Let's talk about scratches

I am generally very easy on things, and don't wear nice watches during rough activities. I have developed habits of protecting my watch from possible impacts when opening doors, etc. So scratches are pretty rare (usually if I see a scratch, I'm not even sure how it happened). But when they do happen, I'm not too concerned because I don't buy watches as investments or plan to resell them for absolute top dollar, etc. But I also don't believe that things need to be all banged up in order to show they've been loved, like some sort of badge of honor. I would consider having light scratches polished or brushed out during a servicing. Or I might brush out scratches on a cheap watch myself if it bothered me. But normal, honest wear is just fine with me.

Weirdly, on a couple of occasions, I'd been obsessed with a particular watch, got it, and then decided that it just didn't live up to expectations, prepared to then sell it, and then...  got a ding or a scratch!  At which point, I figured, "Well, ain't no point in selling it now, as I'll get significantly less for it."  

And then I really fell in love with the watch after that, and couldn't imagine parting with it.  So, maybe the ding or the scratch was all for the best...  or maybe my brain is just doing some amazing rationalizing.  But, whatever!  Same outcome!

I have no problem with polishing. Very annoying people will act like a minor buffing will turn a case into an amorphous blob. I wish I could have them all institutionalized. Amen to @gbelleh for stating that there is no virtue a watch being all scuffed up. 

Depends on where or how I got the scratch, I guess.

My first automatic has a ton of dings and scratches from my first occupation. I didn't mind it then and I don't mind it now.

I fumbled reinstalling the bracelet on a recently acquired Hamilton Intra-Matic. The end link slipped out the front of the watch and the spring bar eruption left a tiny ding only a fraction of a millimeter wide on the inner corner of the lug--not immediately obvious, but visible in plain sight if one knows where to look. This I do mind. I've been pacing back and forth in my thoughts trying to come to terms with it.

Lesson learned: get spring bar pliers before fiddling with bracelets.

When its new, Im careful w it & sorta get bummed out at the first few scratches. I certainly dont buff them out. Its patina and the way it is.

If I fell and scratched the case/bracelet badly then I might consider bringing it in for professional buffing. But remember, nobody else is really gonna see those little dings except for you and everytime you look down, it'll remind you of where you were and how you got it. 

I buy my watches to wear, not sell. 

I take precautions to avoid the most probable scratching, but if one happens, it happens, I swear and then occasionally rub it with my finger for a few days until I accept it & move on. 

An occasional hand polish is ok, I use Cape Cod Cloth, or Simichrome polish.  You can also use toothpaste in a pinch, the silica in the toothpaste is a polishing agent.

I'll upthe newer ones with a Cod cloth, just to knock down the surface of what ever living life has built up on it. Except the Swatch Irony, it looks good showing its age. I did poly the crystal but that's it. 

I don't care much either way. Things get worn and that's it. Sometime the effort to restore the appearance is worth it, sometime it's not. Having a watch scratched or pristine isn't very important in the context of my life.

If the watch is a sports watch, or otherwise meant to be worn daily, field watch etc. I don't mind the scratches. Once a watch gets them, I won't baby it anymore. 

The bezel on my KFA is almost brushed now...

My INOX is beat up...

And many more, let's just say, I'm not worried about scratches.

My wedding band, which started out all polished, has a ton of dings and scratches on it. Yeah that first scratch is gonna hurt but I think after accumulating a few, it's character.

Im left handed so my watches lives a dangerous life. Personally the only reason I would consider polishing a watch is if I by a scratched up peace that is not vintage. yeah the scratches tells a story, but not my stories. I rather start on blank papaers and make my own stories ✒️📖

Indirectly, deep in our mind we would always feel that there is some value in our watches and that there is a likelihood that we might sell it, so we tend to want to take care of it for the next person.

There are reasons why people have different watches for different occasions. So in this case, expect your outdoor watch to be full of scratches then your dress watch.  Also polishing your watch just makes you spend more which you probably would end up doing for your routine 5 year service. Live a little they say.

I like polishing things, but that tends to be by hand. Sometimes a scratch or a ding may need a file to stop it being sharp enough to cut… so… somewhere in the middle I guess? Leaning towards the making it look new once in a while? 

i will truly enjoy 2nd hand watches when its refinished/polished to original specs. and then look forward to scratching them up myself. 
 

Why would i continue somebody else’s story?

Well, I LOVE this particular watch and it's so shiny haha! I've only had one watch that I bought that I didn't really like and it was an Oris. I tried with that brand and I can't do it. I think they look cool but man It wasn't for me.

Agreed it is unavoidable, and I totally agree about dents. That would drive me absolutely batty.

My take on the no polishing has more to do with the person and their future plans for the piece. In general, I think it depends on how you've worn the watch. If you truly wear it as a tool watch and enjoy it, cool. If you want to polish it every 10 years, cool. For me I have no one (at this point) to pass my cool stuff on so I'll want to ensure my items can be sold and that the $ obtained will benefit the charities I have elected in my estate. So the value tends to be higher without polishing at least at this point in history. My 2cents.

I have the same philosphy. I have my Casio Mudmaster for hard tasks, and a few others (seikos) for lighter tasks. I guess for me it's the general scratches we get wearing the watch and maybe sitting at a table and it rubs or something. I think it's good to have another watch for those "demolition" days.😎

how I see you living that dangerous life...😀

I hate scratches that much that my wedding ring and bracelet are tungsten carbide (scratchable by diamond only).  If only I could find a diver's watch with a tungsten carbide case and bracelet, I'd be a happy man, but with a watch that weighs 2 kilos. 😁

I tend to treat all of my valuable possessions with the respect that they deserve. I believe in wearing my watches, but that doesn't preclude being careful while doing so, to minimize the inevitable scratches that will eventually present themselves. I won't lose sleep over a scratch, but would still prefer my watches to remain as scratch free as possible. If I know that I'm going to be doing something that could likely result in damage to my watch, I'll either not wear a watch at all, or wear one appropriate for the punishment it might receive.

All of my watches have, at least, minor scratches.   really don't worry about them because I wear them and the scars of use are what make the watch mine.

Scratches on watches prove they are fulfilling their purpose.  I say the same thing about all the scars I have and my purpose which is to live this life, not stand on the sidelines.

First few scratches are painful, but as time goes on I don’t feel bad at all.

I fell on my Rolex Submariner and the pavers scratched the band badly. 

When this goes back to RSC I’m sure they’ll get it looking like new.

They did a fantastic job on my older gold 15038, nice sharp edges, great graining. Well worth the price.

No polish, but I do steer away from high polish bezels.  

I try to as well. I like they way they look. I had purchased a pre owned Panerai, and it had the polished bezel and THAT among all things drove me nuts. I wouldn't polish it but I kept "wiping it" with a microfiber cloth.😂

I can totally relate to the second story. I have this exact same problem with my Navitimer. I have some minor scratches around the spring bar area, and I do have the pliers plus Breitling's spring bar tool (which is actually pretty good). I moved past it, but it still bothers the heck out of me.

Well, I think that the first person to say: "scratches adds personality to a watch" was a marketing genious, and was able to sell a messy scratched timepiece by its original value. 

For me, and I firmly believe that for the most of you guys, polishing is a form of art. The same way that designing a watch case is another form of art. There is no art in scratching a watch, though. My point is, if your watch is scratched, most probably you will prefer that it didn't happen at all. So don't come up saying "scratches tell stories". You know what tell stories? Photos!
 

My dad has a very nice watch. He doesn't mind getting it all banged up (to my horror) but every time we take a photo of him, there is that watch on the picture! When I eventually herr his timepiece, it will be scratched and beaten. But I will certainly pay for a professional to erase those marks and bring that timepiece to its original glory, so it will be able to remain on the family for many generations. 

That might be an unpopular opinion but think: what would be preferable? Having a fully restored, minty conditioned 60's timepiece from your grandpa, or passing an all beaten, leaking, scratched and chipped vintage timepiece to your son? Do you really think that he will value that timepiece the same as you? It will probably end up on some dark drawer, and on Ebay later, where someone will buy it and... You guessed it: restore it.
 

RESTORE YOUR WATCHES. The sooner, and most professionally, the better. 

When my watches are new, i baby them.

After they have earned some dings and scratches (which certainly will happen sooner or later), i'm taking it easy and don't worry so much anymore.

If it was a very expensive or special piece (inherited), i would consider it beeing restored by a professional if it was really beaten up.

What i can't stand at all are scratched crystals, though (but there's sapphire to solve this)