Removing lens scratch on dive watch

[gee13]

Hi, I recently got an Oceanic Geo and only realised (after 10 dives) that it had a lens protector. Damage done diving on reef and there was a hairline scratch about 1cm long! Ive heard that toothpaste may work - even baking soda. That's a myth it didnt work at all after a while of polishing the lens. I have heard of polywatch scratch remover but im sceptical. What are my best options without having to pay a huge amount of $$ to send it back to Oceanic to replace the lens?

Also what kind of lens is it? Plastic crystal or Mineral/ Glass Crystal?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[charlesml3]

You might be able to get it out, but do you really need to? It's unlikely you can even see the scratch underwater.

The face of my old Oceanic computer looks horrible on land, can't see a single scratch on it underwater...

-Charles

 

[tmccabe]

I have used a product called PolyWatch. It's a paste in a tube specially designed for removing plastic watch face scratches. Should work fine for dive computers as well. Scubaboard won't allow me to post the manufacturer's website URL (since I have less than 5 posts - silly!) but you should be able to find a retailer by typing "Polywatch" into a search engine like Goggle. I easily found a retailer online here in the USA and it costs about $10US. I had a dive watch that I scratched and with a little rubbing using this product, the scratch vanished and the face looks super.

Hope this helps!

 

[rye_a]

If you really want to get the scratch out you can take the watch into any decent jewelry shop and have them buff it out. they'll usually do it for a nominal fee, and will sometimes do it for nothing if you "shop" while they're working on it with the hopes that their service will lead to business.

 

[redseal1tx]

I "Googled" Polywatch and found Amazon has Polywatch for $6.49US.

redseal1tx

 

[gee13]

Thanks guys I actually did a bit of research myself and found polywatch to be well rated to remove scratches but only for plexi-glass or acrylic/ plastic based crystal lenses, not mineral/ glass crystal.

I can't seem to get any confirmation on what type of lens the oceanic geo uses. Can anyone confirm this for me please?

Also if i get it buffed at a jewellery place, would that affect the warranty? It wont involve taking any internal out but i hear can affect the screen pressure rating?

 

[redseal1tx]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you and your question.

I just received the following information from an Oceanic representative:

"The lens material is glass. The only way to get that scratch removed is to return to Oceanic customer service for a new lens and at that point it has to go through a whole calibration/service procedure. I looked it up and totally refurbished/updated unit with software update, new warranty is $125.00."

redseal1tx

 

[spoolin01]

Depending upon the location and depth of the scratch, it should be a simple task to polish it out using a Dremel-type tool, buffing wheel, and polishing compounds. The lens face is not much recessed, so access to the scratch w/o abrading the plastic case should be manageable as long as the scratch doesn't extend all the way to the edge and you take care with the power tool. The Dremel wheels are small and firm and allow decent control over the extent of the polishing action. If it's just superficial, it won't take much work and the glass removal shouldn't show much if at all.