Watch Polishing: Pros and Cons

Many horology enthusiasts and collectors appreciate the aesthetic appeal of a pristine timepiece. A fine polished watch can elevate a piece’s look, making the elegant stainless steel shimmer as it sits on your wrist. Polishing can restore a watch to its former glory, removing scratches and blemishes that develop over time. This can lead to an increase in resale value, as well as enhance the visual appeal. 

Like everything, however, polishing has drawbacks. In some instances, polishing can significantly alter a watch’s original design features, such as bevels and edges, potentially erasing iconic designs or historical significance engraved on the piece. Over-polishing can also thin the case, weakening the structural integrity and, in some cases, diminishing the value.  

Understanding the pros and cons of watch polishing helps collectors make educated decisions about their precious pieces. It also helps them balance the desire for a flawless aesthetic with the preservation of the watch’s original design.  

Why is Watch Polishing Important?

An essential part of watch maintenance is ensuring that your watch is in the most pristine condition possible. You’ve invested a lot of money into your piece, and part of that investment requires you to maintain its appearance and functionality. Polishing restores the watch’s original luster and shine, enhancing its overall appearance. This is particularly important for luxury watches, where the visual appeal can make all the difference in desirability and value.

Take a sunburst dial, for example. Its reflective nature means that even the most minor scratches or imperfections can be quite noticeable. Because the finish is designed to reflect light, any blemish can disrupt the smooth pattern of the dial’s surface, but polishing these dials helps restore them to the original vision the watchmaker had when they designed the piece. 

A guilloche dial’s complex design can benefit greatly from regular polishing as well. 

Deep scratches can compromise the intricate design, so it’s necessary to help maintain the detail that the guilloche is known for. Otherwise, the significance and value are depleted, and the guilloche dial loses its flare. 

Why you should polish your watch 

Depending on who you ask, polishing could prove to be the most valuable benefit to your timepiece. Some enthusiasts may insist upon a pristine-looking, top-of-the-line, well-polished watch, while someone else may prefer something a little more old school. Regardless of how you feel, there are some objective benefits from having a well-polished watch. 

The most obvious benefit is that polishing restores shine and erases blemishes that may have built up over time. If you wear your most prized timepiece every day, it’s guaranteed that, eventually, it will start to look worn and dull. A fresh polish can erase any sense of wear and tear and restore your piece to its former glory. 

A well-polished watch can also hold its value for a longer period of time. An expensive timepiece could be a long-term investment. If you plan to trade or sell your watch in the future, you’ll want to make sure it’s in pristine condition so you can charge the most money possible. 

Corrosion is one of the most common ways watches can deteriorate. The build-up of dirt and grime can completely diminish the look and value of your piece. Polishing can completely remove the harmful effects of corrosion, ensuring that your watch stays in its healthiest condition. 

Good polishing can also improve the clarity and legibility of the dial. With constant use, your piece’s dial becomes harder to read over time. Dirt builds up and smudges the crystal, and before you know it, the key function of the watch is deemed illegible. Polishing can remove dirt from the glass face of the dial, returning full legibility to your piece so that you can go about your day-to-day life always knowing the time. 

And finally, a well-polished piece perhaps serves the greatest purpose of all: personal satisfaction. What’s the point of investing in a watch you’re disappointed with every time you look at your wrist? Polishing can restore the aesthetic you originally fell in love with so that you feel pride whenever you look down and gaze at your beautiful piece. 

Why you should not polish your watch

While extremely beneficial to the watch’s overall aesthetics, polishing does come with its fair share of risks. Improper polishing techniques can scratch or damage the watch’s surface, particularly for delicate materials like acrylic or certain finishes. 

There’s also the risk of the watch losing its value. For vintage or collector watches, polishing can remove the original patina, which some collectors hold to an extremely high value. There’s also the risk of the polishing completely erasing a historical mark or engraving embedded within the piece, taking away the historical significance it may have previously held. 

The threat of overpolishing is ever-present as frequent polishing risks thinning the metal on cases and bracelets, leading to structural issues over time. The loss of aesthetics is one thing, but the damage to the watch itself is a much more severe risk that enthusiasts should be mindful of.

Warranty concerns pose a threat as well. Some manufacturers may void warranties if a watch is polished improperly, as it can affect the watch’s integrity and diminish its overall value. So, if you ever intend to resale or refund your piece, the number one priority is to ensure there is no damage or blemishes from improper polishing that could deter potential buyers. 

Another popular reason to avoid polishing your watch is simply personal preference. Some enthusiasts prefer a watch’s character as it ages, preferring a more worn look rather than a polished finish. 

There’s objectively no wrong choice when it comes to whether or not you want your watch to be polished. It all depends on outliers and personal preferences. The only thing you must be sure of is that you are getting your watch polished by somebody who knows what they are doing. 

Should you polish your watch yourself? 

If you have an experienced hand, polishing your watch yourself can have tremendous advantages and can be extremely convenient. 

The first clear advantage is affordability. DIY polishing saves you money compared to professional services. It also ensures that you can polish in your own time, basing your services completely on your own schedule. 

As with any DIY project, it can be a rewarding experience to learn about the intricacy of your watch and how to care for it. Just be sure that you have all the proper tools and that you know enough not to completely destroy the watch. Developing your skill through a DIY polishing project can be very satisfying when you successfully restore your watch’s shine and finally understand how to properly unlock the full potential of your piece. 

There are some drawbacks to DIY polishing as well, the obvious being the risk of damage. Scratching and damaging the watch becomes very easy without the proper tools and technique. Only pursue a DIY project if you have a careful hand and are willing to take the time to learn the proper methods. 

Of course, with your lack of expertise, professionals may prove to be the more efficient route. They have the capabilities and the experience to handle all sorts of pieces and the proper tools to safely polish your watch. You may not be privy to everything needed to properly restore your piece, but professionals know exactly what they are dealing with the minute you bring it in. 

As mentioned before, over-polishing is one of the most harmful things that can happen to your piece, and it’s a lot easier to over-polish than you might think. Let’s assume you know the tools you need as well as the proper techniques, but how do you know when to stop? You could end up doing everything right, but your watch still winds up in a worse condition than when you started because you didn’t know when to stop polishing. This problem obviously can be fixed by going to a professional, but—as with everything—you can fix it yourself if you take the time to learn. 

The primary issue is time. Sure, if you spend hours researching and practicing, you can mimic what a professional does relatively well, but the simple question is: is it worth it? Some of you may want to simply enjoy your piece and quit worrying whether or not it’s at risk of being damaged. In that case, a professional is the way to go. 

At the same time, some of you may be committed to learning every step and crave the satisfaction of gradually seeing your watch returned to its previous elegance. The only thing I advise is to be careful. There is really no wrong choice here, as long as you are actually committed to learning and are willing to put in the hours to learn the skill yourself. 

Conclusion

The decision to polish your watch isn’t as much of an objective yes or no as it is on personal preferences and outlying situations. It ultimately depends on the level of importance you place on your individual piece. Does it need polishing? If it does, is it worth learning by yourself? Would the cost of polishing be worth it? You can only answer these questions. 

Some factors that can sway your decision-making are understanding the watch’s material, its historical significance, and the individual priorities in watch care. Before you make your decision, be sure you have a clear understanding of the improvements that can be made should you polish it, the disadvantages and risks that could arise, and above all, learn everything there is to know about your own watch and let that govern your decision-making process. 

By balancing all this information, you should come to a clear choice on whether or not you should pursue the avenue of watch polishing. The best advice that I can give is the simple fact that what works for someone else may not work for you. If anyone tells you that there is an objective answer to this question, they are plain wrong. Just do the research and take the time to learn, and the decision will become clear.