Previously in the series: Bench Rescue #1 — Restoring a Seiko V657-9010 Chronograph
There are those projects that are very rewarding in watchmaking. Vintage watch restoration is a key part of both skills development, technique and art.
Case in point: The Citizen Quartz Chronograph 0510-050300
The watch arrived showing the effects of decades of use. The crystal had accumulated deep scratches, the case had lost most of its original finish, and the bracelet showed the wear expected from a watch that had spent years on someone's wrist rather than a display case.
Underneath the cosmetic wear, however, was a watch worth saving.
The silver sunburst dial and gold-tone sub dials still had plenty of character, and the classic chronograph design deserved a second chance.
Condition Upon Arrival
The watch was complete and fundamentally sound, but showed significant signs of age and use:
- Heavily scratched crystal
- Significant wear on the case
- Bracelet showing years of handling and use
- Dull overall appearance
- General cosmetic degradation consistent with an older daily-worn watch
The goal of this project was not to erase its history, but to preserve the watch's character while restoring its presentation and functionality.
Work Performed
Crystal Replacement
The original crystal exhibited numerous surface scratches that reduced clarity and diminished the appearance of the dial.
I made an attempt at polishing out the scratches, using the progressive sanding technique. As the work progressed, it became increasingly clear that the crystal could not be saved, so I made the decision to replace it.
Case Restoration
The challenge of a two-tone stainless steel case are the gold-tone surfaces. Citizen watches and other similar fashion watches are either electroplated or PVD coated nickel. Electroplated surfaces are tricky to polish, since the layers are so thin that it is easy to remove it by over polishing. PVD coated surfaces can't be effectively polished as using any kind of abrasive removes the coating.
The case was cleaned using the ultrasound cleaner with a small amount of detergent. This removed all the dirt from the case before polishing.
The stainless-steel surfaces were polished using a combination of silicone wheels and brushes on a Dremel. As there are no brushed surfaces on this case, it was a simple matter of evenly polishing the surfaces. Once the scratches were removed, diamond paste at 10000 grit was applied to achieve a mirror finish.
The gold-tone surfaces and pusher buttons were polished using 30,000 grit diamond paste applied by hand. My experience with 30K grit on electroplated surfaces has been quite good. The goal was not to remove scratches as much as it was to even the surface and restore brilliance. Diamond paste at grits at 30K or higher achieve this, especially if buffed by hand and not with the Dremel.
Bracelet Restoration
The bracelet was a bigger challenge. The links were fairly loose due to many years of use. The center gold links of the jubilee bracelet were worn and scratched, so the risk of removing the finish was high. The sides of the links are mirror finished while the outer links are brushed. They were fairly heavily scratched and needed fairly aggressive scratch removal.
Like the case, the bracelet went into the ultrasonic cleaner, then scrubbed with an ultra-soft nylon brush, then back into the ultrasonic cleaner. Out of the ultrasonic cleaner, the bracelet was air dried with a small air blower. This allowed me to see the degree of wear to the bracelet before polishing.
For the top and bottom of the bracelet, I taped off the center links to protect the gold center links then used the silicone brushes to remove the scratches. This made the outer links fairly gloss polished. Once the scratches were removed, a 200 grit silicone brush was applied to restore the brushed effect.
The top and bottom of the bracelet were taped off to expose only the side links. The silicon wheel on the Dremel was used to remove the scratches, followed by a mirror polish using 8000 grit diamond paste.
Once the sides were finished, I moved to the center links. I used a 60000 grit diamond paste using the ultra-fine nylon brush, then buffing down the links using another ultra-fine nylon brush and a polishing cloth. It would be impossible to restore a fully gloss finish, but what I did achieve was enough of a gloss-finish to overcome the scratches that were present without removing them, or the metal coating.
Movement
The movement is a Citizen 0510. The movement worked as expected, but the chronograph second hand was not well aligned. I removed the hour, minute and chronograph hands, then carefully installed them to align them to the 12 position. Once this was done and the chronograph hands tested to ensure they operated correctly and snapped back to the 12 position, I replaced the battery to ensure the longest possible life for the watch.
The movement was cased and then stress-tested to ensure the pushers worked correctly and all the functions operated as they should.
The caseback gasket was replaced and oiled before closing the watch. One final pass of the polishing cloth and air brush to remove any residual dust and the restoration was complete.
The Result
One of the most satisfying parts of watch restoration is seeing details reappear that were hidden beneath years of wear.
The watch has its new life, there are no visible scratches, the stainless-steel case surfaces are mirror-polished on the case, the fluted bezel now shines and the caseback has all the deep scratches and pits removed. The links on the bracelet that were very loose were removed and while the bracelet is a bit smaller than before, I am confident it will not fail. This bracelet can never appear like new, but it is restored to a point in which there are no dull or deeply scratched surfaces present, the side links are mirror-polished and the center links have a higher gloss than before, but only to a point. With this bracelet, if it's overpolished, it's ruined. I chose not to use the Dremel at all on any of the gold-toned surfaces, since the risk of damage would have been too great.
By replacing the crystal, the silver dial now reflects light properly; the gold-tone sub-dials really pop as they were originally designed to do. The case and bracelet now complement the watch, not distracting from it.
Most importantly, the watch remains what it has always been: a Citizen chronograph with decades of history behind it, and now looks like it has many years ahead of it.
Why I Do Bench Rescue Projects
Bench Rescue projects serve three purposes at Forge & Crown.
First, they provide an opportunity to continue developing restoration and refinishing skills.
Second, they help preserve watches that might otherwise be discarded, parted out, or forgotten.
Most importantly, they demonstrate the craftsmanship, patience, and attention to detail that goes into every watch that crosses my workbench.
Whether the project is a customer commission, a custom build or a vintage restoration, the philosophy remains the same:
Respect the watch. Preserve its character. Return it to service.
Before & After
The transformation is best appreciated by comparing the original listing photographs to the completed restoration.
What began as a well-worn vintage Citizen chronograph is now a clean, fully functional timepiece ready for its next chapter.
If you are interested in acquiring a restored watch, visit our eBay store.
Time. Commissioned.