# Seiko 5 - Scratched Glass



## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

Hi folks - I'm looking for some advice please.

I recently purchased a Seiko 5 automatic from Roy for daily use.

It is a great wee watch and I am careful with it.

However, to my dismay I found out today that I've managed to scratch the glass and for the life of me I can't understand how it happened. It is minor, but noticeable and because I know it is there it annoys me all the more.

Is there any way I can remove this?

Or do I need to buy a new glass?

Thanks, in anticipation of your help and advice.


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## Guest (Jan 13, 2010)

Ive tried to remove scratches from crystals before and I never get them out unless theyre acrylic. If youre confident enough try it yourself-a crystal is reasonably cheap, or ask Roy to do it for you.


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

Polywatch if it's an acrylic crystal.

Brasso can help too if it's mineral, just don't do circle movements. Work 12-6 then 9-3.


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## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

Thank you jeffvader and avidfan.

Roy described it as mineral.

Does that mean that Brasso will work if I'm careful?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

seiko use their own glass brand named Hardlex

You won't be able to polish it out manually very easily.

a glass polisher might be able to do it (some one who does spectacles etc)


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## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

pg tips said:


> seiko use their own glass brand named Hardlex
> 
> You won't be able to polish it out manually very easily.
> 
> a glass polisher might be able to do it (some one who does spectacles etc)


Thanks pgtips.

That sounds like a lot of hassle for a relatively minor (but very annoying) issue, compared to replacing the glass?


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## vamos666 (May 20, 2009)

Someone on here a few months ago (sorry, my memory!







) said that if the scratch can be felt with your fingernail, then it's too far gone but lighter scratches can be polished out if you have the time and patience.

I've managed to get most of the(very light)scratches out of one of my Seikos but it took about 2 hours of polishing with either T-Cut or Brasso (again, my memory!)


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

Jewellers rouge


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

depending on the model, cousins do them reasonably cheaply......


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## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies :thumbsup:


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

Hi pastmaster

Here's a before and after of an old kinetic Lorus that was my work watch (i'm a burner in a heavy foundry so watches have a hard life  )

there were burns and scratches all over it from spatters of molten steel etc..










it took about 30minutes to get it to this condition (but made my fingers ache!!)..

i laid a piece of wet & dry abrasive paper (around 180grit)on a sheet of glass, wet the paper with a mix of water/fairy liquid and just rubbed away with the watch crystal down using moderate pressure from two fingers on the back, once most of the marks were gone (one burn was too deep to remove), the crystal was opaque, i then laid some thick paper/thin card on the glass and put a small amount of Brasso on then gave it around ten minutes of the same type of rubbing, i also used the brasso on the case a little









The end result..










Not perfect by any means but a vast improvement on the original, had i carried on for another ten minutes of each process there would have been more of an improvement but my fingers felt like they were going to drop off :down: (arthritis!)

btw, i don't have the watch now, my foreman at work took a shine to it so i gave it to him- that's about three i've given him and i never see him wearing a watch, i reckon he's sticking them on fleabay :grin:

John


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## ollyhock (Feb 9, 2009)

i find toothpaste to be pretty good and it doesnt cloud the rest off the crystal


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## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

johnbaz said:


> Hi pastmaster
> 
> Here's a before and after of an old kinetic Lorus that was my work watch (i'm a burner in a heavy foundry so watches have a hard life  )
> 
> ...


Wow!!!

That's a bit of a result - thanks very much for the detailed advice.

My problem is a single scratch that you can barely feel with your nail, so I'm hopeful that I might be able to polish it out using the brasso only method described above.


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## pastmaster (Nov 12, 2009)

ollyhock said:


> i find toothpaste to be pretty good and it doesnt cloud the rest off the crystal


Do you know if the brasso method described above will do that ollyhock?


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