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Wow Your Customers With These Watch Polishing Tips

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Take extra time that your competitors don’t to make those watches pop

“Wow! My watch looks great!”

 

Don’t you just love to hear those words from your customer after you deliver their watch repair? A customer’s first impression of the services you’ve rendered often sets the tone for the rest of the season. A great looking polished and refined case and band seems to validate the cost of your customer’s watch repair. After all, the exterior of the watch is all your customer gets to see. So in turn, your customers ultimately determine the acceptability of your work by its final exterior appearance.

Of course, it’s most important that all technical aspects of the watch movement are correct. After all, a great looking case and band will not cover up poor technical workmanship. On the other hand, however, a precisely performed watch repair installed in an unpolished or dirty case makes the entire job appear halfway done.

Here’s how to light your customers’ eyes with these simple watch polishing tips—

 

Watch Polishing Tips Beau Allain Headshot
Meet Beau Allain —Certified Watch Repairman

Beau Allain’s Top Watch Polishing Tips

Remember, plated cases need to be cleaned in the ultrasonic and not buffed or polished. Here are a few of Beau’s top watch polishing tips—

  • Keep in mind that you never want to over polish. It affects the look of the watch, and you can’t undo it.
  • Before polishing a two-tone watch, determine if it’s plated otherwise you’ll polish off the gold plating. A high end, two-tone watch will be stainless and gold — either 14K or 18K — eliminating this concern.
  • I like to polish with a 11/2” muslin buff (17-6431). It has good tension and the width means I can apply the polish with one side, then remove the polish with the other side without changing buffs.
  • When you’re polishing a satin band, I like to start with a lower micron buff, then come back with a Bergeron Satin Wheel (17-8743).
Watch Polishing Tips Shawn Albert Headshot
Meet Shawn Albert — Tools Product Manager, Stuller

Shawn Albert’s Watch Polishing Tips

Keep it Crystal Clear

As a final thought, we find that people who do the best jobs in their professions do the little extra things better than anyone else. So here is an often-overlooked detail. How about the scratches on the watch crystal? Many times that part of the watch is neglected. And, after all, it is the place we look to actually see the time. Do you polish the crystal? It is the extra touch you can give to make the customer’s first impression one they will remember and tell their friends about. Try the Crystal-Kleer (Re-New-All) Plastic Renewer (47-3100) and the PolyWatch Scratch Remover (64-5100) as good scratch removers for all of those plastic crystals.

Here’s a quick step-by-step for a smooth watch polishing process

watch polishing tips tools needed
Tools needed: 47-323134-2242 • 47-3225
watch polishing tips 3mm masking tape
Mask areas on the watch you don’t want polished
watch polishing tips buffing
Put that high luster finish on metal bands and cases
watch polishing tips difference polish left right side
Notice the polished (right) vs. unpolished (left) links
watch polishing tips wrist try on

Take that extra time that your competitors don’t with these watch polishing tips to make those cases, bands, and crystals pop! Then, you’ll be pleased when you hear your customer say, “Wow! My watch looks great!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shawn Albert

I've been with Stuller since 1995 • Stuller's resident watch battery changer • Never miss a workout • Never met a car that was too fast • Favorite meal: Protein • Avid Ragin Cajun Football Supporter.