Polishing the crystal

[schwiiing]

I picked up this Lorus Tank Style Mickey Mouse watch for my wife. The crystal has a slight haze and I'd really like to polish it in hopes of returning it to crystal clear clarity. I've never tried to polish a crystal before and don't want to make it worse. I want to read up on the do's and don'ts but I'm having trouble identifying what type crystal is on the watch.

Is anyone here familiar with this brand to know what you're off crystal it is? Anyone have a recommendation of how to polish the crystal?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

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Trying to rid the world of whiskey - one glass at a time.

[obomomomo]

Gently rubbing a little Brasso on a soft cloth will work wonders for a plastic (acrylic) crystals. Not sure if that's plastic or glass but it looks like plastic to me. It won't hurt glass so there's no harm trying.
You can also try Meguiars Plastix which is made for automobile plastic lenses.

[Mr_Finer_Things]

Polywatch start slow with a tiny bit and just work it in


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[l66666]

I've had great results on plastic glasses with Sidol. I think Poliwatch would be the best, anyhow.
Be careful not going too strong on the gold near the glass. Being plated you will make it even thinner, it would be a pity in my opinion...

[John MS]

Is the acrylic itself hazy or is there a haze on the underside of the crystal? I have seen both.

Because the case is plated with gold that is only a few microns thin you have to be careful when polishing the crystal.

edit: And I have seen acrylic crystals where all of the material has yellowed and no amount of polishing will improve things. I would err on the side of doing nothing.

[doggbiter]

As John mentioned, you may want to remove the crystal from the case, or at least tape off the case bezel so you don't accidentally overpolish it. I use Flitz or Polywatch, but any fine polishing paste will work. I use a microfiber cloth, the kind used to clean glasses, slightly moistened. Then start rubbing. It may take a while to remove deeper scratches. Good luck!

[sticky]

Is the acrylic itself hazy or is there a haze on the underside of the crystal? I have seen both.

Because the case is plated with gold that is only a few microns thin you have to be careful when polishing the crystal.

edit: And I have seen acrylic crystals where all of the material has yellowed and no amount of polishing will improve things. I would err on the side of doing nothing.

^This. I’d give it a miss too.

[schwiiing]

I very much appreciate the advice. Given the gold tone of the case and face, is near impossible to determine if the crystal is hazy or yellowed without removing it from the watch - and that's something that I'm just not prepared to do.

I do like the idea of taping off the case to protect it (the thin plating hadn't crossed my mind) and going lightly with some polywatch or the like. But for now, I think I'll err on the side of leaving it be. Once I give it to her and she starts wearing it, I'll have a better idea of if it would benefit from some buffing.

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Trying to rid the world of whiskey - one glass at a time.

[soaking.fused]

As already recommended, Polywatch, Brasso and also plain toothpaste will work as a mild abrasive to polish the Crystal if it is made of plastic. And do tape off the case.

Take your time and don't use too much pressure.

[schwiiing]

Thank you all for the advice. I owe you a debit of gratitude.

I wound up taping the watch off and using some Braaso with light pressure at first, then medium. The results were immediate, and significant. The haze cleared and a nice polish took it's place. There were still some scratches in the crystal, but to me, the 'patina' is part of what makes a vintage watch special.

I gave the watch to my wife the other day, and she absolutely loves it. I offered to take another pass at the crystal to see if any more of the scratches would buff out. She said 'no' - she likes it just as it is.

Thanks, gentlemen!

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Trying to rid the world of whiskey - one glass at a time.