Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
So I ventured into the realm of polishing my watch...
- Thread starter parseckadet
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Looks amazing! I'll definitely have to freshen up mine. It's got lots of scratches all over (desk work). Some call it deep patina. Personally, I'd like it renewed.
Update: so I should have taken some before/after pictures, but I bought some Scotch Brite ultrafine pads from Amazon and worked on my link bracelet tonight. I could probably do a bit more, but it looks a hundred times better now. Doesn't look brand new, but there's no way you'd think it has almost a year's-worth of daily wear on it. I'm very, very pleased. Looks almost as good as the pictures above.
I heard that, but I'd still love to see those crazy guys on YouTube, who buy things just to destroy them, try to polish the Space Black.
I need to polish mine pretty badly. No deep scratches but plenty of shallow ones. I'm going to order the cape cod cloth since it seems like a cheap and easy to use solution. Is it a one time use cloth, the package does mention resealable but I'm not sure.
Earlier in this thread, someone posted a pic of the Cape Cod cloth packaging and one of the materials mentioned on the packaging itself that it can be used on is aluminum. Has anyone used on of these cloths on a Sport? Just curious if it would be a waste to even attempt to polish a small scratch out of my Apple Watch Sport.
You can use more than once. The cloth turns black when you rub the watch. Just keep using the pink parts until it's all used.
Okay, this is what I was afraid of. So far *knock on wood* I don't have any scratches on my Sport but I also have it in a CaseMate Naked Tough case so the aluminum body is protected. I have one tiny scratch on the face that actually happened before I put the case on. I would like to put a screen protector on and I have one ready to install, I just haven't done it yet because my first attempt at installing the protector was a disaster. LOL!
Anyway, thanks for the response!
Awesome thanks! Too bad just getting one is an add on item for Prime users on Amazon, otherwise it would already be on the way
Don't any of the stores where you live have polishing cloths of any kind? Grocery stores, drug stores, 7-11s, etc?Awesome thanks! Too bad just getting one is an add on item for Prime users on Amazon, otherwise it would already be on the way
Awesome thanks! Too bad just getting one is an add on item for Prime users on Amazon, otherwise it would already be on the way
first one is $3.99 - free shipping
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0017H3PIO/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You guys can ask Apple to polish it. They polished mine at Mission Viejo, CA.
Pretty much looks brand new now. The hard scratches that you can feel with your fingernails didnt come out but they are less noticeable. I was there buying a case and asked the guy on a whim lol.
Pretty much looks brand new now. The hard scratches that you can feel with your fingernails didnt come out but they are less noticeable. I was there buying a case and asked the guy on a whim lol.
Ummm...I'm sure they don't use cape cod cloths to polish in store. Are you sure he didn't just buff it up? More details if you will.
I was buying an iPhone case, I asked if they polished apple watches. He said sure, took the watch to the backroom, came back 15 minutes later and it looked great. So Idk if he buffed it or what the difference is but it looks great.
But what is the diff between buffing and polishing?
Last edited:
This is a great thread. I liked the SS watch but was avoiding it because of the reported scratch issues. The decision of what to buy just got harder.
(Off topic but one of iPhone 7 gloss black testers who are purposely scratching it up should see how easy it is to polish. )
(Off topic but one of iPhone 7 gloss black testers who are purposely scratching it up should see how easy it is to polish. )
So I finally took the plunge and refinished my genuine link bracelet with the grey Scotchbrite pads. These are what I used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQ6I7G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be aware this is a fairly large box of them. You might be able to find a smaller quantity in a local store.
I cut a strip slightly wider than the width of the strap. I removed the bracelet from the watch and laid it flat on the table. Applying moderate pressure and using two fingers along the strap edges as a guide, I repeatedly stroked the pad in one direction along the grain of the satin finish.
I probably spent about 10 minutes doing this. The result came out good and definitely improved from before, although the deeper scratches are still there. The grey pad is definitely a very mild abrasive and it takes a number of strokes to make an impact. I may go over it again tonight. I suppose to truly take out the deep scratches would require a two-stage approach with a slightly coarser pad followed by the grey ones. But it's probably better to not try to go for perfection which would involve removing more metal.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CQ6I7G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Be aware this is a fairly large box of them. You might be able to find a smaller quantity in a local store.
I cut a strip slightly wider than the width of the strap. I removed the bracelet from the watch and laid it flat on the table. Applying moderate pressure and using two fingers along the strap edges as a guide, I repeatedly stroked the pad in one direction along the grain of the satin finish.
I probably spent about 10 minutes doing this. The result came out good and definitely improved from before, although the deeper scratches are still there. The grey pad is definitely a very mild abrasive and it takes a number of strokes to make an impact. I may go over it again tonight. I suppose to truly take out the deep scratches would require a two-stage approach with a slightly coarser pad followed by the grey ones. But it's probably better to not try to go for perfection which would involve removing more metal.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You need to try doing this wet, under running water. Start with a green Scotchbrite pad and a few drops of dish detergent to take out the deeper scratches, finish with wet grey scotchbrite under running water for final finish.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I Personally have not tested your theory. But I would strongly caution using anything Scotch-Brite and dish detergent, with the overall soft textured 316 L stainless steel. I think there are other solutions on the market that you could use that might be more preventable than that. The only thing I can recommend, is use a very minimal amount dab of mothers stainless steel polish. And this is removed even the slightest of scratches on my stainless steel bracelet.
Last edited:
How do you think the brushed finish is applied in the first place? By hand, with Scotchbrite, which is a common industrial item.
Ive used the same technique for years on my Omegas and Seikos with similar finishes. It's how jewelers restore brushed finishes to watch bands.
In fact using Mothers SS polish will ruin the brushed appearance of your band.
The band is 57 Rockwell hardness. Not soft.
Ive used the same technique for years on my Omegas and Seikos with similar finishes. It's how jewelers restore brushed finishes to watch bands.
In fact using Mothers SS polish will ruin the brushed appearance of your band.
The band is 57 Rockwell hardness. Not soft.
Last edited:
Grey Scotchbrite and running water is definitely the way to go on the band. Keep the abrasive dust out of the links too.
The stainless link band is stamped "316 L" stainless. Where are you obtaining 57 Rockwell? Can you provide evidence where you read or how you know the band is 57 Rockwell? And I used a small dab of Mothers stainless on the stainless bracelet and it removed the scratch immediately, without blemishing the band. So, no it did not ruin the bracelet or its appearance what so ever.
Last edited: