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Since I recently acquired 21 watches in various states of function and condition, I thought I'd share my technique for restoring acrylic crystals. As a warning, there are items used in this procedure which can be harmful if used improperly, so please always read the manufacturer's warnings and heed them, thank you, and enjoy. I prefer to begin with a dual sided Emory board similar to what is used in nail salons. They're flexible and conform to the curve of the crystal. The one I use comes with 2 different grits, one coarse and one fine, 400 and 600 grit respectively. I dip the Emory board in water and ensure a small puddle forms on the crystal. I begin with the coarse grit and start with a circular motion, applying steady pressure. As I sand, I rotate the watch in small increments being careful to not stay in one place too long and to maintain a circular sanding motion. I follow the natural curve of the crystal as well, unless it's a flat crystal. After a few minutes, I stop and check my progress. I wipe off the water and acrylic residue and look for any obvious, deep scratches that remain. If not, I proceed to the next step, if so, I repeat the previous steps. When I'm satisfied that the deepest scratches are gone, I thoroughly clean the crystal and wipe it dry. I now flip the Emory board to the fine side and repeat the previous procedure of circular motions. Knowing when you have done it enough is honestly an issue of feel. When you first change grits, the surface feels rough and there is resistance as you sand, but that lessens as the deeper sanding marks are made shallow by the finer grit. This process should take less time than the first step. Again I clean off the residue and thoroughly dry the crystal. If im happy the the smoothness of the crystal, I can now move on to the final polish. I use a polishing compound from my employer that works amazingly, however any glass polishing/scratch remover that contains Cerium oxide will work fine. For this step I take a cotton cloth and fold it over twice giving me 4 layers of fabric. I then dab a penny size drop of the Cerium Oxide cream onto it and then press the crystal firmly onto the cloth. I then swirl the crystal around and around in a steady, circular motion, maintaining a firm pressure as I work. I rotate the crystal every few moments and I rock and tilt the crystal following the contour of the crystal. After a couple minutes of this action, I stop and wipe away the residual cream and inspect my progress. Most times, one cycle of the Cerium oxide cream is adequate, however, if you miss a spot, repeat the process. The initial penny size drop of the cream is almost always enough. If you're happy with the results you can wipe away all the residue and enjoy your work. BTW, cerium oxide will lightly polish metals as well, similar to Brasso. This can help to remove scuffs, light scratches, Oxidation and other residues on older watches. Lastly, this entire procedure can be perform without ever removing the crystal from the case, as long as you are mindful of the case. Thank you for your time in reading this, hopefully I've enlightened you and added a new tool to your watchmaking toolbox. (The crystal used in the photos of this procedure has microscopic crazing cracks from age and heat which are deeper into the crystal and this procedure does not remove those, however, for me it looks great.)

welcome James; i like that image with the anvil, repairing a Timex ? vin

Hi everyone. In Australia we get pretty hot and muggy weather in the summer and I did not want my oils and superluminova to degrade. So I made up storage container for the expensive oils and superluminova.I lined it with aluminum foil from a baking dish. It has a valve at the front for fumes and any needed air exchange. The great thing is the temperature stays around 10 degrees c no matter the temperature outside. It's good to protect your investment from degradation.

Hi Tomsch I have attached the technical sheet for the movement in your watch for your intrest, probably not mean much to you at the moment . cheers 673_ETA 959.001.pdf

Have you tried this type of strap ? I don't know what they are called but they come in various shapes and sizes. I would imagine that the metallic rod comes out and can be replaced with such a strap and its springbar ? There are also bracelets like this as well. Not as common as the traditional ones but they exist. CousinsUK has such models, or at least had at some point.

Hi Tomsch The movement looks like an ETA which chopard used , On the outside rim near the coil there should be a number like 955 12 or somthing like can you post it that is the make and calibre of the movement. Chopard are quite often compared to Rolex so you have a quality piece there. cheers.

Yes iam familiar with those too, a lot of Waltham/Elgin’s from the late 20s and 30s have cases like that they are much easier to open up.

lots of vintage watches have the assembly that way with the mvt. fit into the case bottom. usely a slip fit with a notch for the stem to come out (2 piece stem not rquired. vin

AS 1187/94. Main spring breakage is pretty common.They usually respond well to cleaning and run well if not excessively worn.Most like your watch have in no way been pampered.I think a lot of them were sold to young military men,and naval forces as well because judging from the wavy timegrapher traces on a couple mine , they were obviously calibrated to run at sea. I can't resist them either !

I figure today I'd wear my newly acquired Vintage Timex Viscount from 1958. All it needed mechanically was to refit the auto wind mechanism that had become detached from the movement. It's keeping fantastic time for a 62 year old "disposable" watch. I still need to polish the scratches out of the crystal and replace the ugly expansion bracelet.

Now you are getting a bit disrespectful. I have around 30 years experience as a watch/ clock maker, not just a repairer. In my days I could make watch parts and clock parts. Watching someone working is a good way of learning. It is not the same as doing it yourself. That is why learning on a practice piece is safe and as I have said it doesn't matter if mistakes are made.

Some, Incabloc for instance, are easy to work with, and some others (anything you need to compress and rotate at the same time for example) will stretch your expletive vocabulary. Oh yes, the air turns blue.