Help on cleaning a stainless steel watch

dc52nv

dc52nv

New member
Hello fellow members! Like the title states, I'd like to clean and polish my stainless steel watch. Would I clean and polish the same as my exhaust? I know there are jewelry cleaners out there but I don't have any and don't feel like buying some especially if I have detailing supplies at hand. :)

My plan of action is to clean it well with AF Citrus Power and lug nut brush. Then polish it with P21S Polishing Soap. I then plan on applying Optimum Metal Polish since it's the closest thing I have from a metal sealant. I have paint sealants like Opti-Seal, UPGP, BF Crystal Seal. Will those sealants do a better job?

Also, the face of the watch has a few minor scratches. Which product would you recommend to try and polish those out? Thanks.

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i have all stainless steel cookware and i clean them with a product called barkeepers friend. does a great job and would likely make your watch band look new.
 
Ron is right. Toothpaste is often recommended and cleans well. Stainless appliance cleaner also works. If you're going to refresh the brushed effect my jeweler uses a rotary tool with a brass brush (I watched him do this on a Rolex band). The stainless is harder than the brass and takes a while to make an impact.
 
glfahlc1 said:
i have all stainless steel cookware and i clean them with a product called barkeepers friend. does a great job and would likely make your watch band look new.
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After googling the product you described, it seems to be a lot like P21S Polishing Soap. I'll give P21S a try. Thanks.
 
GearHead_1 said:
Ron is right. Toothpaste is often recommended and cleans well. Stainless appliance cleaner also works. If you're going to refresh the brushed effect my jeweler uses a rotary tool with a brass brush (I watched him do this on a Rolex band). The stainless is harder than the brass and takes a while to make an impact.
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Thanks for your input. I plan to only use what I have on hand. I don't expect my band to look perfect and just want it to shine a little. Thanks.
 
A couple of quick points:

1). The watch has no water resistance markings on the dial, so most likely, it is not very water resistant. Thus, spraying any liquid at/on the watch case could damage the movement. If you can remove the bracelet first, it would make the "cleaning" a lot easier. Plus less likely to scratch the crystal.

2). For removing light scratches, without jeweler's roughe, try picking up some nail finishing files at any beauty supply store. Some come with four different sides with one side for a final polish. You might also try taping off the sensitive areas, and use a Dremel tool with a soft polishing wheel and some metal polish product.

From the photo, it looks like the two "longer" center links are a "high" polish while the rest of the links are brushed. I've successfully used nail finishing files on my Omega and Brietlings to remove 'desk diver" scratches with no problem. Remember, like with paint, use the least abrasive sides first.
 
I'm not sure what the crystal is made of. The watch is water resistant as it states it on the back of the watch. Thanks for your replies.
 
dc52nv said:
I'm not sure what the crystal is made of. The watch is water resistant as it states it on the back of the watch. Thanks for your replies.
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water proof is a lot different than water proof

does the crystal have any scratches in it at all?
 
Ronkh said:
water proof is a lot different than water proof

does the crystal have any scratches in it at all?
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I'm confused by your first statement. Did you mean water resistant is a lot different from water proof?

After taking a closer look, I couldn't notice any scratches on the crystal.
 
dc52nv said:
I'm confused by your first statement. Did you mean water resistant is a lot different from water proof?

After taking a closer look, I couldn't notice any scratches on the crystal.
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yeah

tough day

water resistant is lots different that water proof


if the watch has been worn any decent amount of time and the crystal isn't scratched, it's probably sapphire
 
Hi,
When using toothpaste as a polishing or lapping agent make sure that you do not use a gel toothpaste or one with a whitening properties. Only use old fashioned white paste. Some gunsmiths have long used toothpaste as a low buck low abrasive lapping compound.
 
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