Stainless Steel Watch Polishing

by Tide

Anyone owning a stainless steel Panerai is no stranger to everyday scratches. The polished cases especially seem prone to scuffs and marks on the bezel and case. While brushed cases can be 'rebrushed' the smooth surfaces take a bit more effort.

Since the occurrence of scratches is so frequent, I'd rather not pay a watchmaker to buff the case every few weeks and using a motor tool is a bit beyond my skill level. I wanted to find a practical way to polish out my polished watchcase myself and by hand. Practical meaning that it was fast, easy and effective. There are many polishes and pastes on the market, and rather than review the ones that didn't work for me, I decided to review the ones that did. The following is a review of two polishes that work very well on stainless and are easy to use. Please read through the entire review before attempting to polish your watch.

The first is Flitz Metal Polish, www.flitz.com. The one I use comes in a tube and is available at most hardware stores.

I find that Flitz works best for scratches and scuffs. I've used Flitz now for over two years and it's worked every time. I've also had some success in taking the 'harsh' edge off of dings, though I'd recommend dings be professionally polished out. Remember, all polishes are abrasives and some can leave 'polishing swirls'. Flitz will leave swirls after intensive polishing and shouldn't be used "every day". Which leads to my review of the second product, Cape Cod Polishing Cloths.

I'd first heard of these cloths on the forum, from whom I don't remember, but will give credit when I find out who it was. These cloths come pre-treated with a polishing compound. They are available in both a resealable pouch and a tin, and are also available at most hardware stores. The polish on these cloths is not as abrasive as Flitz but does a fine job getting out hairline scratches and can be used as a follow up to Flitz or another polish to remove 'swirls'. As a bonus, the Cape Cod polish leaves a protective residue that keeps the metal shinier longer. I've even used the Cape Cod on my Global kitchen knives with phenomenal success.

POLISHING TECHNIQUE

In dealing with most things, 'less is more' is the best/safest principal. Remember that even though you're doing it by hand, these compounds are removing metal. No matter what you use, try the least abrasive solution first til you get a feel for what the compound does and for what types of scratches it works best. Sometimes just rubbing with a soft towel will do wonders to a minor scratch.

I recommend removing any leather straps before polishing as the polish will stain. Wash the case thoroughly in warm water and mild soap or dishwashing detergent. You can even use a soft toothbrush to scrub the case. This will remove any oils and dirt that can also cause scratches. Buff dry with a towel and see if the watch really needs to be polished. Sometimes a good washing is all you'll need *Tip: I prefer to hold the watchcase with a cloth versus my hand (after trying out these polishes you'll see why).

Using Flitz: I generally apply a small amount to a cloth, (don't laugh but old underwear seems to work best for texture and absorbency) and with my finger on the other side rub with medium pressure along the directions of the scratch or scuff. The cloth will turn black fairly quickly, and you may need to reapply the polish on a clean section. On a polished case, if the area allows, I'll rub over the area again this time in small circles. You can tell pretty quickly whether the scratch is fading or not. Again, if the cloth becomes too black, reapply the polish using a clean section. If I'm satisfied with the result I'll apply a light coat over the entire watch case to even out the finish. *Note: You may want to avoid the crown and crown guard as these areas are particularly difficult to get the polish residue out of. Don't get in a rush and pay careful attention to the shape and curves of the case-you don't want to polish down any corners that are supposed to be there-i.e. the small edge on the bezel in area directly level with the crystal-best to follow the contours of the case. Give the case a good buffing with a clean section of cloth, you'll notice that it takes two or three passes to get all the polish residue buffed out. Pay careful attention to the area immediately around the crystal and where the bezel meets the case-use your fingernail under the cloth to get the polish out of these areas. I wouldn't bother with polishing the case back, but if you do, pay close attention to following the pattern of the brushed finish.

I follow this up by polishing the case with Cape Cod polishing cloths. Since the cloths are pretreated, I like to cut the large cloth into two-inch squares that are easier to handle.

Using Cape Cod cloths: Start the same way as above, rub with the scratch and then again using a circular motion. If the scratches are really fine, rub softly, otherwise, rub harder-this is something you'll get a better feel for the more you do it. I will usually buff off the first application of Cape Cod completely, then apply again, this time using light pressure and following the lines of the case, i.e. following the bezel all the way around and rubbing the sides of the case in a back and forth motion. For the final buffing, use a soft terry towel, again, using a fingernail to get into the grooves around the crystal and bezel.

The shine you'll see on your watch will rival the shine it had in the dealer's case!

As I've gained confidence in using these two polishes, I can usually sit down and polish out my Marina case in about 20 minutes, start to finish.