Polishing out scratches after an incident
Here we are looking at the famous exhibition model of 2009 – the Audemars Piguet Millenary Chronograph that has spawned a series of design variations over the years. In a minor accident, the case was scratched when dropped. Fortunately, this is fixable.
Straight to the point – we disassemble the watch and remove the glass. The scratches are deep (as can be seen from the photos), and as such cannot be removed without a full disassembly of the watch. Disassembling and reassembling certainly takes longer and costs more than if it were merely polished on the top. But we will do the full job honestly, like in Switzerland, only cheaper.
Deep scratches are visible on the bezel. The part is removed and polished separately.
We glue the glass back onto the bezel using a special water-resistant glue, and then cure the adhesive in an ultraviolet oven.
Refreshing the polish on all gold parts – case, cover, and strap buckle.
Now we need to consider the dial separately. It is a nice model, a successful avant-garde design with asymmetric circles and scales, and a bold oval shape instead of the usual octagonal Royal Oak.
The eccentric scales are successfully used, and the hands are perfectly visible on a light background.
The caliber 2385 with engraved 18K gold self-winding rotor.
The column wheel chronograph, a classic design in an ultra-compact package. Routine maintenance of such a mechanism is recommended every 3 – 5 years if the watch is worn periodically.
About Polishing Coated Watches
Let us turn from this rarity to the subject of more common watches and how they should be treated in regards to polishing. For almost any watch with a coating (for example, steel with gold or black PVD coating) it would be impossible to smooth deep scratches. This is because during polishing the coating gets worn down to white steel, and even if you re-coat the part (which is not cheap; vacuum chamber loading costs from £250) the new coating usually differs from the rest of the factory parts in shade or surface texture.
Cases made of solid metal such as gold or steel are much more forgiving when it comes to polishing. If your watch needs polishing, send a photo to horological.underground@gmail.com, and we will advise you on removing scratches, polishing, and decorating with a satin finish.
