OK. I just suffered a fairly hair-raising situation with my new baby. Due to my own carelessness, I dinged the Jaeger a few times and wanted to polish them out. I got a few types of polish including one designed for delicate metals and tried to do it by hand. BAD IDEA. This created a fog of fine scratches that only I could really see but that drove me crazy nonetheless. So I tried Flitz by hand. More scratches. I was at wits end.

The only way to polish stainless steel is with a polishing paste and a low speed felt Dremel head. I began by cleaning the surface and I applied a very small amount – just the tip of a pencil’s worth – of Simichrome, which is available at auto stores. I then buffed the portion covered by the paste to a full shine. I continued this around the bezel and on the lugs where there was some fogging. The result? A clean, clear surface. I could keep going as there is a very small fuzz on the edges but I’d rather not. Polishing a case is like tanning – by the time you think you’re done, you’re already dead.

media.nlYou can also use something like Green Rouge on a Dremel. This is a fine clay-like material that will rub off on a Dremel tip and the polish steel with a striking shine. I used both of these techniques.

ByJohn Biggs

John lives in Brooklyn and has loved watches since he got his first Swatch Irony automatic in 1998. He is the editor of WristWatchReview.

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