Service, sandblast & more..

This TAG HEUER came to me for full service. It's been well used for about 30 years. It ran with low amplitude and was loosing time. The owner still keeps an original leather strap. The stainless steel case had some quite deep dents together with the usual scuffs and scratches. Taking a closer look shows even the lume on the hands was cracking. One should reads what a watch tells carefully. The dial says “T Swiss Made T” which means the original luminous material used here contained radio-active Tritium. While the wearer shouldn’t worry much about the low dose radiation risk, a watchmaker would take extra care when handling.

The watch was fully disassembled. Parts were inspected, cleaned and then the movement was put back together. Lubrication is applied during re-assembly at specific points using different grades of oils and greases as specified by the movement manufacturer.

The stainless steel case and bezel were sanded to get rid of scratches and scuffs. Deep dents are harder to remove as this would remove too much material. The alternative is laser welding followed by sanding but you’d risk discolouration if the exact stainless steel grade is not used.

The case was then sandblasted to get the original finish back. This is a very satisfying process and the end results are stunning with a dull metal look that’s barely reflective. I personally love that finish.

Right half was sandblasted first. Note how it’s different from the left half which was yet to be sandblasted in this photo.

I have also sandblasted the stainless steel buckle. The following photo gallery shows the sandblasted parts when finished and after the watch has been finished. No need to mention that bezel numbers and markers had been re-painted.

A glimpse of movement re-assembly and final results on the timegrapher. Have a look at that pallet fork with nicely applied shellac on the back.