Best way to age the case and bezel?

[yachtmaster]

Hey guys, Im restarting my 1680 project and wanted to know how do you age the case? And how do you guys age the bezel to make it blue...I've seen some crazy vintage pieces here and man you guys are amazing.

[Brightight]

I assume you mean the bezel insert? If so, bleach is the answer, but be careful, don't leave it in too long or you get the followng result -

For case aging I've used a box full of car bolts and nuts, shaken the case around inside (after removing the crystal and blocking the inside with paper) to create the larger dings and scratches, also a wire brush on a Dremel can give those smaller 'scratches'. It's a case of experiment and see what works for you

[Justasgood]

um, for that look of being worn.........I just wear them........alot.

[watchguyusa1]

I use a large jar with coins and place the case inside and shake the s&*@t out of it!

[morlock]

I had used the washing machine method with some success. It's pretty easy to do, remove the movt, put the case & bracelet on the washing machine with a load of clothes, and do a regular cycle.

This produce lots of light scratch and hairlines, you could repeat the process until you get the level you are looking for. Also during the process, the bezel is going to fade, so you have to control the wearing of the case/bracelet and the decoloration on the bezel.

Usually it took 2 or 4 times to me to get the results I was looking for.

Good luck.

[what2]

since I will be undertaking the same chore am I safe in assuming you also remove the crystal before putting the watch in the washing machine?

[sub1965]

...remove the crystal before...

This would result in unwanted wear on the rehaut, unless you can protect someway.