Repolishing Stainless
Since the Series 0 Apple Watch debuted in 2015, I've consistently purchased the Stainless Steel Apple Watch model anytime I've upgraded. The cosmetic look, and more importantly, the added durability of the watch appealed to me enough to justify the increased $300 cost. It's far from an insignificant cost, but I've loved every moment with the Stainless Steel Apple Watches I've owned, and I personally find the investment a valuable one.
Over the years, the sapphire display has held up exceptionally well. Only once in the six years of owning the watch have I inexplicably gotten a minor scratch on display, and after connecting with Apple Support, it was quickly swapped out via AppleCare. So while keeping the sapphire display pristine is the easy part, the mirror-polished stainless steel does develop a bit of wear and tear over the years. Micro-abrasions from being a person moving through the world do form. And while the watch will still look exceptional, every 6-12 months, I've made it a habit of taking the time to give my Apple Watch a little TLC and repolishing it back to its former glory!
Here's the process I've used since 2015 for refinishing my Stainless Steel Apple Watch.
Step 0: Be Careful
A before picture showing the Stainless Steel becoming dull with several more visible marks on the housing.
Please be REALLY careful undertaking this DIY polishing process! I've had success with it, I haven't run into any problems, but I have no idea how things will shake out for you. The process seems safe but proceed at your own risk. Also, note that this process works to remove hairline and superficial surface scratches from the watch. Dents or deep cuts to the metal can't be fixed with this tutorial.
Also, please do not, I repeat: DO NOT perform this polishing process if you own a Gold, Graphite, or Space Black Stainless Steel Apple Watch, a Titanium Apple Watch, or any of Apple's aluminum Apple Watches. This process is strictly for the raw stainless steel Apple Watch! You run the risk of permanently destroying the finish on these other Apple Watches.
Step 1: The Materials
All the supplies you’ll need: The Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths, gloves, cleaning solution, and a couple of rags for cleaning and mess management.
Since 2015, I've been exclusively using Cape Cod Polish, specifically the $19.95 Polishing Kit. That one kit alone has lasted me for over half a decade, polishing my Apple Watch 1-2x per year. The kit consists of 12 polishing cloths which can be reused several times over, a microfibre cloth, and nitrile gloves.
Additionally, I like to have a spare microfibre cloth lying around to do the final cleaning of the watch, being near a sink, and having a hard surface with a rag underneath to do the actual polishing. Typically all this is done on the tile floor of my bathroom.
Step 2: Prep
About to begin polishing the Apple Watch.
Second: prep the Apple Watch. This involves removing it from my wrist, taking a moment to get grossed out by the ghostly pale untanned strip of skin I've developed through years of wear, removing the bands, and powering off the Apple Watch.
Setting the watch aside, next, I'll place a rag onto the hard surface, put on the included nitrile gloves, open and unpack a polishing cloth, and lay it onto the rag.
Step 3: The Polish
See that black mark there? That’s your Apple Watch smeared across the surface of the cloth. But don’t fret… it’s fine. It’s fine! Trust me... Deep breath in… deep breath out…
Gripping the Apple with my thumb and index finger, I'll press the side of the watch I want to polish against the polishing cloth with a medium pressure and begin making slow vertical passes up and down the cloth. You'll see a dark line form on the cloth... that's your watch! The polishing cloths contain a very fine abrasive that gently removes microscopic layers with each pass.
Don't fret; it's not like after 2-3 minutes of polishing, that watch will become deformed or melt away. We're talking fractions of fractions of a millimetre. But out of an abundance of caution, I avoid doing this process any more than a couple of times per year.
I'll continue moving the watch up and down for about a minute, periodically pausing to wipe the surface with a microfibre cloth to see if I have removed the scratches. And I will repeat this process for each edge of the Apple Watch, with the exception of when it comes to polishing the side with the Digital Crown. For that step, rather than rubbing the watch against the cloth, I hold the watch in the air and rub the cloth against the surface for about a minute, again pausing periodically to wipe the surface to see if I've achieved the desired results.
Step 4: Washing Up
Giving the Apple Watch a rinse to remove any tarnish and residue that formed during the polishing process.
After polishing the watch, I'll carry it to the sink and wash it under lukewarm water for about a minute to wash away any of the polish residues. Next, I'll activate the water eject feature on the watch 2-3 times to remove any water that may have collected inside the speakers.
Step 5: Final Spritz
Giving the Apple Watch final clean with some cleaning solution - I’ve been using Whoosh for years along with a microfibre cleaning cloth to buff it gently.
The last step in this process is dry the watch with a clean microfibre cloth. I also like to run the seam of the cloth through the band connector to remove any excess residue and dirt that may have collect there. Finally, I'll give the Apple Watch a spritz of a computer cleaning solution (I use Whoosh).
The (Re)finished Product
See… I told you things would be fine! Back to it’s mirror polished glory!
And there you have it. In under 5 minutes, you can bring your raw Stainless Steel Apple Watch back to its day one glory! I’ll not that I've also used this process for my Stainless Steel iPhone X in the past with positive results. But again, I can't stress that these steps are 1) taken at your own risk, and 2) should only be done on raw Stainless steel (no titanium, aluminum, or coloured (Gold/Pacific Blue/Graphite) metals).
