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Restoration Guide

 Restoration Guide

 

Cases

Up to the 90s, the majority of Timex cases (with the exception of a handful of pieces), were made with a base metal, coated in a finish that was often only a few microns thick. It is important to understand this when attempting to clean or polish, as most abrasive materials will strip that thin finish right off.

- Tools Needed -

  • latex gloves

  • Microfiber cloth

  • wooden toothpick

  • warm, soapy water (non scented dish soap is best), or watch/jewelry cleaning solution.

  • jewelry or watch cleaning machine (optional)

- Method -

  1. For most complete cleaning, remove strap/bracelet, spring bars, movement, and watch crystal. The case construction and the corresponding movement guide sections can be referenced with the best way to deconstruct your watch. If you are choosing to clean the watch without doing this step, it is recommended you do not use water. Skip to step 3.

  2. If you followed step one, then drop your case, case back, any metal movement retainers into warm, soapy water or watch/jewelry cleaning solution for 5-10 minutes. If you have access to an ultrasonic machine, then this is even better. Follow the machine instructions.

  3. This part could get a little grimy so gloves are recommended. Use your wooden toothpick and carefully begin cleaning all the corners, nooks, and edges of the watch. The water should have loosened up the dirt which will make this easier, as well insuring you don’t have to scrape and possibly scratch the thin coating of your case. Using a watch loupe or other type of magnification will help insure you get every piece of dirt. After getting everything with the toothpick, use the microfiber to polish the entire watch.

  4. Put all pieces into the solution or ultrasonic cleaner one more time (for less time). This helps break up any small remaining pieces of dirt, and give the pieces a bit more shine.

  5. Wipe down all pieces one more time, and ensure they are completely dry and free of dust before reconstructing.

 

Crystals

Up until the 90s, the majority of Timex crystals were strictly acrylic, so this section will focus on restoring these specifically. In addition, the method below assumes the crystal is heavily scratched and possible slightly gouged. Use your best judgment if your crystal is only damaged enough to skip certain steps. Do not use this method on mineral or sapphire glass, as you will damage it.

While able to resist and bend under more physical stress than mineral glass and sapphire, acrylic (plastic) is much more prone to scratches and gashes. Fortunately, even the most scratched acrylic crystals can be restored to like new or nearly new condition using the method below.

- Tools Needed -

  • latex gloves

  • Crystal lift (optional) - recommended: Bergeon 4266

  • Sandpaper (800 grit dry)

  • Sandpaper (1500 and 2000-2500 grit wet)

  • water

  • Acrylic crystal polish - recommended: Polywatch

  • Crystal press (optional)

- Method -

  1. While optional, it is recommended that you remove the crystal from the watch case using a crystal lift. Exercise caution here, as just a little too much pressure or a poorly constructed crystal lift could crack or break. While you can technically pop out most crystals from the inside of the case, this is not recommended. Doing so could damage the fine “lip” around the edge of the crystal that helps it stay in the case. In addition, there are some Timex crystals that require additional retainers removed or care be taken before removing from the top. Please reference both the case construction and the corresponding movement guide sections for more information on your model. If you are not removing the crystal, then it is recommended to place painters tape around the crystal to protect the watch case from the sand paper.

  2. If your crystal is only very lightly scratched, then you can skip to step 4. Otherwise, begin here. Place the crystal on a non-smooth surface like a rubber or cork mat so you can work without it sliding. Start with a small of piece of 800 grit sand paper, and with light pressure begin to work in circles around the top of the crystal. This should take no more than 2 minutes. Stop every 15-30 seconds to wipe off with a microfiber cloth and inspect the surface. The goal of this step is to sand just enough to get all the the deeper scratches out and create a uniform surface. Once this is done, and there is a uniform cloudiness across the crystal, then you can move to the next step. BE VERY CAREFUL when sanding close to the edge of the crystal. You can easily sand away the thin “lip” on the edge which will mean the crystal may no longer stay in the case (if this happens your only option is to either throw out the crystal or glue it in using watch cement).

  3. Repeat step 2 with the 1500 then 2000-2500 wet sand paper. While water is technically not required, I have found that it helps smooth the surface just a little more.

  4. At this point your crystal has either been completely sanded, or only had light scratches in the first place, and did not require sanding. It is time for the final polish. I highly recommend Polywatch, as it is both affordable and does a very good job. Follow the polish instructions, and using a fine microfiber cloth, rub in circles around the top surface of the crystal. Do this for 2 minutes before wiping off with dry side of microfiber cloth and checking for any remaining scratches. Repeat this step as needed. You want to use more pressure in this step than you did with sandpaper, but still not to hard or fast. Too much heat or pressure could create stress fractures in the crystal that you will not be able to do anything about. This is also the reason it is not recommended to use a machine wheel/Dremel to polish.

  5. Lightly rinse the crystal with clean, soapy water, and wipe clean with microfiber or watch cloth. Make sure it is completely dry and free of dust before putting back into the case. A crystal press is recommended during this step to insure the crystal goes in with even pressure around the edges.

 

Dials

When looking for vintage Timex pieces, you will find dials in a variety of conditions. Sometimes, natural age and patina may be attractive, and you will want to leave the dial alone to maintain its vintage character. In other instances, it may be desired and possible to clean the dial to attain a “like new look”. Contributor Rafa Magallanes, has had a lot of success in cleaning certain dials and lays out his methods below.

NOTE: THE USE OF RADIUM PAINT IN ON WATCH DIALS AND HANDS WAS A COMMON PRACTICE UNTIL 1968, WHEN IT WAS OFFICIALLY OUTLAWED IN THE US. RADIUM HAS A HALF-LIFE OF ABOUT 1600 YEARS, MEANING THAT ANY RADIUM YOU FIND WILL STILL BE HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE. ESPECIALLY IF INHALED OR INGESTED. A STUDY DONE BY KINGSTON UNIVERSITY IN THE UK IN 2018 ALSO PRESENTED SIGNIFICANT EVIDANCE FOR THESE PIECES OFF-GASING DANGEROUS AMOUNTS OF RADon GAS (The naturally occuring gas from Radium Decay). BETWEEN THE LATE 60S AND EARLY 90S, TRITIUM REPLACED RADIUM AS A LUMINENCENT MATERIAL. WHILE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS RADIOACTIVE (HALF-LIFE OF ABOUT 12 YEARS), AND MOSTLY DANGEROUS ONLY IF INGESTED, THIS IS IS ALSO A VOLOTILE SUBSTANCE. HERITAGE 1854 DOES NOT RECOMMEND THAT YOU WORK WITH A RADIUM DIAL AND DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBLITY FOR ANY ISSUES THAT ARISE FROM DOING SO. IF YOU DO STILL DECIDE TO WORK ON A WATCH WITH A RADIUM DIAL, PLEASE EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION. WEAR A MASK, GLOVES, EYE GEAR, AND WORK IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA. THoROUGHLY CLEAN THE SURROUNDING WORK AREA AFTER USE, AND DISPOSE OF ALL MATERIALS SAFELY AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL LAWS.

- Tools Needed -

  • Latex gloves

  • Microfiber cloth

  • Q-Tip

  • Wooden toothpick

- Method -

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