zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

Is the bond style bracelet in the last photo a new one or an older one? My 2531.80 has a large clasp and two push pins on the sides to release it.

: The thread about scratch brushes below brought
: this earlier project to mind...

: I can't stress enough that you need to proceed
: with caution if you choose to do your own
: refinishing. A professional job will end up
: costing a lot less time... and not a lot
: more money. The cost of supplies used for
: this project adds up! Then again, it was a
: lot of fun and very satisfying.

: Best wishes, and have fun!
: Bob

: Omega GMT bracelet refinishing project notes

: Here’s what I did for my Omega GMT bracelet.
: These are the results of trial and error by
: an absolute novice. I have to wonder how a
: professional would do the job! All of the
: supplies are available from Frei&Borel with
: contact information listed on the Timezone
: Tool Shop.

: The Seamaster GMT bracelet took around 4-5
: hours to refinish. Slow work, but very
: satisfying results!

: A few precautions (more are embedded in the
: text way below): Use eye protection! This is
: especially true if you’re using a power tool
: such as the Dremel motor set. The tool can
: throw bits of polishing compound, rouge, or
: metal. Bits of the polishing wheel, or any
: other attachment in use, can fly off into an
: eye. I can’t detail all the possibilities,
: but if you’ve never used one of these tools,
: know that you must treat them with serious
: respect!

: Go slow. It is startling how fast any step can
: go wrong. This is especially true if you’re
: using a power tool such as the Dremel motor.
: Even “mild” polishes such as the green rouge
: can remove a lot of metal in a big hurry
: when carried by a wheel at 6000 RPM.

: I suggest using the scratch brush, satin bar,
: and green 2mm rod for hand touch-up of minor
: scrapes and scratches. These are the most
: gentle and most controllable tools for small
: repairs. You stand the least chance of doing
: damage with these relatively slow acting
: tools. You might reserve the wheel and motor
: for major work on deeper scrapes.

: Do not do anything to the watch body until you
: are really sure you know what you’re doing!
: This will limit any mistakes to the much
: less expensive bracelet. Why not consider
: refinishing just one full-size link from
: start to finish before touching anything
: else. This further limits your exposure to
: one link if you decide not to do the full
: project.

: Work under a magnifying lens so you can
: actually see what you’re doing.

: I used a mild hand soap to clean the bracelet
: between steps. Avoid getting the soap on the
: watch body as there is some concern that the
: soap will attack watch seals.

: Consider an ultrasonic cleaning of the bracelet
: (not the watch body!) when you are finished.
: I believe the ultrasonic cleaning will
: remove residual polishing materials that
: might wear the bracelet over time.

: Images of the refinishing “kit” to identify the
: most useful items. Note that the image shows
: the fine grade of satin bar. I found medium
: was a bit better for this task. To minimize
: risk, I suggest you start with a lighter
: grade of polish or abrasive if you have
: multiple grades available.:

: (A high resolution version of the photo above
: is at:
: http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=782949&a=5692171&p=22689950&Sequence=0)

: Scratch Brush and refill:

: Goose necked lamp with magnifying lens:

: Basic refinishing steps: · Remove deep
: scratches if necessary: The glass bristle
: scratch brush will take out minor scratches
: on the brushed finish links. Try using the
: scratch brush before moving to any more
: aggressive method.

: You will need a fairly aggressive polish if
: there are deep scratches in either bright or
: brushed finish links. I suggest polishing by
: hand using a tiny dab of diamond paste on a
: corner of folded shop cloth. The paste I’ve
: used has 1 micron particles suspended in an
: oil base. Polish a small area just a little
: bit at a time. This will let you get a
: feeling for how fast the polish works. It
: will also limit the area affected if your
: technique isn’t working the way you expected
: it to! The diamond paste will leave a bright
: shine as it works.

: I suspect you could leave a visible depression
: in a link if you were too aggressive with
: the diamond polish. In this, as all other
: steps, try to do the minimum necessary for
: the desired effect.

: · Restore a bright finish to the narrow links:
: Apply the bright finish by hand using a
: green 2mm rod held in the 2mm mandrel. You
: will need to carve the rod tip to the width
: of the narrow bright links. You can then
: hand polish using the rod tip with strokes
: along the length of the narrow link. This is
: a lot slower than using a wheel, but much
: less prone to error. You may also find it
: easier to avoid damage to the brushed finish
: on neighboring links.

: I also found the carved tip of a wooden kitchen
: match made a reasonable polishing tool. I
: applied a tiny bit of rouge or diamond paste
: to the carved tip of the match. The match
: and paste worked to hand polish the narrow
: bright links.

: For more extensive work, try using green rouge
: applied with a corner of a small soft felt
: wheel. This will almost instantly apply a
: bright finish to anything the wheel touches.
: The rouge works very fast. I also don’t
: think you will be able to avoid getting some
: bright spots on the brushed links to either
: side of the bright link. This is not a big
: problem as you can restore the brushed
: finish fairly easily once the bright is
: restored.

: Be extra careful if you use a hard edge wheel
: when you polish. I suspect a hard edge with
: an abrasive rough could leave a deep groove
: if overused even slightly.

: · Restore the brushed finish to the narrow
: brushed links between bright links: Cut a
: small piece of medium grade satin bar no
: wider than the narrow brushed link around
: 3/8” long and ¼” deep. Drag the satin bar
: along the narrow brushed link parallel to
: the long dimension of the bracelet. Pause
: frequently to brush away the bits of the bar
: that wear off. Pay particular attention not
: to drag the bar across the bright finished
: center link.

: · Restore the brushed finish to the wide center
: and outside brushed links.

: First try the scratch brush alone. If the
: finish is only mildly damaged this may be
: sufficient. Once again, make all strokes
: parallel to the long axis of the bracelet. A
: piece of medium grade satin bar may be
: easier to use. I’m still waffling between
: these two alternatives.

: I used Scotchbrite for my first try at a
: brushed finish. This left a less even and
: less uniform finish than either the scratch
: brush or satin bar. The results would have
: differed with a different grade of
: Scotchbrite.

: Results:

: