a sponge and mild soapy water. The watch is back to its original condition.
Faizal [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Durban, South Africa
June 6, 2012
A. After reading your posts, I purchased Mothers mag wheel cleaner to polish my Cartier Roadster stainless steel watch. I just paid $250 for the jeweler to clean the inside mechanism of my watch - buildup had caused my watch to stop working, so not much choice there. However, the jeweler would have charged me an additional $150 to polish and buff the outside of the watch - I know I invested in a high end piece, but $400 to clean a watch seemed outrageous. I was hesitant to use Mothers at first because the label doesn't specifically mention that it can be safely used on stainless steel, so I tested a small spot inside the band before polishing the entire piece. Bottom line - it worked great! I have worn my watch every day for about six years, so it was looking pretty dull, with a fair number of scratches - the polish didn't remove every scratch completely, but it made a huge difference - almost as good as new, and a few dollars for a jar that will last forever! Thanks for the tip!
- Flint, Michigan USA
August 10, 2012
A. I found just using a fingernail buffer works great on my Rolex [affil links]. Js
Eugene brown- Ironton ohio
June 24, 2016
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