I got a scratch in my new baby and just discovered this excellent article on Paneristi describing how to polish a watch with Flitz and a little elbow grease.
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.
Head over to take a closer look at the process and BE CAREFUL. Too much polishing will cause swirls in the surface and then you’ll have to have it professionally polished.
John, have you tried Cape Cod Polishing Cloths? They’re intended for jewelry and have some kind of solution in them – they’re great for taking out dings on polished parts of watches. Don’t use it on brushed metal parts though as it will turn it into a polished finish. Someone recommended them to me after I put a ding into one of my Grand Seikos.