This is something a little different from collecting watches. Over the last few years, I have found the need to learn to refurbish a watch myself for a number of reasons. It’s not as simple as it looks on YouTube, I assure you. Here is a previously owned Rolex Submariner 16610. As the pictures show, you would be surprised how much dead skin and grime get under the bezel itself.
Firstly, you need to remove the bracelet plus flick the bezel off (as shown on the website), as it’s simpler to polish rather than mask the bezel with masking tape. Once the bezel is removed, you then need to buff all the shiny areas of the casing with a hard polishing mop and use brown cutting compound on a standard bench grinder. Once all casing scratches are removed, you then finish off with a stainless steel green compound with a softer buffing mop to give a nice shiny finish. Then replace the bezel back on and move on to the bracelet.
The bracelet I slit in the 3 pieces the clasp and 2 sides and set about them all individually as its easier to monoeuvre each piece when buffing, i use a Artifex wheel is fantastic for removing scratches fast on brushed steel once all scratches have been removed, you then need to use a brush finishing wheel which is made up of a finer version of a scouring pad that use for doing the dishes which gives the bracelet a nice brushed finish. The wheel I use is Bufflex, as the cheaper ones I struggled with.
Once all finished, I then use an ultrasonic bath to cleanse all the polish, dirt, dust, etc An ultrasonic bath pulsates the water with cleaning solution through all bracelets and watch casings to keep a nice, fresh, clean. Then dry with a soft cloth and place on the wrist, job done. Here are pictures on before and after on a Rolex Sub its not a perfect like new polish that Rolex do as they have the best equipment in the world but is a good as is for a DIY home job to be honest in the past I have sent watches to be refurbished the results where no better than my own plus I would take a lot more care as there my time pieces.
