Need Advice: Do You Polish Small Scratches Out of Your Smooth Bezel Rolexes?

[KatGirl]

I wear both my Silver OP and Explorer a lot. I am also a lefty, and so maybe more inclined to scratch them up, since I wear them on my dominant wrist. Lately, I noticed some small scratches on my OP’s bezel, which I’ve had for 2 years now. I do own a lifetime supply of Cape Cod cloths. Should I polish it, or not worry about it and wait until it requires a service? What do you guys and gals do?

Kat


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[padi56]

The only time any Rolex needs any sort of polishing is at normal routine RCS only which depending on use every 5 -10 years.

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by padi56

The only time any Rolex needs any sort of polishing is at normal routine RCS only which depending on use every 5 -10 years.

Thanks, Peter. I was thinking that might be the correct way to go.

Kat


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[ArtNouveau]

Longtime Cape Cod user, I switched a few years ago to the yellow Sunshine polishing cloths. They work well for small scratches and aren’t abrasive enough to do any damage. Just tape off the brushed parts.

[123Blueface]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

Longtime Cape Cod user, I switched a few years ago to the yellow Sunshine polishing cloths. They work well for small scratches and aren’t abrasive enough to do any damage. Just tape off the brushed parts.

Definitely Sunshine Cloth over Cape Cod for less abrasiveness.

[Mystro]

Originally Posted by 123Blueface

Definitely Sunshine Cloth over Cape Cod for less abrasiveness.

^^^Yup.
If it were my watch I would touch it up with a Sunshine cloth. I have been preaching the merits of the Sunshine cloth for years now. It is significantly better to use than Cape Cod and will leave a factory mirror finish.

[KatGirl]

I think I ordered some to try. I just have to remember where I stored them. So much watch paraphernalia here.

Kat


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[Harry-57]

It's entirely up to you. I let the wear and tear accumulate providing it's not severe. We've all got different criteria and red lines.

[gmtyacht]

Watches are supposed to get scratched and I consider it a badge of honor. Now if we were talking about my car.........

[Calatrava r]

Watches look bad with scratches. It is why virtually every used watch dealer has someone to polish their watches before sale. As an owner, the watch will be regularly scratched as it is being worn. Repeated touch ups will degrade the metal over time. So, the best solution is to wait until the watch needs a service, so the watch is lightly polished about every 7 to 10 years.

[KatGirl]

I don’t even notice them until I take my watch pics. After I take the pics and enlarge the photos, to see if I like them, is when I see them. If I don’t even notice the scratches while wearing the watches, I should probably leave them alone, for now. All of my current Rolexes are fairly new.


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[daysky1]

I used to look for every little scratch and polish them off with my Cape Cod polishing cloth I had a lot of fun doing that I haven't done it much lately I haven't noticed scratches so much as I used to but with that said have fun polish them off see how long you can go without noticing another one polish It off continue to have fun you've got a lot of Cape Cod polishing cloths you might as well use them as long as you enjoy doing it that's the fun of this stuff you have to enjoy doing it

[Tools]

There's a difference between wiping the shiny parts with a sunshine cloth or the like and actually getting out the rouge block and buffing out to a polished finish,

I think that there is nothing wrong with the first from time-to-time to keep any jewelry, including a watch, looking its best. Trying to keep up with all scratches is never ending and aggressive polishing can do damage.

[LukasMatsson]

Originally Posted by Tools

There's a difference between wiping the shiny parts with a sunshine cloth or the like and actually getting out the rouge block and buffing out to a polished finish,

I think that there is nothing wrong with the first from time-to-time to keep any jewelry, including a watch, looking its best. Trying to keep up with all scratches is never ending and aggressive polishing can do damage.

Is sunshine cloth similar to Koala Lens Cleaning Cloth? Because I bought the Koala ones...


The Sunshine brand clothes are cloth swabs with some anti-tarnish chemicals and mild cleaners made for jewelry cleaning but there are other brands. I am not familiar tith lens cleaning clothes but for lenses they likely do not have the anti tarnish chemistry.

I think the point of cleaning is to stay away from harsh abrasives. Even a typical micro fiber cloth will do the job along with a spritz of 409 etc will do the job for cleaning. Sunshine will actually remove minor contact scratches - some may be fine with it, others not.

[LukasMatsson]

This is weird... Did someone reply to me but it somehow turned into a part of my post?

Those last two lines I didn't write... But it's useful information, so thank you to whoever wrote it...

[omar10213245]

Originally Posted by Mystro

^^^Yup.
If it were my watch I would touch it up with a Sunshine cloth. I have been preaching the merits of the Sunshine cloth for years now. It is significantly better to use than Cape Cod and will leave a factory mirror finish.

Hmm, never heard of sunshine cloths...do they also work on gold?

[rohada]

I'm a fan and user of Sunshine yellow and light blue (finer) for fine surface scratches. For deeper scratches, I have a wide range of various grit sandpaper and other tools that ultimately culminates in Mothers Mag & Aluminum wheel polish, finishing with Sunshine cloths. You have to try to do damage with Sunshine, so it's pretty safe. Cape Cod is good, too. But, it is messy and I haven't gotten better results versus Sunshine.

Getting into abrasives is a bit more extreme and I don't recommend if you don't have the proper materials and stomach for it. I learned how to restore high polish stainless steel firearms from buying, selling, and collecting Colt pistols and revolvers over the years.

The upside is my watches look new, even the vintage ones. I like for my watches to look crisp and I'm not hard on them, so they maintain their finish well. Not removing too much material is key, as stated elsewhere. Given that services for me are at least decades apart, I'm not going to wait for an RSC visit to restore it aesthetically. Nothing wrong with going that way, but it isn't for me.

[Old Expat Beast]

Originally Posted by LukasMatsson

This is weird... Did someone reply to me but it somehow turned into a part of my post?

Those last two lines I didn't write... But it's useful information, so thank you to whoever wrote it...

It's ok, just seems Larry hit the Edit button instead of the Quote button when replying to you.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by padi56

The only time any Rolex needs any sort of polishing is when its owner, and no one else, feels its required

Fixed that for you Peter

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

I wear both my Silver OP and Explorer a lot. I am also a lefty, and so maybe more inclined to scratch them up, since I wear them on my dominant wrist. Lately, I noticed some small scratches on my OP’s bezel, which I’ve had for 2 years now. I do own a lifetime supply of Cape Cod cloths. Should I polish it, or not worry about it and wait until it requires a service? What do you guys and gals do?

Kat


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You should do what you feel is appropriate Kat.

Everyone has a different opinion, from those who feel having a beat to crap $40k watch is a badge of honour to those who prefer to keep their watches looking pristine.

All of us fit somewhere along that scale and will have an opinion, but the only one that matters is yours

How do you feel about them? If they bother you, tape off the case and gently use a sunshine cloth. It will help with the finer micro scratches and swirls. Its safe enough to use on gold so it will be totally fine on steel.

If they don't bother you, just leave them.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Devildog

Fixed that for you Peter

Your words and not mine.

[inadeje]

Kat, short answer - yes. I do remove scratches from the smooth bezels with a few swipes of cape code. I’m not fanatical about this, mind. Every 2 or 3 months I’ll remove any that are prominent.

I don’t subscribe to the - watch-in-tatters - philosophy. I like my timepieces, like my attire, to match my overall clean and well presented look.

[geoach]

leave it alone don't go down that slope chasing every little scratch..........enjoy the process of. wearing your watch I have a 25 yo PP Aqua I know about bezel wear.

[pach]

I get the urge though, when you first notice a scratch it's all you can see. But honestly, once you have a few more, you stop noticing them as much. It just becomes part of the watch's story.

[Car32]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

I don’t even notice them until I take my watch pics. After I take the pics and enlarge the photos, to see if I like them, is when I see them. If I don’t even notice the scratches while wearing the watches, I should probably leave them alone, for now. All of my current Rolexes are fairly new.


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THIS. If the only time you can see them is in enlarged photo, deifinitely don’t do! By the way, that’s impressive. Ive had a 36mm Explorer for about 4 years and the bezel has tons of scratches, which don’t bother me as they start to blend together. It’s a ding/really big scratch that would bother me, but i tell myself worse comes to worse i can get it polished or even replaced at service, its not like a Daytona bezel with markings on them, etc

[77T]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

Should I polish it, or not worry about it and wait until it requires a service? What do you guys and gals do?

As you can tell from the replies thus far, it's a mixed bag. I would encourage you to use up your lifetime supply of CCC!

Why?
Well a couple of reasons...

People tend to assign greater attachment to their Rolex simply because they own them. But, when you take care of scratches, like CCC light polishing, you develop a stronger appreciation of it. Psychologists know this as "Endowment Effect." You can look it up - it's a concept introduced by Richard Thaler - and I believe polishing our scratches is just as therapeutic as softly brushing the fur of a beloved puppy or kitty. There, I said it...

Additionally, there is another reason to use those CCC's - maybe even stronger than the appreciation you gain by polishing. We hate a loss in value more than appreciate the pride we have in our Rolex. People feel a sense of loss or regret if they don't maintain an object they have invested a significant amount of money into. I'll bet that when you go out for dinner you like to look your best. And despite most people not seeing those minute scratches, YOU know that they are there. And you likely feel that it is a sign of lost value because everyone here posts their "first scratch". This "Sunk Cost Fallacy" can drive one crazy... It's a variation of Loss Aversion. Of course your Rolex doesn't really lose value with every scratch because we can all do as Peter said in post #2, just polish it at overhaul time. But deep down in our reptilian brain segment we can't let a scratch alone!

These two principles together contribute to the sentimental value that drive people to polish their Rolexes. It's normal and it's OK.


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[1William]

Chasing small scratches and abrasions is a never end process if the watches are worn regularly. I typically leave them alone unless mark is large and in my line of sight and even then it depends. Might just wear them and go on with it for a while and see if you can adjust to them.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

I think I ordered some to try. I just have to remember where I stored them. So much watch paraphernalia here.

Kat


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Paraphernalia … is that code for watches Kat?

[Pumphry Bigelow]

For myself, I do not do anything about the scratches. It is not like I want to show them off as a badge of honor, it is just that I wear it everyday for everything, so with that comes the realization that the scratches will happen. On my new Daytona Ghost (White Gold), two days after I had it, I looked down at the clasp and was quite surprised how scratched up it was. I wasn’t thrilled about it, however, wasn’t worried about it either. I am also left handed and wear it on my dominant wrist, so as you stated above, might have something to do with how much my watches seem to get scratched up.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by brandrea

Paraphernalia … is that code for watches Kat?

Brian if some had seen my 16600SD after hundreds of hour's underwater working as a real tool watch. Many would have had a heart attack with the watch scratches,and in over 50 years of wearing Rolex watches never felt the need for any special scratch polishing cloths.