Hi,
Just wanted to get some opinions on polishing these old cases.
Do most collectors polish or leave the old patina?

Thanks,
Donnie

I would leave it alone. It looks great as is. Plus it is gold filled and polishing will eventually wear thru the gold layer.

I guess I am from the other side of the tracks, if I pick up a watch in any type of case (gold, silver, or silveroid) the first thing I do is to clean the case. Many times there is coal dust muck, sock drawer muck and any other type of muck you can think of on these cases.

I don't polish them every day, week or month so I don't think wearing through the gold layer would ever be a problem.

To me leaving the years of sweat, coal dust, and other typical things that the watch would have been subjected to bothers me more than the thought of the minor if any impact cleaning the case would have.

There is nothing like looking at a watch that looks like it was brought home yesterday!

I'm sure that some will not agree, but I think that it just adds to the value. I even take them completly apart, just like the movement, and clean the inside as well. Lindell tought me not to touch the inside as far as polishing it, but like Claude said, there is a LOT of crud in there!! I soak them for about an hour at least in limon scented amonia, and what a difference in the inside of those cases.

Once they have a good shine all you have to do is wipe it once in a while with a jewelers rouge cloth.

That bow needs to be standing at attention too Donnie!!

Regards,
Larry

Me too, Claude. I clean that sucker up nice and shiny to look its best. After enjoying it for a period of time, it goes into a drawer where it might sit for another 5 years. This is the most insane hobby I have ever had! For Pete's sake, I can only wear one at a time!! If it gets tarnished when I want to wear it, I polish it up again while watching reruns of 'The Mentalist"! This is how you "pocket watch".

Glad to see that I am not that "odd", as Larry mentioned about cleaning the inner areas I have an old tooth brush to get to the inner ring area along with getting into the crevices on the crown, which I take out along with the stem so that the pendant area is easier to clean.

Once clean usually a quick rub with a soft cloth will spiff the shine back up.

And like Mike once I put them away it might be years before I pull it out to wear or look at.

When I get a case that WILL clean up, I disassemble it, clean it, the crown and stem parts the same as I do a watch movement. Then it gets;

a toothbrush "special" all over

complete dry out

a careful touchup with a brass brush to get the unmentionables out of the threads, neck and nether regions inside the case body.

Then I DECIDE what to do about the outside. if it is like the beautifully finished gold case that begins this thread, a micropore rubbing is all it will get. If it is a cruddy, dirty, chemically stained (but fully recoverable) "silveroid-ene", etc., case, it goes to the "wheel", with compound and then another wheel with rouge followed by a micropore finish.

A similar fate awaits any severely tarnished Coin silver case. If it be sterling, a standard silver cleaner gets into the act.

After all of this, the case is inspected, re-assembled with good lube in all hinged, springed or twisty parts and used as a good, clean USED watchcase!

There are probably as many direct answers and variant sub-replies to this question as there are active members of this forum.

In my case (not a play on words) it depends on how a case is tarnished, especially the .900 & .925 silver ones.

Some silver cases take on a patina that glows, and draws you into it with different colors & hues of the rainbow, and these speak to you, saying: 'please don't remove me', while others that look grubby and unevenly toned get the treatment.

That's just one man's opinion.

I agree with Lawrence that a clean new watch looks the best even when it is 100 years old! I think the cleaning is an individual judgement and age and history count too. A little compound on an enameled gold watch can be a disaster!

I like my watches cleaned, but with discretion and restraint, so that it's not obviously that a power buffer has been applied aggressively.

I agree with cleaning and polishing the case a bit. I have had a few that had grimy fingerprints on it and a light polishing did wonders! I also clean out the inside of the case as sometimes there is pocket grime in there and I don't want anything getting into the movement when I it it back in. I can not buff it up like Larry, but I have a few cases that look 10 times better after a good cleaning.
Dan