When you get a massive scratch on your watch, what do you do?

ignore it

maybe they can fix it during the next service

Don’t flip it!  Sending your problem to a stranger is not good. 

That’s pretty deep. When you tire of looking at it, laser welding might be the way to go. Simply removing material will alter the shape of the side.

Whatever route you go, that was an expensive evening out!

For me it's like a scar on a human body. It has to have a story behind it, so I can relate to that memory and even appreciate that scar with time.

If your evening with your friends was great, let that scratch be the forever memory of it !

It's exactly like it is with a car...every ding or scratch is painful...but you get over it eventually (not always lol) 

When something is pre-owned it seems so much easier to accept flaws at least for me...

Also, watching your video...someone else caused the scratch vs some amazing story of survival...so I understand how it bugged the crap out of you

I only own watches I can freely scratch. I don't see the fun in a watch you can't wear and then live life. 

Clearly only you can answer the question of how much it bothers you and whether or not it would affect your enjoyment of the wearing experience.  But if it DOES have a negative effect, could you look into getting it re-housed?  I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap, but perhaps it would be less than the loss you'd suffer by flipping it. The other variable to consider is whether you appreciate that watch for the memories you've made with it, or if replacing it with a similar/same model would suffice for your needs.

I usually rub a scotch-bride pad on this in the direction of the grain. This will not get rid of it entirely but it may soften it to a more acceptable level. 

I never scratched a watch as badly as you show in the video. Taking this as a hypothetical exercise I think that the most probable action I'll take is to send it for professional repair if it's a 1KUS$ or more watch or forget about it and learn to live with the scratch if it's less.

I don't think I'll sell a watch because it's scratched.

It definitely hurts every time I notice a new scratch, but I won’t bother to get it fixed or try to flip it. It sucks, but I’ll get over it pretty fast usually and still love the watch. It does suck a lot more when someone else scratched it though, that is really unfortunate that you got a nasty souvenir from this dinner party 

Oof to the way it got scratched! I have no idea how many times I've handed my watch to someone without thinking about it! I'm usually all like, "try it on bro!" But that's always a one on one situation. Of course on the rare times someone hands me their watch I have my absolute focus on that alone, and there's been a couple of times where I've been insistent it stay on the other person's wrist. 

I usually I don't notice when I scratch my watch until after it happened. Of course my watches tend to be more modest in price and there's a great chance I'm wearing a g shock anyway.

For brushed surfaces, I've used this tool to good effect. The result is often all but invisible. I've taken it to the brushed parts of a Grand Seiko bracelet and it even took out a small dent in the case. Even when it can't take out the scratch completely, it makes it less visible. I'm not a watchmaker and don't play one on TV, this is not an endorsements and implies no warranty, YMMV, etc. etc. 

First thing i do is mope. While I’m moping, i grab a tub of ice cream, my blankie, and a bottle of scotch and watch a really sad depressing movie to lull my tears to sleep as I sob into my pillow and damn this world of scratches I’m forced to live in. Oh the humanity.

I like polishing and fixing things, so that’s what I do…

something like this though on a high end piece, and looking at how much of a hit that case took…

take it to the professionals if possible, and I hope the friend offered to stump up at least part of the cost. 

first world problems

Plus 1.  If it can be refinished with a common full service at Omega, I’d keep it and just let the service take care of it.  If it truly cannot be fixed with refinish then you’ve got a whole other choice.  The financial loss is simply there if you decide you can’t live with it and decide to part with it.  However,  I’d keep it in that scenario.  Because I’d still see the value in the watch and not be willing to take the financial loss over the scratch.  Bettors choice, smokes or coin.  At least as far as I see it.

I have two best friends, known them since we were kids. We go out (just the 3 of us), someone's shirt or couch always gets ruined (blood, booze, markers, rips, etc). Solution: we dont wear nice things around eachother, we hang out in the basement or a bar unless our wives are around. We're not even that wild, just clumsy haha.

A lot of good self help suggestions on this thread.  If necessary the case can be professionally refinished, I don't think it is a problem.  That's a nice watch, I would send it back to Omega for a professional case touch up when it goes for service.

I have no intensions of selling or making money on a current model Omega, that's doesn't make sense to me.

That said, because I live with this watch daily, I could not stand the unsightly look of this deep gash, so for me it had to go to the repairers.

As for any other scratches my watches gain on a daily basis, Im all good with those, thats standard wear and tear. this case was leaning more towards damage rather than hairlines etc, so I got it repaired. Back to being happy now 😊

Thanks for sharing btw 

Your video is timely as I just had a deep scratch on the steel bezel of my new Serica 5303… I am still trying to get used to it

Fill the scratch with Bondo

Brush to a like new finish

Thank God you made the same choice I would have made!

Depends how noticeable the scratch is and where it is. Also my connection with the watch has a minor part to play. Minor abrasions on the case and bracelet or significant ones on the caseback - don't really care and can live with these. Same if I gauged any everyday basher - that's what it was meant for. However big noticeable divots, that are easily seen on a watch with sentimental value (especially if the watch came to me in mint/near mint condition) - I might be inclined to do something.

any competent watchmaker can restore that by microwelding a line of fresh (matched) steel into it, and refinishing to factory standard - no metal loss, no change to the case profile and you won't know it's been done. It's a very specific repair, and Omega may not be the best to do it (they'd probably put a new case on it!) - worth having a scout for a good local repairer/maker who can do casework for you. 

Me i would fix it ..i dont  like scratches in my car or watch..

It's now a keeper. Period

I’ve sold a watch with a big ding before. It affected my enjoyment of the watch so I moved on. 

My Prospex LX is my, by far, my priciest watch.  I week after getting it I bashed it into the corner of a steel and glass watch case at an Omega AD.  I was walking swiftly and swinging my arm, so as to have maximum impact force with the F-ing corner of the cabinet.

the terrible knock sound told me I’d just totalled my mint DLC watch.  Why did I even go in?  It was just briefly on a whim?!

Left dealer immediately, cursing like crazy at myself.  Couldn’t look at it out of fear.  
Much later finally had a look, yes, big scratch in that black zaratsu mirror finish.  
 

Extremly painful for quite a few weeks.  I’d knocked its value down by 1000 s, and was super noticeable to me as well.

Now, many months later, it bugs me less, no current plan to sell, love the SD and gorgeous finishing, the scratch is annoying but easy to ignore.

@PeterKotsa If you can tolerate it for the first couple months I think you’ll notice it less and less.  But I relate to your feelings of ‘it’s ruined’ very well.

Edit: as it’s very late and wife is sleeping beside me, I can’t watch the vid.  But apparently you fixed it.   So disregard my long ass comment 

I will live in sad isolation with my scratched DLC 🫤

I say, "throw it out and time for a new one!!!"...but when you do throw it out send it over my way and I will gladly dispose it for ya! 😜