Thank you very much for this very elaborated explanation ! Excellent indeed!! I have to, and will read this article a few times to let in sink in. My bracelet is still soaking in a soap solution, awaiting a cheap ultra-sonic cleaner. This cleaner was also meant to remove the paste between the differnet polishing phases. I will wait till your article comes up, as I want to make sure I do it right. Meanwhile I found a nice NATO-strap, with “gold” buckles, and it compliments the Bi-color Submariner actually very good, so I’m not in a hurry 🙂
I’ll keep a close eye on your webpage…..
Thank you very much for you time and effort 😉

Friendly greetings from Denmark;

Roland

Hey Roland,

Thanks for your message!

I have taken a lot of photographs of the polishing process, and so hopefully I can put a full article together soon. In the meantime I can explain the basics of the process:

– All case/bracelet polishing is done on a lathe (unless mentioned otherwise).

– There are special polishing compounds that look like bars of soap and come in different colours depending on their grit size. I’ve experimented a lot with the different types and found what works for me; although most people have their own preferences and get similar results. I use a brand called Dialux. I use green and blue for steel, and red for gold. For high mirror finishes on steel I may also use a super fine compound like black or white with a special mop made from similar material to a parachute.

– The polishing compounds are used with mops. A felt mop is for removing scratches and a cotton mop is used for buffing. You can use the same compound on different mops and the effect will change. The amount of pressure you use on the mop has a huge effect too.

– Never cross contaminate mops i.e. never polish with green then go straight to blue without cleaning the previous compound off. You want each mop to be as pure as possible. I store each mop in a bag after use to stop it getting contaminated.

– For removing heavy steel scratches I used a grit wheel; the brand is Artiflex. This is a rubber like wheel that you do not use with a compound. It can even out all the marks, but will leave a light brushed finish, so it’s not very good if you later want a high polish finish.

– For a brushed finish I used either a Alluminium Oxide Bufflex wheel, or a wheel I’ve made out of Garryflex.

– When polishing gold, less is always more. Gold is so soft that you will remove a lot of material fast if you are not careful. I just use the red compound, which is Iron Oxide, on a cotton mop, and go over each area for a few seconds. I will never polish the edge of a caseback or inside edge of a case; as you can very easily change the shape and so the watch case will not fit together as well any longer. To get a brushed finish on gold I will use Garryflex and do it by hand.

– For when you have a two-tone or two-finish then you will want to start with the polished and softest areas first. So if you have gold and steel, you will start with the gold, if you have a brushed and polished finish you will start on the polished part. Once that part is finished you then tape over the finshed area so that you can work on the other area without damaging your previous work.

There’s a lot more I could mention, but hopefully that’s a good overview!

Thank you for your message Shaun. Watchmaking is a great career choice, and you’ll find the skills you’ve picked up in China; particularly patience, will go a long way. Let me know what route you go down or if I can help at all. Colin

You’re achievements since you made that career change have been remarkable. I stumbled across your website when researching about making a career in watchmaking.

I’m a physics teacher from the UK currently teaching at a college in China but looking to make a career change. I initially came across watchmaking earlier in the summer when I was flying back home – I read an article about watchmaking in the FT and how they’re was a shortage back home.

And ever since I got back to my current job, I seem more motivated to make the switch and get stuck into it. To me watchmaking has the application of physics and engineering but also the creativity of art and a fine painting. It seems like real trade where I can learn and apply the things I’ve learnt to something physical, and I think that’s something that I’m looking for. That I would find rewarding.

Also, I find it massively coincidental that I am currently in China, lived here for 5 years, learnt Mandarin to a good standard but not mastered and participated in two white collar boxing events for charity – well done on raising all that money and retiring undefeated, it looked like a fantastic night!

Well anyway, I’m considering all my options from different WOSTEP schools and the BHI route – thanks for the detailed insights into each one. After some more research which I’m sure will include reading the other articles you’ve posted about your experiences on here and some further enquiries, I’ll make a decision.

Keep up the good work.

Best wishes,

Shaun

Hi Andrew,

I use a Sincere brand of lathe. It’s a Chinese brand. I brought it brand new from eBay. It’s difficult to find a decent lathe though on eBay that’s 2nd hand, as you won’t be able to test it.

Search for “mini lathes” or “micro lathes”. You will want one that you can get add-ons for, particularly collets, 3 jaw chuck and a cross slide; and be sure to check that it come with a motor too.