Inovatec MachineryYour Best Watch Case Automatic Polishing Solution Provider in China

Watch Case Polish – The Definitive Guide

In today’s world, your sense of fashion has a significant influence on how you’ll be perceived.

One of the most vital elements of your fashion is your wristwatch.

Your wristwatch is one of the most attractive elements of your fashion.

Scratches and discoloration are not what you want on such a key element.

In this article, you’ll see how to improve the surface and look of your wristwatch parts.

This article has been specially designed to answer your questions about wristwatch parts.

Keep reading to find out more.

l. What Types of Watch Cases Are There in the Market?

Now, there are several types of watch cases in the market today. They all are made from different materials.

You’ll find watch cases made from stainless steel, bronze, 3D printed, titanium, ceramic, or even machined watch cases.

They are the most popular ones because of their sleek and shiny look.

These watch cases are treated differently in terms of cleaning and polishing them.

You can decide to polish yours in a more straightforward way, that is, manual polishing. This entails using a polishing agent and a brush.

You can also decide to clean it in a quicker, efficient, and easier way.

The automatic way involves using a professional watch polishing machine, polishing media together with cleaning agents.

It is a quicker way and efficient for you because you’ll leave the machine to work on your behalf.

Further, if you have several wristwatch cases, you can clean their parts using the automated method.

Bottom line:

Your fashion dictates how people perceive you. Your wristwatch parts can be cleaned to make you look better.

The automatic system of polishing your watch case parts would be most efficient and effective. It also saves time.

2. What Is the Difference Between Manual and Automatic Watch Case Polishing?

Now, manual polishing, as the name suggests, involves polishing your watch case manually.

That involves using a watch polishing kit, which will have a watch polishing cloth, brush, polishing compound, and watch polishing tools.

Manual polishing of watch cases requires a lot of attention and caution. You do not want to polish one side better than the other.

It is a process that requires high detailing, polishing agents, and brushes of different sizes to reach the most intricate parts.

As for automatic polishing, you require a tumbling machine to complete the process with a lot of ease.

It involves using abrasive media and perhaps a polishing agent.

They are useful as different shapes, sizes, and angles of a polishing media reach the most intricate parts of your watch case parts.

Check this out:

There are numerous advantages of using the automatic method of polishing compared to using the manual process.

The first benefit is that you will polish your parts uniformly. You do not want to clean your pieces in a non-uniform manner.

A non-uniform polish will make your polish on these parts look amateurish.

Secondly, automatic polish saves you a lot of time and energy, especially if you have a lot of watch parts to polish.

The automatic polishing machine completes polishing these parts for you, depending on the level of polish you require.

The process takes several hours to complete, unlike manual polishing which may take up to several days of intensive work.

Thirdly, polishing media comes in different sizes, shapes, and angles. This makes the polishing process easy and efficient.

When these abrasives come in different shapes, sizes, and angles, it means that they will reach the most intricate parts with ease.

One thing that you must never do is mixing different types of abrasive media in a single cycle.

You also must not mix different types of polishing compounds. They will have a negative effect, in terms of looks, of your watch case.

It does the opposite of what you expect:

Mixing them ruins your watch case looks and makes it look awful – you’ll not desire to wear it in public.

The best thing about using an automatic watch polishing machine is that, when done well, it does not ruin the surface of your wristwatch case.

In summary:

Automatic polish is more beneficial to you than manual polishing, bearing in mind the time, cost, and effort used.

Automatic polishing of your wristwatch parts involves using a watch polishing machine with abrasive media on its bowl, either dry or wet polishing.

Using the automatic process will ensure that all your parts have been polished evenly.

Further, you can also polish several parts simultaneously, unlike manual polishing which limits you to one piece at a time.

Also, the energy spent during manual polishing is too much, compared to automatic polishing where the tumbler works on its own.

The automatic polishing machine requires little to no supervision during the process.

3. How Do I Remove Scratches From My Stainless Steel Watch Case?

Now, stainless steel is a robust and heavy metal. It also has a sleek and shiny look which makes it attractive.

Scratches and light dents on your stainless steel watch cases make them lose their beauty.

To polish your stainless steel watch cases, you will use the drag finish process, which involves improving the surfaces of delicate parts.

The reason why drag finish is used is that it has become so popular nowadays.

Also, the process uses a machine (drag finish machine) that drags these delicate parts at high speed through abrasive media.

This dragging of delicate parts in abrasive media creates friction which is essential in polishing.

Also, when rotating and dragging parts through abrasive media, the drag finishing machine creates high pressure.

Now, high pressure in addition to friction aids you in polishing your delicate stainless steel watch cases quicker and better.

Another advantage of using the drag finishing machine on your stainless steel watch cases is that there will be no part-on-part contact.

This lack of contact for similar parts reduces dents on your watch cases by 99%.

If your stainless steel watch parts have been damaged, for example, by falling, tiny burrs develop.

As such, the drag finishing process also deburrs your stainless steel watch cases to have the sleekest, scratch-free, and shiny look.

The drag finishing process is so effective that it does the preparation for medical implants for artificial knees.

Imagine what it will do to your stainless steel watch cases.

Further, the process is automatic, which means, the machine can run day in day out, provided the correct parameters have been submitted.

By automating the process of polishing your stainless steel watch cases, human error is absolutely made away with.

That means your watch cases will come out sleeker and shinier like never before.

4. How Can the Original Color of My Watch Case Be Restored?

It is true that:

Over time, your watch cases will discolor and have minor to major scratches.

Now, to restore the original color of your watch cases, what you simply have to do is to determine your watch case material type.

For example, you may have a watch case that has a sliver-shiny color. To restore its original color, you just need to polish your watch cases.

For the case of golden and shiny watch cases, you will have to re-coat it using Physical Vapor Deposition, or simply PVD.

Also, you will first have to polish, that is the drag finishing process, your watch case parts before carrying out the PVD coating process.

The PVD coating technique is applied in an extremely thin film to your watch case that requires redecoration and a protective barrier.

There are several advantages of using PVD for your watch case parts.

The main advantage is that it does not wear out unless you decide to remove it yourself.

The process is quite complicated and requires professional help. Why?

PVD coating is a special coating that requires chemical reactions to work as intended.

The coating process must be done in some special chambers that are extremely clean – free of contaminants.

If the PVD gets contaminated, the whole process will be a waste of time.

This extreme caution while coating and the right chemical reactions are what make the layer robust and resistant to wearing out.

Another incredible advantage is that the PVD polish will be a uniform one. Non-uniform polish makes your watch parts look bad.

The PVD coating, yet again, reaches the most intricate parts and it will be most suitable for your watch case.

There are corners where it would be challenging for human methods to restore color on your watch case. PVD coat sorts it all out.

Also, the PVD coating on your wristwatch parts does not change its dimensions.

It reinstates the original beauty without changing its dimensions.

Also, during a busy and hot day, you tend to sweat. Your sweat will still not be able to remove the new PVD coating.

Also, the process is cost-effective, which makes it the most suitable method of restoring the original color on your wristwatch case.

Bottom line:

PVD coating is used to restore the original color of your wristwatch cases. It is the easiest and most efficient way of color restoration.

5. How Can I Clean My Titanium Watch Case?

Cleaning your titanium watch case is a very easy and straightforward process.

The most effective way is to use a drag finishing machine to complete the process.

Drag finishing is the easiest way for cleaning your titanium watch case.

The drag finish process of finishing is highly effective and efficient. It works by dragging your delicate parts through abrasive media.

The process is so different from other finishing processes, for example, rotary and vibratory finishing processes.

With the drag finish process, there is no part-to-part contact, which means that you will not have dents nor scratch marks on your parts.

Drag finish completes polishing parts almost forty times faster than other methods of finishing.

These drag finishing machines are capable of finishing many watch cases in a single cycle.

You only need to feed the machine with working parameters and leave it to do what it does best – finishing parts in mass.

The process of polishing your titanium watch case has been simplified by using this process.

It is also economical as you can reuse your polishing grit.

You are assured that your titanium watch case will have that sleek and shiny look because the drag finishing machine works to perfection.

These machines are used to polish medical implants such as artificial knees.

Imagine how exceptionally well it will work on your titanium watch case.

In summary:

Polishing your titanium watch case is straightforward. The machine will drag your parts through abrasive media, preferably organic media.

The process will take a few hours to complete.

You can reuse media for long as the process does not require a lot of effort compared to rotary and vibratory tumblers.

6. How Can I Polish My Ceramic Watch Cases?

You can polish your ceramic watch cases using a vibratory tumbler, as ceramic 3D printed watch cases are quite fragile.

You can use plastic media to finish the polishing process of your ceramic watch cases.

Plastic media comes in different shapes and sizes, which ensures that all the parts of your ceramic watch cases have been cleaned.

They clean even the most intricate parts of your watch cases.

You will be required to use a vibratory tumbler to complete the process.

Using plastic media removes scratches from your ceramic watch cases and makes them look new again.

The process should not take long, and also, you can finish many ceramic watch cases at the same time.

You can decide to dry polish, using appropriate polishing pastes and powders.

You can also choose to wet polish, using a polishing compound. Make sure that you use the correct amount of polishing compounds.

It will help you avoid overflows. Also make sure you dispose of the waste polishing compound, for the sake of your health and the environment.

7. Is Polishing Brass Watch Case Any Different From That of Stainless Steel?

Bronze is a luxury metal and is polished differently from the stainless steel watch cases.

For bronze watch cases, you’ll use the centrifugal barrel finishing machine. The centrifugal barrel finishing machine works in an exciting way.

Check this out:

The centrifugal barrel finishing machine is cost-effective as it works almost similar to a barrel tumbler, but, faster and better.

The centrifugal barrel finishing machine has four drums fixed on a single flywheel that spins at high speeds.

The centrifugal barrel finishing machine, as the name suggests, does what it does best (polish) by generating centrifugal force.

The four barrels rotate in a counter-direction from the main flywheel to generate the centrifugal force.

It spins its barrels at a predetermined speed for the best results on your bronze watch cases.

These predetermined speeds generate an accelerated abrading process, thus polishing your bronze watch cases faster.

This process can polish your bronze watch cases from minutes to several hours, depending on the degree of finish you require.

Other processes may take longer, which becomes inefficient and uneconomical.

The machine places a lot of stress on the media and the bronze watch cases, thus making the process a lot quicker.

With this machine, you can decide to either use a dry or wet polishing process.

Both processes will deliver what you require them to – or even give you better results.

Bottom line:

Polishing bronze watch cases is totally different from that of the stainless steel watch cases.

The significant difference between these two processes is the tactic that is used to polish the surfaces of these two types of watch cases.

The reason behind that is because bronze is a luxury metal.

The quicker the process is completed, the better for you. It’ll aid you in terms of efficiency and economic feasibility.

8.  Is It Expensive to Carry Out Watch Case Polishing?

Well, to start with, watch case polishing is essential, as it enhances the look of your wristwatch.

Now, when polishing your watch cases, the process should not be expensive, as long as you follow the correct procedure.

Failure to follow the set-out procedures, for example, mixing different types of grits when polishing your watch cases leads to further polishing costs.

This is because your watch cases will not have the desired look that you anticipate to have.

Further, you’ll have already used your time, electricity, and perhaps even polishing compounds, which will all go to waste.

You need to know your watch case type, as there are different types of watch cases in the market, for example, bronze, ceramic, stainless steel, etc.

Afterward, you will then decide the best way to polish it. For stainless steel, 3D case, and titanium, drag finishing would be most appropriate.

For bronze watch cases, a centrifugal barrel finishing machine would be most appropriate and efficient.

As for the ceramic and machined watch cases, a vibratory tumbling machine will be the best alternative.

Bottom line:

The polishing process of watch cases is not expensive or complicated provided the correct procedure is followed.

9 How Can a Gold Plated Watch Be Cleaned Effectively?

Gold plated watch cases popularly have intricate designs that make them unique.

Now, there is a difference between gold plating and gold filling that you have to understand.

You’ll first have to know whether your watch is gold plated or gold filled.

They both involve depositing thin layers of gold on the surfaces of other metals.

The only difference is that with gold plating, the layer of gold is deposited on the surface of another metal electrochemically.

As for the gold filling, the layer of gold amounts to almost 5% of its total weight. It is deposited on the surface of another metal mechanically.

For your gold plated watch cases to lose their initial gold color (tarnishing), it may take several months to several years.

However, that will depend on the thickness of the gold layer deposited on your watch cases during the industrial electrochemical process.

As for gold filled watch cases, it may take up to 30 years for the layer to fade away due to tarnishing.

Check this out:

The reason why gold-filled cases will last longer than gold plated ones is because the gold-filled cases are ten times thicker than the gold plated ones.

Cleaning your watch cases that have deposits of gold is not an easy process. It will require professional help.

Professional help will aid you in re-plating and refilling your watch cases because the dimensions of the watch cases should not change.

Also, the process may be quite expensive to carry out in your garage compared to seeking professional help.

The dimensions are calculated to the most minute point – the micron. The plating should be five to ten microns.

This re-plating process is laborious when carried out without professional help, considering the complex designs of the wristwatch parts.

Also, before re-plating or refilling your watch cases, refinishing will have to be done, to do away with existing scratches, dents, and burrs.

In summary:

The process of cleaning your gold plated or gold-filled watch cases requires professional help to restore clean and restore its color.

The main difference between gold plating and gold filling is the method of gold deposition on the surface of the watch cases.

The gold plated watch cases have gold deposited on them electrochemically while gold filled watch cases have gold deposited on them mechanically.

Gold-filled lasts longer compared to gold plated watch cases. Gold fill amounts to 5% of the total weight of your watch case.

The gold-filled can last for up to 30 years and still look new.

10.  Can Watch Cases Be Mass Polished?

Yes, watch cases can be mass polished, depending on what material has been used to make your watch cases.

Most modern finishing machines nowadays can finish parts in mass, which makes them both effective and efficient.

For example, for the ceramic and machined watch cases, vibratory tumblers are used.

Vibratory tumblers are used in mass finishing processes, where media and compounding agents are used.

Also, for titanium and stainless steel watch cases, you are to use a drag finishing machine to complete the cycles exceptionally well.

The machine completes cycles 40 times faster than using a vibratory or rotary tumbler. It also does mass finishing of parts.

For 3D and bronze watch cases, a centrifugal barrel finishing machine is used to complete the process.

The centrifugal barrel finishing machine has four barrels, each of which can finish parts in mass.

Bottom line:

You can finish preparing the surfaces of the watch cases with these modern machines in mass.

The processes are straightforward and can be completed within minutes to hours, depending on what material you are polishing.

11.  Will Polishing My Watch Cases Reduce the Price of My Watch?

Eventually, the price of your watch is bound to reduce over time. In line with that, polishing your watch cases also reduces their cost.

When you polish watch cases, you need to make sure that you are careful when handling them.

Improper handling will lead to re-polishing outside its service intervals.

These improper re-polishing intervals eventually lead to the thinning of your metal, therefore, reducing the lifespan and general price of your watch cases.

However, regular polishing with intervals is necessary to make your watch cases look new and awesome.

12. What Polishing Media Is Used to Clean Watch Cases?

Tons of polishing media can be used to improve the surfaces of your watch cases.

However, there are specific types of media that have proven to be both practical and super efficient at the same time.

For example, when polishing using a ceramic vibratory tumbler, using plastic media to improve the surfaces of your watch cases is the most appropriate and widely used.

Again, when using polishing machines such as the drag finishing machine, you need to use fine polishing grit.

The best polishing grit for a drag finishing machine would be organic media, such as walnut shell grit, which is relatively robust.

It is also highly absorbent on impurities such as oils. It will polish your stainless steel and titanium watch cases excellently.

In summary:

You can polish your watch cases and watch parts using different media, depending on the type of case you have and the process to be used.

Regularly used media include synthetic and organic media.

13. How Long Does It Take to Polish Watch Case Parts?

The duration used in polishing your watch cases should not take long.

However, it depends on your material and the process you intend to use during the process.

There are different types of watch cases whose surfaces are each prepared differently.

For example, the process used to polish stainless steel and titanium is not the same process that will be used to polish bronze and 3D watch cases.

The drag finishing machine used to finish stainless steel and titanium takes hours to complete the whole process.

The machine does not encourage part-to-part interaction which means that your pieces will not have any dents.

Also, with the vibratory tumbler, the process takes only a few hours to complete, depending on what you want to achieve.

A centrifugal barrel finishing machine also utilizes centrifugal forces and adds stress on media and parts which hastens to polish.

Bottom line:

With modern machines, the process should not take long, depending on the level of fineness you require.