How To refinish AP Rose Gold Strap or Bracelet Plots

[SubKing]

So I was in Las Vegas with the wife this past weekend and while I was walking next to her, she raised her arm and dropped it back down and by mistake her bracelets hit my new 44mm RG Roo.. OUCHHHH. I had a nice gash and small dent on the left plot at the 6 o-clock. the upside to this was it didn't hit the case or other hard to get area's.

Once I got home, I contacted AP. Instead of paying and waiting 4 to 6 weeks to have them repair it, I decided to have a go at it. Now I have been refinishing watches for several years and not only do I have the proper machinery and tools, but I also have a steady hand. So I advise you to not try this unless you know what you're doing. Hard to keep a steady hand when working on a 46k watch let alone the perfection of a finish on an AP.

So after I made a few phone calls, I gathered this info that I hope will help others in the future if you manage to scratch your AP.

On stainless steel models, AP uses diamond grade sandpaper. On softer metals such as Gold, AP uses standard non diamond sandpaper.
The case and the plots are two completely different finishes as AP uses two different grades of sand paper on these different area's so they are not the same finish under magnification.

The Case of a gold AP ROO is done in 400 grit, while the plots are done in 600 grit.

for those of you who don't know what the plots are, they are the two pieces that connect to the case lugs and also connect to the strap. They are responsible for keeping the watch on your wrist. they are very important.

I wish I took a before picture but I only have after's unfortunately.
If needed I was going to remove the strap and remove the plot from the case.

After which I would have a piece of 600 grade sandpaper secured down on my bench. I would then rub the gold plot straight down in as straight of a line as I could while keeping the rounded shape of the plot. if you do not keep in mine while sanding the plot to keep the rounded shape, you will ruin the plot and flatten the top of it. Which will result in the plot not matching and looking terrible. it will be permanently ruined.

you also need a fixed counter screwdriver system to even remove the bracelet and plots to begin with. If you don't, I recommend buying one because doing it by hand will result it several slips and scratches on the screw heads as well as the watch case.

For this job I decided I didn't need to remove the plot. I instead felt I could get to the area's I needed to get to be masking of the watch case and area's I did not want to be effected while refinishing the plot.
Take your time masking your watch. Make sure you have enough protection on the surrounding area's. remember, AP finish is perfection and it can be redone if you take your time.

So everything was masked, I then took double sided 3m tape and put it on the cap of a marker that had a nice small flat top. I then cut a small piece of sandpaper to the same width as the plot I was going to refinish. the marker is so I can have a good grip and make very straight passes IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY**
I then applied the sandpaper onto the plot. I did 3 passes then replaced the sandpaper with a fresh piece and did 3 more passes. I do no more than 3 passes because after 3 passes, the roughness of the sandpaper gets worn down and will start to change the finish again the more you sand and will result in an unmatched finish. You want crisp satin finish where the grain of the finish is perfect and straight.

so all and all I did 12 passes, changing the sandpaper every 3 passes. The dent disappeared and so did the scratches and the plot matches the others exactly like factory, even under 10x magnification you cannot tell the difference.

Now another important reminder, remember when I told you on a Gold ROO the plots are rounded on the surface and not flat. Well make sure the double sided tape you use to secure your small piece of sandpaper to your marker cap, is the foamed double sided tape. that way the sandpaper will have a springy effect when applied and the sandpaper will fallow the current contour of the plot. as if you had a flat piece of sandpaper stuck onto a hard surface of a marker cap that had no give, you could disrupted the current factory shape as well. Remember, 18k gold is soft, so you don't need a lot of pressure.

I know there is a lot to this and some of what I have said may not make the most sense if you're not used to working with watches.. I tried to paint as good of a picture as I could for everyone. This is the way it should be done.

No fiberglass pen or satin wheel or satin block will ever give you the correct finish. It has to be done this way completely by hand.

Please note that in the two pictures below, it is the Left strap PLOT that has been refinished, The right PLOT is factory. I tried to get the best light and as close as I could so you can see a clear image of how straight the grain is as well as the match which is perfect. The entire plot was refinished. dent and scratches both removed.





any questions based on what I have said here, please feel free to ask

[Jim12345]

Wow that's amazing, I would have liked to have seen a before picture. Sounds like you did your research before attempting it and know what you are doing.

Knowing very little about this sort of thing, I would not have had the stones to try it!!! Glad it turned out well.

[AshAP]

Wow that's amazing! And I knew that there would finally be a good news story to the gold price drop - imagine how nervous you would have been if the watch still cost $65000

[SubKing]

Originally Posted by AshAP

Wow that's amazing! And I knew that there would finally be a good news story to the gold price drop - imagine how nervous you would have been if the watch still cost $65000

[TSW]

WOW Jordan...I'd say you did a great job!!

[cdnyc]

Amazing work. I would never be able to pull that off.

[Hairdude1]

Looks great! I was in Vegas last weekend also!

[Soly20]

That looks like an amazing job!

[B. Doggy]

Holy shit, captain! Nice job.

[kungpow]

Wow brave work and amazing job!

[incontrol]

Amazing job! Amazing skill! Thank you for sharing with us how you did this refinishing. I learned so much!

[mb23]

Man, great job!! You have big your know what's to attempt that yourself, I would have crapped my pants! Lol

[Reese's TimePieces]

Amazing work!

[DoxaDavid]

Excellent job! I have done several refinish jobs myself on SS models but have never attempted it on any of my gold watches. Great job and love the 3m tape tip. Will have to remember that one!

[SubKing]

Thanks all for the kind words.
You know, I'm sure my watch will get scratched again soon, as it is gold and gold scratches just by looking at it the wrong way. If it was steel on the other hand, then it would be much more resistant from scratching. Only a matter of time, but it was nice I was able to correct this time around perfectly. If it was ever scratched on the case itself, I would not have touched it. The plots are the the most easy finish to work with.

for the future, I will just except scratches, there is no way around keeping a watch especially a gold watch from scratching, just let the scratches build up and then let AP refinish during routine service. The only thing I want to avoid are deep dents because those may not ever come out

[Dickson Lim]

Superb job I must say, Jordan! Can we have a before picture?

[orangedial]

Looks great, Jordan! You are a brave soul
Thanks for the step-by-step guide too... although I doubt I've the gut to DIY

[SubKing]

Really, the plots, bezel and the tang buckle are the only thing they finish by hand using sandpaper, ceramic bezels are not but metal bezels yes..

As for the case finish, that is done by machine as it has multiple different finishes, which is impossible to replicate that finish by hand and best to send into AP for that. If you know what to look for, using a normal 10x loupe, you can tell just by looking at the watch, which finishes were done by hand and which were done by machine.

Just to clarify, when I say by hand, that means they could have done the refinish by hand with no machine or held against a sanding or polishing machine by their hand and when I say by machine, I mean there where no human hands used during that process. Most of the time in hard to get area's that are not flat and have several different small corners and or are very small components to the watch like the plots, those have to be done by hand because a large machine wouldn't be able to get to such area's.

[Chary]

Amazing job! I'll send u my Safari next time it needs polishing!

[Submarino]

Originally Posted by SubKing

So I was in Las Vegas with the wife this past weekend and while I was walking next to her, she raised her arm and dropped it back down and by mistake her bracelets hit my new 44mm RG Roo.. OUCHHHH. I had a nice gash and small dent on the left plot at the 6 o-clock. the upside to this was it didn't hit the case or other hard to get area's.

Once I got home, I contacted AP. Instead of paying and waiting 4 to 6 weeks to have them repair it, I decided to have a go at it. Now I have been refinishing watches for several years and not only do I have the proper machinery and tools, but I also have a steady hand. So I advise you to not try this unless you know what you're doing. Hard to keep a steady hand when working on a 46k watch let alone the perfection of a finish on an AP.

So after I made a few phone calls, I gathered this info that I hope will help others in the future if you manage to scratch your AP.

On stainless steel models, AP uses diamond grade sandpaper. On softer metals such as Gold, AP uses standard non diamond sandpaper.
The case and the plots are two completely different finishes as AP uses two different grades of sand paper on these different area's so they are not the same finish under magnification.

The Case of a gold AP ROO is done in 400 grit, while the plots are done in 600 grit.

for those of you who don't know what the plots are, they are the two pieces that connect to the case lugs and also connect to the strap. They are responsible for keeping the watch on your wrist. they are very important.

I wish I took a before picture but I only have after's unfortunately.
If needed I was going to remove the strap and remove the plot from the case.

After which I would have a piece of 600 grade sandpaper secured down on my bench. I would then rub the gold plot straight down in as straight of a line as I could while keeping the rounded shape of the plot. if you do not keep in mine while sanding the plot to keep the rounded shape, you will ruin the plot and flatten the top of it. Which will result in the plot not matching and looking terrible. it will be permanently ruined.

you also need a fixed counter screwdriver system to even remove the bracelet and plots to begin with. If you don't, I recommend buying one because doing it by hand will result it several slips and scratches on the screw heads as well as the watch case.

For this job I decided I didn't need to remove the plot. I instead felt I could get to the area's I needed to get to be masking of the watch case and area's I did not want to be effected while refinishing the plot.
Take your time masking your watch. Make sure you have enough protection on the surrounding area's. remember, AP finish is perfection and it can be redone if you take your time.

So everything was masked, I then took double sided 3m tape and put it on the cap of a marker that had a nice small flat top. I then cut a small piece of sandpaper to the same width as the plot I was going to refinish. the marker is so I can have a good grip and make very straight passes IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY**
I then applied the sandpaper onto the plot. I did 3 passes then replaced the sandpaper with a fresh piece and did 3 more passes. I do no more than 3 passes because after 3 passes, the roughness of the sandpaper gets worn down and will start to change the finish again the more you sand and will result in an unmatched finish. You want crisp satin finish where the grain of the finish is perfect and straight.

so all and all I did 12 passes, changing the sandpaper every 3 passes. The dent disappeared and so did the scratches and the plot matches the others exactly like factory, even under 10x magnification you cannot tell the difference.

Now another important reminder, remember when I told you on a Gold ROO the plots are rounded on the surface and not flat. Well make sure the double sided tape you use to secure your small piece of sandpaper to your marker cap, is the foamed double sided tape. that way the sandpaper will have a springy effect when applied and the sandpaper will fallow the current contour of the plot. as if you had a flat piece of sandpaper stuck onto a hard surface of a marker cap that had no give, you could disrupted the current factory shape as well. Remember, 18k gold is soft, so you don't need a lot of pressure.

I know there is a lot to this and some of what I have said may not make the most sense if you're not used to working with watches.. I tried to paint as good of a picture as I could for everyone. This is the way it should be done.

No fiberglass pen or satin wheel or satin block will ever give you the correct finish. It has to be done this way completely by hand.

Please note that in the two pictures below, it is the Left strap PLOT that has been refinished, The right PLOT is factory. I tried to get the best light and as close as I could so you can see a clear image of how straight the grain is as well as the match which is perfect. The entire plot was refinished. dent and scratches both removed.





any questions based on what I have said here, please feel free to ask

You are brave! Great story and fantastic results.

[Bulliondesk]

Impressive!

[Willygallardo]

I think i'm gonna head to the store tomorrow get sand paper have a couple scratches on my SS!
Thanks for the tips

[v5cog]

Jordan.... Fortune favours the brave! And that was very brave to attempt
Awesome job!