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It would help greatly if we knew what watch it is and also a better hi-res pic of the caseback. From the provided pic I suspect a squishy ball will do nothing, it will need a blade/wedge/case knife.

Hello, I have this Omega watch with a stained dial. It's not the kind of "patina" I find particularly appealing so I wanted to see if I could clean it up with the usual soapy water but nothing happened... Then, by chance, I bought the exact same Omega dial for a couple of dollars at a flea market, with the same kind of discoloration (I also scored another omega (354 bumper) in the process, I'll clean it up and give it to my dad). So it was time to experiment !!!! Before picture : All 3 methods were applied with a Q-tip (cotton swab), gently rubbing the cleaning solution on the dial, and rinsed VERY WELL using distilled water. First up : more soapy water, with different soap concentrations... no change. Second : lemon juice diluted in water, increasing the lemon juice concentration slowly... no change Last : Windex (ammonia based window cleaner) MIRACLE !!!! It took about 30 minutes of work to get this result, doing one little portions of the dial at a time. I chickened out around the writing on the dial, so it doesn't look as good as other places. I didn't want to push my luck. After picture : Share any method you've used and before/after pictures.

It looks like a screw type. If correct it will depend on how tight it is for the method used to remove. The sticky ball method is not good for the really tight one,s. Some members have attached a bolt to the back using supper glue undoing with a spanner then cleaning the back afterwards. Last year I bit the bullet & purchased a Horotecc case opener which is the best opener for the screw types, but you still need the appropriate die,s for the various makes. A better pic will help.

Seiko SNA793 BNIB (NOS)

Hi everyone, There are lots of options out there to polish crystals. I use car polishing compound (and then car polish, sometimes). It works great and is gentle enough that you don't have to worry about scratching it. And it's fairly cheap! The compound is a thicker grit than the polish, so it works great for deeper scratches. A couple of minutes of polishing, by hand, is enough to make a big difference on most scratches. Here is an example : Before After If you have examples, post them here, with your favorite technique Note : compound and polish also work on watch cases :)

Excellent job. I would never even attempt such a thing with my shaky hands. Struggle enough with full size pocket watches. Springs flying across the room never to be found again. Well done! Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Hello folks from chilly Edmonton. I’m completely new to this, i.e., horology and this site, but as I’m recently retired I have the time, finally, for some of the finer things in life, and I’m pretty sure this will turn out to be one of them. I’ve always loved working with tools but spent most of my working life in design engineering, mainly behind a computer, so this is an opportunity to pick up chisels, hammers, and cutting torches, and use them to wrestle wayward watch movements back into life. I assume these are the appropriate tools for such work? No? Just kidding – honest! I own a few really nice watches, two being Oris mechanical models (photo attached), and also a Wittnauer quartz, all of which need a bit of TLC. Also, my extended family all own good watches, again mainly Oris mechanicals, and I would really like to learn to be able to clean and lubricate these, and also to adjust/repair as needed. To that end, I watched Mark Lovick’s excellent ETA 2824 service and repair videos, and from that was in fact was able to strip down a, you guessed it, Oris mechanical watch, which had a broken stem. I realize this is probably a bit lofty for a raw beginner, but too late to turn back now so it’s full steam ahead for that. I promise to try not to ask too many silly questions, like “where are the grease nipples” on my Oris, or “what weight gearbox oil do I use for the automatic mechanism” – just kidding again. Actually, if this forum is like those of my other hobbies, I’m sure the site guidelines suggest doing an archive search before submitting any question, and that will certainly be the approach I’ll use. However, hopefully you will still all be forgiving when I do occasionally ask something that I probably should already know. I’m really looking forward to soaking up a lot of the expertise apparent in this forum and thank you all for so readily sharing it with those of us much less knowledgeable. Finally, where are those pesky grease nipples in my Oris? Best Regards

Welcome Roger! Remember that the dumb question is that one that you don't ask.

One of my other hobbies is furniture making, and it's supposed to be all fine furniture, as in no compromises on quality and the "look". I have now completed the desktop extension that is at the heart of this thread and I can state that it is probably the most utilitarian, aka, ugly, piece of furniture I've ever built, as you can see in the attached photo, with nary a dovetail joint anywhere. But, at least so far, it works, though whether it will survive the test of time remains to be seen. The height seems right, and I can comfortably rest my elbows on it, and I can spread them out also. The 2 drawers will accumulate lots of junk in short order as they're roomy. And I do have a gas lift chair so should I need to adjust my height for some reason, it'll be easy. Thanks to you all for the great advice you gave me. Now I need to do something constructive with it I suppose! Like fix watches perhaps?

Geo and I vie with one another as to the way to polish acrylics. Both produce the fine end result, but I claim that my use of Micromesh enables me to quickly remove deep scratches then I go through the finer grades (10 seconds each grade) to produce the final high gloss with the 1200 grit. Ones source: eBay # 161727693512. If there is no discoloration all Hesacryl crystals can be restored to NOS condition.

Nice work frenchie. Like you I feel there is a fine dividing line between patina & scrap, so its worth having a go at cleaning. Examles of previous work (originally posted last year): Although the pic doesn't show it too well the dial was in a right state with varnish lifting, discolouration, water damage to edge etc. Took the plunge & dipped it in HG silver fast shine (Goddards silver dip is the same I believe). Most of the minute markers had lifted with the flaking varnish so the rest were removed. When dry sprayed with acrylic varnish. The result: Here's another I did a little later: Basically sound, no lifting varnish, but the usual age spots, blooms etc. Immersed into IPA & gently brushed with a sable brush for a couple of minutes, rinsed in distilled water for another couple of mins, then dipped in HG silver dip for a minute. Finally rinsed & dried: If the print is under the varnish and sound this method should work but great care needs to be taken. I have found many watches to have the print on top of the varnish and tends to come off far to easily. I would not suggest that this method is completely safe or will work every time, but the results have been good so far.

Looks like a Hangzhou 9000

I have this Chinese beauty flying to me from my favourite Ebay supplier as I type:

That could be a good call If there are serrations on it. The picture is too fuzzy to show them.

It looks to be a Rolex type back to me from what i can see , so if you don't have the Rolex type tools a sticky ball could work if it's not to tight.

Seiko SNZG87J, NOS Might get this strap & buckle for it.

"Lion" Srebro. Emalie Schauer. Pozdrawiam

PS: marking or layout blue is almost the same as engineer's blue but for the carrier solution. The marker has a fast drying solution while the engineer uses an oil based carrier and will not dry and will transfer to mating surfaces.

I'm with you on this Stuart, but I think you meant to say marking blue not engineers blue, they're different things. Engineers blue is for checking out high and low spots on surfaces.

Excellent result John, the watch deserved to look right!

I'm a bit shaky at times. I find what I used to be able to repair at times I can hardy see. That's what you get by getting old and diabetic.

Hello. No matter what your question might be please ask, that's what we are here for no matter what it is. Enjoy yourself, I've been retired from watch/clock making for many years coming on here I enjoy helping out when I can.

Welcome Roger. This is a great site with friendly and helpful people. I'm sure you'll be at home here. Enjoy learning about watch repair. p.s. My dad is from Elk Point, a couple of hundred kilometers from Edmonton, though that may not be something to brag about. [emoji12]

Okay, good news. It wasn't without some apprehension but I decided to act on the good advice suggested by members here at WRT. To begin with I decided on the least intrusive method first, the Rodico, but dabbing, as I suspected, lifted none of the deposited minerals. I then went to purified water and carefully applied a small drop onto the stain using a #10/0 sable brush and then immediately went over the drop with a #2 sable brush until it dried all the while applying a little pressure. It took some patience and care not to lower the #10/0 brush too low as it may well have scratched the dial. So all good and happy to live with the results. Thank you all for your interest and great advice. The golden rule: If the universe intends to conspire against you it will do so when the dial is out of it's case. Full stop. :hot: Cheers John

I would mark up the surface of the blank with engineer's blue, clamp the two together and mark around the old one with a fine scriber. S

Edward Screwdriverhands?

Thanks guys- I think one of the greatest hurdles for me is where I work..... The University is in the top ten in the world- but that also means they like strange people. Like me- I'm the one that sees something broken and has to fix it e.g. microtomes, crytostats, microscopes, shakers, old fashion lab timers, etc) :D Thanks for the input, Dan B.