Scratched lug on new Tudor Chrono S&G

[Tonyboy]

I managed to scratch the lug on my new watch when trying to change the strap. Any ideas? It is a brushed / satin lug. Picture here. 

[Nucejoe]

It is worth to spend the expenses for a professional work. 

 

[WatchMaker]

From the picture this looks to be the real deal so I'd agree with @Nucejoe that if you've not had experience polishing/restoring a case you probably want it looked at professionally otherwise you could make the situation worse on what is a £4k+ watch.

However that strap looks incongruous to a high end watch ... which brings in the possibility: is this a fake ?! If so you may feel you have less to lose and venture into trying to remedy yourself in which case there are some good youtube videos that show you how to restore a (brushed) stainless steel case.

[Tonyboy]

39 minutes ago, WatchMaker said:

From the picture this looks to be the real deal so I'd agree with @Nucejoe that if you've not had experience polishing/restoring a case you probably want it looked at professionally otherwise you could make the situation worse on what is a £4k+ watch.

However that strap looks incongruous to a high end watch ... which brings in the possibility: is this a fake ?! If so you may feel you have less to lose and venture into trying to remedy yourself in which case there are some good youtube videos that show you how to restore a (brushed) stainless steel case.

Appreciate the response. Not a great shot of the strap but it is genuine and bought it at a UK airport AD with all the necessary tags. Any thoughts on cost to remedy this scratch? I’m minded to live with it as other scratches will emerge over time.

[WatchMaker]

It's a nice looking watch and I did think it must be genuine but worth mentioning the fake angle as we get a lot of posts on those too!

I think I'd tend to agree with you. If this is to be a daily wearer and you're likely to receive other minor scratches it makes sense that these are dealt with all at once rather than each time they happen. In any case when it comes time to have your watch serviced a case restoration will be part of that on a watch like this.

Something you might also like to try in general for minor blemishes are dedicated polishing cloths. Look on ebay or similar for 'cape cod polishing' which get good reviews.

[Tonyboy]

8 minutes ago, WatchMaker said:

It's a nice looking watch and I did think it must be genuine but worth mentioning the fake angle as we get a lot of posts on those too!

I think I'd tend to agree with you. If this is to be a daily wearer and you're likely to receive other minor scratches it makes sense that these are dealt with all at once rather than each time they happen. In any case when it comes time to have your watch serviced a case restoration will be part of that on a watch like this.

Something you might also like to try in general for minor blemishes are dedicated polishing cloths. Look on ebay or similar for 'cape cod polishing' which get good reviews.

Thanks. I bought one of those and waiting for it to come. I understood the CC cloth shouldn’t be used on the brushed / satin finish  though?

[WatchMaker]

General polishing cloths should be fine; they won't have the abrasive quality to alter a finish.

You can however get special 'refinishing pads' (look on ebay for example) that are effectively mini scouring pads designed to give a particular brushed finish and that can also remedy minor scratches. You could certainly try one of these but then we're back to the potential for things to go wrong on such a nice watch if this is your first time using such a product. 

A possible suggestion therefore if you're a confident DIYer is that if you had an old stainless steel watch or watch bracelet you didn't mind experimenting on you could practice getting the right finish first before then repeating on your nice Tudor.  

[Tonyboy]

1 hour ago, WatchMaker said:

General polishing cloths should be fine; they won't have the abrasive quality to alter a finish.

You can however get special 'refinishing pads' (look on ebay for example) that are effectively mini scouring pads designed to give a particular brushed finish and that can also remedy minor scratches. You could certainly try one of these but then we're back to the potential for things to go wrong on such a nice watch if this is your first time using such a product. 

A possible suggestion therefore if you're a confident DIYer is that if you had an old stainless steel watch or watch bracelet you didn't mind experimenting on you could practice getting the right finish first before then repeating on your nice Tudor.  

Are watch scratch pens any use? I’ll try a very gentle polishing cloth first.

for example:

https://www.bostonwatchexchange.com/Brushed-Titanium-Satin-Refinishing-Pen-for-SS-p/titpen3pack.htm

https://www.watchobsession.co.uk/products/beco-technic-watch-scratch-pen-2mm

[WatchMaker]

Because initial advice was to get it professionally looked but we then ventured into a DIY possibility maybe let's just take a step back so you can make the right decision...

The auto-focus for your picture has primarily gone to the bezel so it's difficult to tell just how deep the scratch is on your lug which is slightly blurry. Ultimately there's no miracle cure for scratches and any method is removing microscopic amounts of material from the surrounding area to get back to a level/smooth finish that is pleasing to the eye. If the scratch(es) are relatively superficial then the pen would be a good bet as it will allow more precision and localised finishing than the pad and is designed to give the finish you need. If however you were really getting medieval on the springbar and the tool you used has left a deep scratch then any attempt by you to try and remove it could lead to a slight concave in that area which could look even worse than the scratch! That is where a professional comes in as they will have all the right tools and compounds for buffing and polishing and to make the whole area look uniform irrespective of scratch severity. 

So maybe assess the scratch(es), your DIY confidence and make the decision from that. Good luck.   

[jdm]

19 hours ago, Tonyboy said:

 I’ll try a very gentle polishing cloth first.

Polishing cloth should not be applied on brushed surfaces.