Omega

Hi Friends.

 

  Last week, I bought a GL stepped dial coming with a chronometre 505 movement.and original hands. Looks like it's gold case was melted long time ago and this unit is like a hermit crab with no shell.

  Here it was

 

                                                

                        You can see  it's a 18K dial covered by a thin coat like varnish. After a long time, that coat has deteriorated and became a stuff like gum or tar or something very sticky and dirty

                                                 here's the 505 movement which is still running strong and in very good shape.

 

                                                 

 

     Today, I received it from the mailman and spent 3 hours to work on that and now, here it is.

 

                                                  

                                                 

                                                 

                                                 

                                                 

    All the dirty gum and tar were cleaned and gone, now I have a dial which is missing the original coat but looks nicer and shinnier. All the ridges of the steps are in perfect shape. No dents, no damage.

 

                                Certainly, I have a shell of this poor hermit crab to get into.

 

                                               

                                               

                                               

 

   and now, I have another de Luxe dial and the movement to put away somewhere.

 

                                               

 

  Don't ask me what stuff I used to clean away that gum and  leave the printings, the scripts intact. but.....there is exception, of course.

 

    Cheers  and thank you for looking.

 

   Hoi.

                                                

                                                    

 

                                                

                                              

but, and perhaps this is a testament to your lovely photography, the 'before' picture seems have a rather pleasant patina! but i really can't argue with the cased up picture. it is a gorgeous watch.

 Hi.

 It was my first thought to leave the patina the way it was, but after inpecting the dial, there were areas that the former owner had tried to clean but failed. There were lints sticked to the dial everywhere and that patina was not even at all.

 

      

 

i see what you're talking about. a fine decision then. and again, a lovely watch.

Maybe you can work some magic on my 2887-2?

 

   Hi Kyle,

 

  It will look like this.

 

                        

                        

                        

 

   and you already know it's my 2887.

 

  Best

 

                               

Hoi,

you are really brave - what you dare!  It also could have gone south...

Would you please PM me the secret of your success - I think I have also some "candidates"

kind regards

erich

Well done for having the courage to tackle it.  What a beauty!!

Cheers

Andrew

..to clean the dial? This was such a good job you did.

 

 Well, the magic stuff I used was .....Windex.....and it cleaned away only the old, dirty coating but left the printings intact. I used tiny toothpicks and wrapped a very small amount of cotton (from Q tips) around the tip of it.

  Do not soak it too wet, just wet enough.

  I am thinking about putting  a new coating on it but not quite sure how to apply what stuff is correct.

     Maybe the varnish from Cremona created by Stradivarius ?

 

    PS, They printed the Script first then they applied that coat Mr Snak.

 

   Warning : The Windex I used works only on the 18K  de Luxe and GL stepped dials with that coatings only. I am not responsible for this method and trying to do the same may lead to differnet results.

 

   Best.

Here is one of mine that I subjected to alternative cleaning process.

Before




After

...now that you've teased us :

Want to try this on a couple old dials I have. Nothing to lose to try.

No message body