Okay, so check it, today I’m gonna break down my experience messing around with the Tag Heuer Night Diver. I picked up a used one a while back, and, man, it needed some love.
First things first, I gave it a good scrub. Like, really got in there with a soft toothbrush and some dish soap. You wouldn’t believe the gunk hiding in the bracelet and around the bezel. Seriously, years of who-knows-what. It already looked a million times better just from that.
Next up, the crystal. It was scratched to hell. I considered replacing it, but then I figured, “Screw it, let’s try polishing.” I got myself a little polishing kit with different grits of sandpaper and some polishing compound. Started with the roughest grit and just went at it, slow and steady. Took forever, but each grit made it look a bit better. Finally, hit it with the polishing compound and buffed it until my arm was about to fall off. Not perfect, still some tiny scratches, but way better than before. Definitely wearable now.
The bezel was another story. It was stiff as hell. I tried soaking it in warm water, thinking maybe some dried-up crud was the culprit. Didn’t work. So, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos about removing bezels. Scared the crap out of me, I didn’t want to scratch the case. Found a video where a guy used a thin caseback opener, carefully pried it up. Heart was pounding, but it popped off! Inside, it was all gummed up with old grease. Cleaned everything up with some isopropyl alcohol, applied a tiny bit of silicone grease, and snapped the bezel back on. Smooth as butter now, clicks like a dream.
The lume was totally dead. Expected that, being an older watch. I looked into reluming it myself. Bought some Super-LumiNova powder and binder, watched even more YouTube videos. But honestly, I chickened out. The hands are so delicate, I was afraid I’d ruin them. So, I took it to a local watchmaker. He did a great job, now it glows like a torch. Worth every penny.
While I had it open to install a new battery I went ahead and replaced all the gaskets. I mean, it’s a dive watch and I wanted to make sure it stayed watertight. I ordered a set of new gaskets online. The case back gasket was pretty straightforward, but the crown gasket was tiny and a pain to get in. I used a toothpick to carefully push it into place. I did a pressure test to make sure everything was sealed up tight, and it passed with flying colors!
Finally, the bracelet. It was sized way too big for my wrist. Took a few links out, not a big deal. But the clasp was kinda loose. Bent the little metal tabs inside the clasp a bit to make it tighter. Seems to be holding up okay so far.
Overall, it was a fun project. Learned a lot, and now I’ve got a cool vintage Tag Heuer that I’m not afraid to wear. It’s not perfect, got some scratches and dings, but that just gives it character, right?
