Specialist retouching for luxury timepieces — crisp dials, clean cases, controlled crystal reflections and flawless metal. The micro-detail discipline few studios master.
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BeforeAfterWatches combine metal, glass and the finest engraving — the hardest surfaces to photograph cleanly. We remove dust and scratches, control crystal and metal reflections, sharpen dial detail and deliver luxury-grade, consistent imagery for e-commerce and campaigns.
Clean crystal & metal without losing realism.
Dial text, indices and engraving kept razor-sharp.
Custom volume and retainer rates, scoped to your throughput.
Watches are the least forgiving product in the studio: a mirror-polished case reflects everything, and a sapphire crystal shows every light you own. Each image moves through the same four stages.
Dust under the crystal, lint on the dial and hairline marks on indices are cleaned at full zoom. Crystal glare is reduced so printed text, sub-dials and the date window stay legible instead of washing out.
Polished, brushed and two-tone surfaces are rebuilt where the lighting flattened them, keeping the line between finishes crisp. Bracelet links are evened out so the metal reads as one continuous piece.
Softbox shapes, tripod legs and room reflections are removed or replaced with clean gradients. The aim is a case that looks lit, not a case that shows your studio back to the customer.
A second retoucher checks the full set for matching dial colour, crown position, shadow weight and crop, so a model range looks like one coherent collection.
Timepieces price like fine jewellery: the case is a mirror, the crystal is a lens, and both have to be rebuilt by hand. These are our working ranges — the exact quote depends on complexity, volume and turnaround.
| What you need | Rate per image |
|---|---|
| Clipping path or background removal only Cut-out on white, no retouching | $0.50 – $2 |
| Standard watch retouching Dial and crystal cleanup, bracelet evening, basic glare control | $2 – $5 |
| Complex & high-end timepieces Heavy reflection rebuild, polished cases, chronograph and skeleton detail | $5 – $8 |
| Campaign & editorial On-wrist hero imagery, print and large format | $10 – $30 |
Volume changes the number. E-commerce post-production starts at $1 per image and scales down as monthly volume rises. Studios and agencies on a monthly retainer get the lowest rates — see white-label retouching.
Turnaround: 24–48 hours standard, rush available. Free test edit: send one timepiece and judge the quality before you commit. Full breakdown in our 2026 photo retouching cost guide.
Dress watches, divers, chronographs, skeleton movements and smartwatches — shot flat, angled, on wrist or on stand.
Selling through your own store or a marketplace? The same batch can include clipping paths, background removal, shadow creation and full product photo editing so files arrive upload-ready.
Yes — luxury timepiece retouching is a core specialty: dial clarity, reflection control, metal cleanup and crystal glare removal.
Custom volume and retainer pricing, scaling with complexity and volume.
Yes — dedicated retouchers and consistent batch output for catalogs and retainers.
Yes — send one timepiece image and we'll retouch it free.
Standard turnaround is 24 to 48 hours. Larger catalogues are scheduled in batches at an agreed daily volume, and rush delivery is available when a launch or marketplace deadline is fixed.
We remove distracting reflections such as softbox edges, tripods and room detail, while keeping the highlights that give a polished case its depth. Stripping every reflection makes metal look flat and fake, so we control them rather than delete them.
RAW, TIFF, PSD, PNG and JPEG. Send the highest quality original you have. We return layered PSD or flattened files in the size and colour profile your store or printer requires.
Yes. We sign NDAs on request, restrict access to the assigned retouchers, and delete or return files on an agreed retention schedule.
See our quality risk-free — no commitment, no card.
Claim your free test edit