Swatch Irony + Toothpaste = Cheap Scratch Removal
I have an old Swatch Irony Chronograph that was bouncing around in a junk drawer. It wasn't in bad shape - but had a few scratches in the acrylic crystal from years of wear (some time ago) and sharing a drawer with old Apple iPod cables and a few Iomega ZIP disks. It was ripe for a simple refresh and maybe a return to my wrist as part of my watch rotation.
It was a prime candidate to see how well toothpaste alone can act as a polishing agent on an acrylic watch crystal. Digging up some Crest Pro Health (Clean Mint, of course) and a microfiber cloth led to a few minutes of polishing and a watch that now smelled "minty fresh". I was a little surprised at the quality of outcome - as the toothpaste alone did a significant job at taking away the micro-scratches that covered the entire surface. That little experiment validates that toothpaste is not a bad option, in a pinch, and can bring a true sparkle to an old watch in desperate need of some attention.
But, alas, I chose not to be satisfied with "good enough" and dug out the Dremel and some polishing compound in an effort to return the Swatch to its original glory. The final picture shows the end result and truly brings the watch back to a state where I can wear it with pride and upgrade its status beyond the junk drawer.
I am old enough to have watches be part of nearly my entire life - long before the conveniences of modern phones. I worked at a small town drugstore in my youth, which afforded me a rotating assortmen...
So, good in a pinch but no competition to the dremel tool? Gotcha.