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Apple watch, mirror finish gone
- Thread starter AndrewR23
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You should add specifics so someone who has similar experience might can help.
Case and/or crystal
SS, Al or Au (if Au you should have a watch polisher on staff
)
Exact brand of polish, amount used, rough (sorry bad word) time/force used and a pic of the polish bottle, cloth and 
Watch to show the state.
Case and/or crystal
SS, Al or Au (if Au you should have a watch polisher on staff
)Exact brand of polish, amount used, rough (sorry bad word
) time/force used and a pic of the polish bottle, cloth and Watch to show the state.
Explain "with a rough polish cloth".
The Cape Cod cloth is a very very mild abrasive and leaves a shiny surface. If you used a more abrasive type cloth it will get rid of the scratches more quickly but will not leave as shiny of a surface.
You will need to follow up with a very fine abrasive to remove the abrasion marks and return to a shiny finish.
The Cape Cod cloth is a very very mild abrasive and leaves a shiny surface. If you used a more abrasive type cloth it will get rid of the scratches more quickly but will not leave as shiny of a surface.
You will need to follow up with a very fine abrasive to remove the abrasion marks and return to a shiny finish.
It was cape cod in a polish container. Didn't come with a cloth.
The thing I used was a small cloth from a stainless steel scratch removal tool from Home Depot
The watch is a 42 mm stainless steel
But yes you are right. I used a more abrasive cloth. It did remove the scratches fast but no shine. What do you mean fine abrasive ??
Ty for your reply
By quickly getting rid of your scratches with a more abrasive cloth, it introduced micro scratches where you used it. You will need to find a ultra fine abrasive to get rid of these. You can do it with the Cape Cod polish on a microfiber cloth but it will take some time. It will bring you back a mirror finish sooner or later depending on how aggressive the abrasive cloth you used. The Cape Cod is a super fine abrasive polish that will bring a mirror finish at the cost of taking more time.
You need an abrasive that is somewhere between the abrasive cloth and the abrasive in the Cape Cod cloth. This will get you closer, quicker, than just using the CapeCod cloth.
Ty, yes I first used a "kind of rough" cloth with the Cape cod polish. Once I saw the shine gone I used the cape cod soaked towel/cloths, that removed the micro scratches from the rough cloth but the shine hadn't come back.
Ill keep using the cape cloth soaked polish cloth.
It will take some time but it will bring back the shine. It all depends on how "rough" the cloth was. DuPont make some automotive polishes that can be picked up at the local car parts shop if required.
Good luck.
I bought and use two things regularly to keep my watch shiny and new as the day it was purchased. The first is a can of mother's mag aluminum polish. A dab of this on a microfiber cloth, with just a touch of elbow grease will get rid of most scratches and smooth out the surface to make it shiny. You'll need to wash your watch with a small touch of dish soap and i use a toothbrush to get out gunk from the crevices.
The second item i bought is this thing called a fabriluster cloth. One side contains a very mildly abrasive compound that helps to make the watch extra shiny. The other side of the cloth is used to buff out any scratches or kinks.
Both can be had on amazon for just a few bucks. Money well spend imo.
The second item i bought is this thing called a fabriluster cloth. One side contains a very mildly abrasive compound that helps to make the watch extra shiny. The other side of the cloth is used to buff out any scratches or kinks.
Both can be had on amazon for just a few bucks. Money well spend imo.
Probably not a good idea since (stainless) steel had a fairly low Mohs index. Since it is just 316 stainless steel I would stick with a commercial product that IS formulated for SS.
No sense in trying to reinvent the wheel.
Not sure if anyone cares for an update but here ya go.
Thanks to @Newtons Apple i kept polishing with the cape cod soaked cloths. After a few times it started getting shiny again. So it is def possible to fix if this ever happens to you. Thanks guys!
Thanks to @Newtons Apple i kept polishing with the cape cod soaked cloths. After a few times it started getting shiny again. So it is def possible to fix if this ever happens to you. Thanks guys!
Can we change the title of the thread to something like, "I accidentally gave my SS AW a brushed finish; how can I polish it smooth again?"
Sure, but the original title sounds like there's a factory defect in the watch finish when, instead, the OP wrecked it himself.