Grabbed this Swatch Blue Boat at an auction and it needed some love. Cleared the scratched crystal so the blue dial shows again, sanded and mirror-polished the case and bracelet, and kept the clasp in satin so it doesn't scratch up right away. Quick ultrasonic bath on the bracelet to finish.
Pretty happy with how the blue pops now. 💙
One of the nicest projects I have done lately. A collector from Spain reached out about his CGW-500 Cosmophase, a watch that belonged to his father. It still ran fine, but it had clearly lived a full life, and he wanted it brought back without losing its character.
The condition on arrival: heavy scratches all over the case, bracelet, and clasp, and a mineral crystal full of deep scratches. The bracelet was non-original, but he wanted to keep it, so we restored it instead of swapping it. The real surprise came after opening it up. The inside of the glass had a greasy silicone film on it, probably from the gasket breaking down over the years, which made the whole display look foggy. Every corner was packed with dirt and the buttons were so gunked up they barely pressed.
What I did:
Honest note: the mineral glass is much better but not flawless, you can still catch a faint scratch or two at certain angles. And the alarm still works but is quiet now, just the buzzer showing its age. Nothing to be done there.
The owner was happy, said it came out better than he expected, which is the best thing to hear when it is a family piece.
Happy to answer any questions about the mineral glass process, that thread on here was a lifesaver. 🛠️
If anyone wants the full step-by-step with more photos, I wrote it all up here: https://casiorestore.com/casio-cgw-500-restoration